I’m considering adding more power generation to my setup. I have 10 panels 555w each. Then a Luxpower 10kW inverter and a 14kWh battery. Feeds all loads.
Currently not paying for power on sunny days. Sadly the cloudy days require purchase of power from municipal supply. I live in W Cape.
Is the purchase of a generator a good idea? Anybody who has experience with this arrangement? My inverter has the capability to connect a generator.
I’m looking at the proposed tariff changes. Seems like Eskom wants to increase their revenue by imposing a fixed charge for staying connected to the grid. Which would require paying more as a flat monthly charge.
Assume they want R20,000 per annum from me to stay connected. If I use my old financial formula- rule of thumb of 3 years, we get:
R20,000 x 3 =60,000
So expenditure less than R60k is positive. And anecdotal research indicates that 5kva generators cost less than 15k and connection costs-cable, fittings and labour should easily be done for 20k.
I have garage space for a generator- easy to provide adequate ventilation for small effort.
I could invest additional 25k on more panels. Or about 60k for another Volta stage 4 battery plus connection. But these have less appeal. I already have zero power purchase on sunny days. The existing battery copes fine on sunny days.
And I am assuming that there are no legal restrictions on me wanting to permanently disconnect from supply. Anyone know?
With a 5kva generator I could charge my battery from 40% to 100% in around two hours. Good for another day.
Numerous builders have these portable generators and they work well.
Currently not paying for power on sunny days. Sadly the cloudy days require purchase of power from municipal supply. I live in W Cape.
Is the purchase of a generator a good idea? Anybody who has experience with this arrangement? My inverter has the capability to connect a generator.
I’m looking at the proposed tariff changes. Seems like Eskom wants to increase their revenue by imposing a fixed charge for staying connected to the grid. Which would require paying more as a flat monthly charge.
Assume they want R20,000 per annum from me to stay connected. If I use my old financial formula- rule of thumb of 3 years, we get:
R20,000 x 3 =60,000
So expenditure less than R60k is positive. And anecdotal research indicates that 5kva generators cost less than 15k and connection costs-cable, fittings and labour should easily be done for 20k.
I have garage space for a generator- easy to provide adequate ventilation for small effort.
I could invest additional 25k on more panels. Or about 60k for another Volta stage 4 battery plus connection. But these have less appeal. I already have zero power purchase on sunny days. The existing battery copes fine on sunny days.
And I am assuming that there are no legal restrictions on me wanting to permanently disconnect from supply. Anyone know?
With a 5kva generator I could charge my battery from 40% to 100% in around two hours. Good for another day.
Numerous builders have these portable generators and they work well.
