Jakes Louw

My question is how will they be able to check for non-compliance? Drones? Site visits? I get my electrical feed from Tshwane West (Fortsig): the meter reader wouldn't know what a solar panel is if he got hit by one. How will Tshwane police rural connections?

Money is in. Solis ZA are bringing the new Ginlong Series 6 3Ph hybrid inverters into ZA early in 2024. These have been confirmed to be able to handle unbalanced phases and as far as I can see, have 4 x MPPT. Not a lot of info on them yet. The ZA rep says they want to do some tests in ZA before they announce the products.

Gave up on the bank loan. I'm sourcing funds elsewhere, and luckily for me, the delay means Solis is now launching their Series 6 inverters, which means Unbalanced Load support for the 3 phase Hybrids.

Still waiting for the bank loan. To be honest, I'm still trying to decide between the R100k+ solar hybrid with no batteries and only around 5kW production and a R100k 3ph 35kW diesel generator that will solve loadshedding............

Update on this: I crunched the numbers and got some quotes. It is cheaper to actually buy an oversized 3-phase hybrid inverter than to have 3 x single-phase inverters running in parallel. Pricing at this stage for a start-up system (grid-tied, no battery) are between R100k and R137k depending on components (that was before the latest price increases) That would be a 15kW inverter, as well as 10 panels to easily satisfy the minimum PV required to activate the inverter (usually between 160VDC and 180VDC depending on model). Yes, this price is quite steep but the installation is between 20% and 30%. So I decided : bugger that, I know a qualified electrician that will help me, and I'm going to do it myself. Solis S5 15.0kW Dual MPPT 3-Phase Grid Tie Inverter - R25k Solis S5 25.0kW Triple MPPT 3-Phase Grid Tie Inverter - R38k At that price difference, I'd rather go for 25kW. MUCH for flexilibility and less chance of load issues later. The problem now is solar panels. No stock anywhere and the prices are mental compared to 3 months ago. Hopefully that clears upo soon, but in the meantime I can install the inverter and make sure there is space for optional batteries later.

Bit of a hijack on this thread, but I'm looking for a clamp-style (CT) power logger so that I can check the peak usage on my 3-phase supply. I don't mind if it is only a single clamp system: with loadshedding, there is ample opportunity to swap between L1, L2 and L3 😀 Since this will be a once-off use to determine my peak loads prior to finalising my PV inverter purchase, it shouldn't break the bank. I don't mind WiFi or BT as I can use either a laptop or Android phone to access the logs. Any suggestions?

Just to clarify: so a 10kW 1ph inverter to handle one of the phases, and a pair of 5kW in parallel to handle the rest?

Lots to think about. Need to now check the peak load on each phase.

@Steve87 : thanks for that. Another issue is that the 1ph units would also have a load limit: If I have a load of 6kW on 1 phase, do all 3 units need to be 6kW?

I know. But there is a thing called phase rotation, usually handled if the units are properly in parallel. This applies to load balancing as well?

OK, and how do I run my 3ph appliances off 1ph?

Any idea who will stock them?

Thanks. This one?: InfiniSolar 15kW 3 Phase Hybrid PV inverter (enway.co.za) The 10kW unit does NOT do phase balancing.....max 3.7kW per phase.

Thanks. And I am aware.

Also, wouldn't the 3 x Axperts require paralleling as well as balanced phases? I have unbalanced phases and I'm not going to spend R50k sorting that out.

Thanks, but I'd like to back feed to build unit credits for night time consumption.

Hi all What is the best budget-friendly 3ph hybrid inverter? Consumption is around 2400kWh on average per month. Let's say 10-15kW as a load. Phase balancing is required. Minimal battery: shortfall will come from the grid and I will cut non-essential loads during LS. I will be feeding back via old school reverse-rotation capable meters. Solis? Sunsynk?

I have several Ryobi items that I have never been able to break. In fact, I gave the one drill to my farm workers 2 months ago and it still works. Go figure.

Well, just went and got the drill out of the storage shed. It's a Powerplus X011 : 14.4v not 12v. 23 torque settings, single speed, plus a hammer option. Built in level bubbles, and a laser sight option. Rear back-lit LCD for battery status. Battery code is POW X011B. Connected the charger and the smoke came out of the 230v transformer. Oops. How does one get the smoke back in? I used to have replacement Land Rover smoke, will that work? Abe, I assume we need a Li-Ion charger? Will send you a PM.

I wish. S&P Power Units don't want to try the Li-Ion conversion. Driving to the east rand or far west rand or southern JHB adds R250 to the cost. At that cost plus the cost of re-pack, I may as well buy an 18V Li-Ion Ryobi for R900 with a battery and charger. An extra battery would be nice but not critical considering 90% of my jobs are short and small: one or 2 bolt or screw holes, maybe a driving in a few self-tappers.

I'd be happy to bring them through to you. The tool is useless to me: the NiCads are so shot that I can barely run a 10mm bit through a 50mm treated pole and they are flat. As you might know, I have a 20Ha smallholding: I often struggle without cordless tools, and this means loading a gennie onto the bakkie and driving to the work site. And a 650W impact drills needs a 1.3kW gennie.

I could go for a 4S (13.6v nominal) I suppose. I always though the amps would be the issue. But yes, that would then become more expensive.

Dunno if this has been discussed before, but I have a decent 12v impact drill that is lying in the workshop, unused as the NiCad packs are FUBAR. Now a shop like S&P can repack them at R260 each ex-VAT. But then I still have NiCad with dodgy performance, slow recharge and low Ah ratings. These guys sell pre-made Li-Ion battery packs: https://www.electromannsa.com/products/12-6v-5-1ah-rechargeable-li-ion-battery-pack-with-bms?_pos=70&_sid=4122d02d5&_ss=r Yes, I could invest in expensive soldering irons, good reading glasses (short range eyesight is becoming an issue), and buy stuff like Li-Ion batteries and BMS units off the Interwebs, but I flunked basic electrical circuits in Matric. And looking at those prices, could I really do better considering P&P, excise, courier costs etc? What does the forum say: - Repack the NiCads? R520 for 2 ex VAT - Try the Li-Ion packs? R958 for 2 ex VAT - Spend the money on a new Ryobi 18v drill and donate the old piece of crap to somebody else? But only have 1 battery?

https://www.ledsales.co.za/products/view_product/342/efergy-home-hub-kit-3-phase/ Will have to consider the budget.