Pumba

If your solar system is not registered with your local power supplier they have every right to disconnect you if you are not using grid pre or post paid electricity. 

Hi you didn't give any reasons to prefer one inverter over the other, if you are worried about overloading then the 8kw deye/sunsynk are well priced at the moment. The usual questions about why you need a true hybrid apply.

That signage must be on the main DB box where the 2 AC supplies are integrated via a Changeover. Very important that a future Sparky or technician knows there is a Dual supply of AC sources. It doesn't necessarily need to be in the changeover DB but if there are two different A power sources meaning 2 different neutrals that signage is important. 
Placing this outside, unfortunately, that I have never heard of. 

You can put those 8 panels on one MPPT no problem. You do not have to use both MPPT's.

Absolutely agree!
While many companies do use sly marketing, this is completely devious and dishonest...

I agree ,as consumers we should be doing more research about the capabilities of these systems before purchasing them. Basically every company uses marketing tricks like these in this day and age (sadly).

We are in the same boat as Scorp007.  we use less than 1/3 of the (incoming) mains electricity
But this is not good enough for the city bureaucrats.   This same gent suggested that the "connection fee" charged by CoCT will be tripled soon.  His argument is that the city has to maintain the electrical infrastructure, and the money must come from somewhere
He blamed solar users for the drop in revenue.  Also, a big headache was the number of applications for approval.  The safety angle was the excuse used

I just look back. 10 yrs ago I was using 1200kWh a month. I brought it down to about 270. The fact that I now use less than 100kWh per month from the grid I feel I have done my bit. For 8 mnths I charged only from grid but less than 2kWh per day when it suited me after each LS session. Just for my limited LS needs. After getting 2 more panels I am back to charging only from solar. 
I doubt that I have to be told to use less from grid at a time that it suits them. 
So a few of us are pointing in the same direction for the current state of power supply. Compare it to SAPO. Just not as easy to convert industry to go private/self generation for all their needs.
I fully support the view of @GreenFields on hybrid or more than 1 inverter for grid tied and back up. Allow export within the limits to keep supply reliable.

My opinion is that through various means Eskom has been sabotaged, but could if it wanted to, keep the lights on 24/7
This is a psychological and economic attack on the people of South Africa, and should thus be investigated and treated as high treason.
They are trying to wear us down, just like the ridiculous lockdowns, mask wearing, social distancing and a raft of other stupidities that most people should be cringing in shame for accepting.
Its a rich mans trick, all of it.
Just my 2 billion Rand
 
 

Exactly. We are taking load off the grid and it's getting significant now. Eskom can see the difference on overcast days. Each of us do that little bit, and those little bits add up. 
As for running off battery during the PM peak, I always aim to not need grid after 4pm, and usually I will get through until 8am. I agree that this is what we should be aiming to do. 

Yes, absolutely, it can only improve the situation. I said as much some time ago, but some folks had some choice opinions in response about how nobody can tell them what to do, they would charge their batteries during peak time and to hell with the rest. What the municipalities must do (like Nelson Mandela Bay Metro) is to force people on grid-tied systems onto a time-of-use tariff. That will quickly incentivise responsible use of power, but since nobody sees a reason to, it won't just happen.

In Cape Town (municipality) if you have PV panels on your roof then you need to be registered, simple as that; this rule has been in place for many years. If you want to be "Off Grid" then they certainly will come and disconnect your incoming grid line🤣
 
Get registered with the correct solar equipment in place then no problems.

In Cape Town (municipality) if you have PV panels on your roof then you need to be registered, simple as that; this rule has been in place for many years. If you want to be "Off Grid" then they certainly will come and disconnect your incoming grid line🤣
 
Get registered with the correct solar equipment in place then no problems.

Once you do this you will be absolved from their rules. But the minute their grid supply is in your home I guess you will need to play under their rules...

If they registered , they valid

I would ask myself 2 questions. 
1. What time of the day do I use the most electricity. 
2. How is your local weather? What time of the day are you most likely to have clear skies. 
I personally like to get power going back into the batteries ASAP. In your case I would personally go NE. 

Not an answer to your question, but that really looks like a dangerous board. At the very least, you should get those bare copper connectors insulated.

Hi @Derek3
I personally prefer an East/West split on the panels because, whilst it has a slightly lower overall panel efficiency (+-10% less) it produces good power over a longer period of time with lower maximum peaks. In my experience, which will obviously vary according to your site, I get on average about an extra 60 minutes of solar production time over a North facing set of panels (more in summer, less in winter). 
As most of a households energy usage is in the early morning & later afternoon/evening, it makes sense to have as high as possible energy production directly from panels - AC during these times reducing your reliance on the battery. 
It is also much cheaper to just add 2 extra panels to make up for the loss in efficiency than an extra battery.  
 
 
 
 
 

In this very non perfect world we have here in SA. I would say do whatever you can do to make the Earth leakage trip in the event of a fault. Using a relay bond does this. Using a permanent bond also does this. 
But whatever you do, don't do nothing as in the event of loadshedding you have zero protection & a floating neutral. 
We can split hairs all night long. Make the Earth leakage functional during the loss of grid is the ultimate goal here. How you want to achieve that is your business. 

You totally missed my point.
Do you ever work on an electrical circuit thats presumed zero volts without testing it first?
If there is a risk of electric shock I'm going to check, and check again. Thats the way I was taught.
I would question the training and qualifications of electricity department employees if that is the excuse they are using to get you to register your system.
 
 

South African regulations forbid connecting the Inverter output neutral to the earth permanently. No power generator may connect the output neutral to ESKOM neutral permanently. Some inverters like Sunsynk have terminals that can drive a relay when on islanding mode. The relay then connects the Inverter output neutral to an earth spike and house earth. Other inverters connect the inverter output neutral to earth internally. The manuals should provide that information.
If an inverter doesn't have terminals to drive a relay or internal neutral bonding then a relay can be installed as shown below.

Maybe some installers are talking about the permanent neutral-earth both bond in the main DB at the point of entry and that confuses a lot of people. They probably think, this is the bond on the Load side of the inverter. Just guessing...

This is where I believe the confusion arises, when the grid and inverter are operating together,  you never bond the neutral/earth after the "point of supply" or at 2 points in an electrical TN-S installations.
While your essential supply (output of the inverter) is connected to the grid, there should never be a bond between neutral and earth.
The only time there should be a bond between neutral and earth is when the inverter is in islanding mode (disconnected from the TN-S system) at which point you create a TN-C before the essential DB, (output from the inverter) , at the essential DB, you would then create a TN-S system and at no point after the DB, should the neutral earth be bonded again. Like i previously said the biggest problem with bonding earth and neutral while on mains is that if the star point at the minisub comes loose your star point could be the point for the complete minisub .
That 6sqmm or 4sqmm wire could look like a glow plug if you become the star point on an 800KVA minisub

Probably, if we create a different poll, we will find out that more than 80% of today's installers are not enough qualified and don't understand the system and standards properly 🙂
Since when polls dictate, what is done according to the standards and what is not?
 

Here is an easy design that switches automatically to tank water when there is no municipal water. I've been using it for almost 20 years.
If you want to use tank water even when municipal water is available just close the valve at the bottom next to the 1-way valve.