Off-Grid
Applications:
How the
system works
More and
more households and businesses are considering moving
towards renewable and sustainable sources of energy like
wind and solar power. Solar and wind generated power is
expensive. At the moment, it is cost effective where the
extension of utility lines from Eskom is not an option (in
other words, where moving onto the grid is not possible or
too expensive). However, as the price of grid power is
becoming more expensive and the world focuses more on the
impact we have on the earth, solar and wind generated power
will increasingly become a viable alternative.
In addition
to purchasing solar panels and/or wind turbines to generate
electricity, you will need to invest in some extra
equipment. In order to store wind or solar generated
electricity, you’ll need a battery charger and
batteries. To run household or business appliances, you
also need an inverter to convert direct current of
the batteries into alternating current.
Each
household or business has different levels of electricity
usage and different electricity requirements. To enable us
to provide a solution that meets your specific needs and
fits into your budget, we follow the following process:
1. We
ask you to complete a load assessment schedule to identify
your specific electricity requirements.
2. Based
on this assessment, we provide you with an estimate of the
cost of the system.
3. If
you are satisfied with the estimate, we visit your home or
business to do a detailed load assessment and provide you
with a final quotation.
How to
complete your load assessment
To complete
the attached load assessment schedule, follow these steps:
1. Determine
the appliances, lights, etc. you would like to run from your
electricity supply system. These systems and batteries are
expensive and every appliance that runs on the system, which
is not absolutely necessary, can increase the cost
considerably. It is therefore important to carefully
consider which appliances should run on the system. These
systems are not recommended for heat generating appliances
like kettles, stoves, toaster, heaters, etc. and we suggest
that you make use of gas for heating purposes. You can also
make use of a solar geyser, but this may not be adequate
during extended periods with no sunshine.
2. If
possible, check that the power requirements of each
appliance/item in kilo watts (1 kilo watt = 1000 watts) are
the same as what we specify in the schedule. If different,
please specify the kilo watts in the column provided. These
values are normally found on the product labels on the
appliance or in the appliance manual.
3. Determine
the number of hours each appliance will run per day, as well
as the number of days per week.
