Not having to rely on Eskom for electricity is a step many of us would like to take, especially with the looming feeling that loadshedding is here to stay.
Going off the grid and relying on solar power in sunny South Africa seems like the logical move, but how exactly will solar energy help you in the long run? AWPower share five common myths about going solar and give us the lowdown on what to expect when relying on solar power.
‘Solar power means freedom from loadshedding’: Not necessarily. If you want to keep running through loadshedding, you will need to invest in either a generator (which has its own negatives) or a solar hybrid system with batteries to store power for savings/energy security. With a hybrid system, some essential loads on your property will stay on during loadshedding, while non-essential loads will be turned off.
‘Going off-grid will enable me to save a fortune on power bills’: Simply put, the more panels you install, the more of your daytime electricity consumption will be supplied by solar generation, while batteries can be added for nighttime savings. How much money you save on power bills depends largely on how much you invest in the initial setup of the solar system.
‘It’s prohibitively expensive to install solar power’: There is no need to get all the bells and whistles in one go. A solar hybrid system allows you to start small and grow your solar installation over time, while gradually reducing your electricity bill. Batteries are probably your biggest expense, so opt for lithium batteries over lead-acid (deep cycle AGM/Gel) batteries. The batteries have a higher upfront cost, but last 10 years or more compared with the two to three-year lifespan of lead-acid batteries.
‘I will be able to make money selling power to my neighbours and the municipality’: Sadly this is not the case. You are not allowed to sell your excess power to neighbours. You can apply to your municipality to install a special meter to track how much power you use from and supply to the grid. Some municipalities will then allow you to export the excess power and give you a generation offset amount on your monthly bill. Generally, you will receive a lot less for the power you export vs the cost of the power you import.
‘Solar power is no good on cloudy days or in winter’: Solar panels convert any sunlight that hits the surface into electricity. On cloudy days, the production level may drop, but you will still generate enough to cover some of your needs. The shortfall can be reduced by optimising the tilt and placement of the panels or adding more panels to make up for the shortfall in winter months.
