Desire to slowly move away from Eskom

Hi there!

I am in northern subs of Cape Town. I want to get into solar but not sure if I should buy and install myself, use a trusted installer or rent (possibly rent to own).

Pipe Dream: I have been considering about solar for many years. My initial setup would have used off-grid + lead-acid. I am really glad that didn't commit to that yet I regret not moving forward before lithium prices went through the roof. The master procrastinator inside me is begging me to wait for Maxeon Solar Technologies (global branch of SunPower) to bring it's boron diffused panels to South Afirca (40 year warranty) and for Ambri's liquid-metal batteries or sodium-ion batteries (currently in mass production at BYD and CATL). If you consider risks involving adopting a new technology, global markets, availability and support in SA, etc. It's "just a fantasy". I decided it's about damn time. Phosphorous diffused panels and LiFePO4 batteries are the way forward for now.

Here's some assumptions. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

• Buying and installing gives one the opportunity to learn and optimize along the way. Make adjustments, move panels, take measurements, monitoring systems, provide community feedback and getting that ideal solution that meets your niche. The tricky part or grey area is when do you get your installation certified (COC and COCT). Do you need to do that before you start your install, after it's complete? How does an authority know how long you're taking to finish your install and how difficult is it to make changes to your system. As far as I know in the City of Cape Town even off-grid setups are required to be registered. You will need to register even if you don't connect the system to your main DB.
• Using a trusted installer should in theory take a lot off one's plate but finding a good one in Cape Town has been a massive pain so far. From what I can tell the typical installer does an installation in a single day charging R20k to R30k for a relatively small installation. I'll never hate on someone for working hard to finish a project as fast as possible. I just haven't seen anybody do quality work so fast and I've been bitten more than once. You are also limited to products the installer likes or perhaps on what their supplier offers. I haven't found an installer that gives a guarantee on their complete install. On the other hand I'm sure there are really good installers out there but it's just a matter of supply and demand. Other people might be willing to pay much more for relatively bigger installations. It's just business after all.
• The rent to own sounds like a good idea. I only know one person that has gone this route. You pay more at the end of the day, but you take up less risk in theory. If the system fails it is possible to stop payments at the risk of losing credit rating or going to court. Not something that I would recommend doing, but it's possible opposed to a supplier or installer that goes missing.

My Needs: I want a system that will work for at least 10 years and has the ability to scale as my demand and budget grows. I have optimized my electricity usage as much as I can: gas stove, solar geyser (with 3kW backup geyser controlled by Geyserwise), LED lights, etc. I use very little electricity on average but my peak loads are still semi-unpredictable since I live in a house and rent out a small flat on the same property. I learned about Sunsync/Deye's solution to critical and non-critical load works. I am now 100% sold on it and would pay the additional cost just to have the flexibility and configurability that it provides. The only thing left on critical load with big spikes would be microwave, hairdryer and vacuum cleaner. None of which has to be on at the same time. Dishwasher, washing machine, geysers, borehole, even (for now) the flat would be considered non-critical load. It simplifies my system drastically at the expense of being dependent on the inverter, if you can even call it that.

My Basic Experience: I bought and installed a small battery backup for a friend (Growatt 3kW + Bluenova 2kWh). I did most of the electronic work on a 40 year old house to get it ready for COC. I have inspected a few of my friends' setups (via installers and self-built). I have read spec sheets until my face turned blue and then read some more. I have very little practical experience with solar panels. I am not qualified to work on my DB / sub-DB so at the very least I would have to use an electrician complete that and verify the rest of my system.

My ideal setup would be:

• Sunsync 8kW hybrid inverter (with a 10 year warranty)
• Sunsync 5kWh rack-mount battery (with a 10 year warranty). Increased to 10 or 15 kWh later
• x6 550W+ mono perc panels, preferably Canadian Solar due to kPa wind rating. Increased to 12-20 later and feeding back into the grid to improve RIO

Finding a Cape Town Supplier: I have been struggling to get these parts. From my experience searching the web, mailing and phoning so far Gauteng has the best deals hands down. I'm assuming it's because there's more demand and stock coming from Durban. There are suppliers that sells to the public and will ship to Cape Town, but I would only try this if it's my only option. There are many risks and questions about returning products. The best chance I have found so far is Ellies. Apparently they are doing solar and Ellies has a CT branch not too far from me. I've tried to contact them by phone and email regarding their Sunsync and Canadian Solar products but have not had any response yet. I can get through to reception but solar division doesn't seem to be answering calls or emails at the moment. I don't mind to wait as long as I am able to place orders, be it weeks or months. I would really appreciate some advice here.

Alternatively I would go with:

• Sunsync/Deye 5kW or 8kW hybrid inverter (5 year warranty). Increased to 10kW if 5kW is not enough.
• Pylontech two 3.5kWh or one 5kWh rack-mount battery (7 years or 10 warranty on registration). Increased to 10.5 kWh (3x3) or 15 kWh (5x3).
• Any 400W+ mono perc panel that I can get my hands on, probably Ja Solar.

What do you think? Am I underestimating the challenges in troubleshooting when things go wrong? Should I just budget more and get it done professionally? No pylontech doesn't honor it's warranty? I should build my own battery? The ANC is going to build a fission reactor soon to end Loadshedding in the next 3 to 6 months.

Edit: I contacted Rubicon today. Seems like they have stock in Cape Town, but I'm waiting for quotes.

Edited March 31, 20231 yr by icanhas
Updated supplier info