Loadshedding

As Loadshedding Recedes There is Still a Huge Compelling Reason to Install Solar

Choose your electricity monthly average cost: R416.66 or R13 629.63 over 20 years
The average Middle Income home consumes 1000 kWh of electricity per month
A 9% average increase in electricity cost per year could see Middle Income homes paying R8 144.94 per month for electricity 20 years from now
The average lifespan of a solar system is 20 years

In a nutshell the one compelling reason to install a Grid Tie only Solar System is: Major Cost Savings and a potential ROI of R1.8 Million (on certain installations).

On behalf of Straton Solar I recently completed a study of the Electricity prices for the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

I collated the prices in c/kWh for private householders using prepaid and credit meters.

The results can be seen here: https://mype.co.za/historic-nmb-rates-services-and-electricity-tariffs-and-percentage-increases-yoy/

Looking at consumers who are on a credit meter and consume more than 950 kWh per month one can see that the price per kWh has increased from 180.68 cents per kWh in 2017 to 318.41 cents per kWh in 2024 – an almost doubling of the charges.

With loadshedding showing signs of becoming almost non-existent the need for large battery backup has become much less and, naturally, focus will now shift to using solar installations to reduce every growing monthly electricity bills.

A fairly decent grid-tie only (no batteries) solar installation of around 8 kW will cost around R100 000.00

Based on 5 hours of generation per day that equates to just more than 37 kWh per day at a 94% efficiency for the system.

That will then equate to around 1144 kWh of power generated off of your roof per month. The average middle class home consumes around 1000 kWh per month.

If the system has a lifetime of 20 years you will generate 24 829 kW of power over 20 years which will cost you 0.23 cents per kWh.

IF Electricity Prices increase ONLY by 9% per annum:

In 20 years time you will still be paying 0.23 c/kWh whilst
The price of electricity in Nelson Mandela Bay will be 1 637.15 c/kWh

Put another way – If you consistently consume 1000 kWh of electricity per month over the next 20 years:

With a grid tie solar system as above your electricity will cost you R416.66 per month whilst
Staying connected to the municipality only will cost you R8 144.94 on AVERAGE per month
Over 20 years this scenario represents a potential saving of R1.8 Million – an excellent return on your investment

Disclaimer: Not all households will have the same results and I have not taken into consideration the cost of Smart Meters, TOU Tariff differences, maintenance, insurance and additions to solar systems.

Video: As Loadshedding Recedes There is Still a Huge Compelling Reason to Install Solar

https://youtu.be/CNTSSagaKZE

Boilerplate and Editor’s Notes.
More Info on As Loadshedding Recedes There is Still a Huge Compelling Reason to Install Solar here:
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Read the full article by Alan Straton here: MyPR

How Much is Eskom Losing in Turnover During Loadshedding?

Is a figure of R130 Million too low or too high?
Is this sustainable when a business is already in crisis?

We are all familiar with the fact that loadshedding is expensive – for the country, its economy and our global reputation. We aslo need to stop and consider just how much loadshedding costs the every inept Eskom every month in lost turnover.

Think of Electricity as an ephemeral time based product – you either lose it or use it and can never really ‘catch up’ your consumption once it is lost. Have you tried making your lights burn twice as bright after loadshedding or your pool pump work twice as fast? What is lost is lost forever. “This is a lot like what happens when you install Solar PV on your roof – what you do not use as self consumption or to charge storage devices is lost to the grid or to heat,” says Straton Solar.

Chat to the ‘installers’ installer Straton Solar

Eskom has a bewildering number of tariffs for different electricity supplies making an accurate estimate of Eskoms charges per kWh a bit of a thumbsuck. Suffice to say that if one looks at charges to Local Authorities those range from 80.27 c/kWh (for Off Peak) to 488.82 c/kWh for Peak.

During January so far (daily figures below) Eskom has shed 89 932 MW of electricity due to loadshedding. That is equal to 89 932 000 kWh.

Lets ASSUME that the average price per kWh that Eskom charges (to direct and municipal customers) is in the region of R1.45 per kWh.

Contrast that with what the South African consumer pays on average which is estimated at R2.56 kWh.

Let’s take the amount of kWh shed in the month of January (89.932 Million) and times that by R1.45 (our ESTIMATED average price charged by Eskom for Electricity) and we get a LOST TURNOVER figure for Eskom of R130 401 400.

Can any business afford to lose R130 Million in turnover month after month?

Factor in the bloated salary bill, fraud, failed maintenance, uncertain futures for employees, political bosses with no clue and zero motivation I would say that Eskom is on the final slope to becoming a pimple in history. Frankly even renewables will not be able to fill that gap fast enough to provide electricity as we used to know it before loadshedding.

Date and Amount of Electricity shed (MW)

09 January: 3,371
10 January: 3,527
11 January: 5,088
12 January: 6,409
13 January: 5,124
14 January: 4,82
15 January: 4,81
16 January: 5,594
17 January: 4,666
18 January: 4,723
19 January: 4,736
20 January: 3,581
21 January: 2,576
22 January: 3,503
23 January: 3,821
24 January: 3,703
25 January: 3,762
26 January: 5,891
27 January: 3,592
28 January: 3,228
29 January: 3,407

TOTAL: 89,932 MW

Maybe it is time to trade in that 4×4 to buy a 5×5 Solar System rather.

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Press Release Views since 1 July 2022: 267

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As we Approach 130 Days of Loadshedding the Demand for Replacement Batteries Spikes

Today we answer the age old question of; “How long should my load shedding backup battery last?” whilst resisting the temptation to answer with; “How long is a piece of string!”.

“With the increased tempo of loadshedding in South Africa we are getting many enquiries about the longevity of different batteries that clients have installed for backup,” says Straton Solar.

South Africa is approaching 130 days of continuous loadshedding and for many people that means 260 incidents of loadshedding in total. Let’s call those incidents ‘cycles’ in order to understand what to expect from your back up batteries going forward.

All batteries are rated in terms of Cycle Life – which is defined as the number of cycles (with a 100% Death of Discharge – DOD) a cell can perform before its capacity drops to 80% of its initial specified capacity and then starts to reduce visibly its performance.

Lithium-Ion Battery Life Cycle: 3500 to 8500 cycles

Lithium-ion batteries have expected life cycle ratings between 3 000 – 8 500 cycles for a heavily used battery. Light use can well exceed this rating. Each manufacturer will also provide the depth of discharge limit to achieve their life cycle rating.

In most cases, lithium battery manufacturers limit the depth of discharge to 80%. However, some manufacturers rate their batteries with a 100% depth of discharge. This means that you can use 100% of the capacity without excessively damaging the battery.

Lithium-ion batteries are much less affected by environmental and discharge factors than their lead-acid counterparts. This makes the life cycle estimates much more accurate.

A notable exception here is the Tesla Powerwall 2 which, if you charge your Tesla Powerwall using solar power and the grid you will receive unlimited cycles as part of the 10 year warranty which includes charging the battery with off-peak electricity.

Sealed AGM Battery Life Cycle: 320 to 1200 cycles

AGM stands for Absorbent Glass Mat. In these batteries the electrolyte is absorbed into a glass-fibre mat between the plates by capillary action. AGM batteries are more suitable for short-time delivery of high currents than gel batteries.

Discharging an AGM battery by more than 50 percent and up to 70 percent is not advisable if it is done frequently, this will significantly reduce the battery life cycle. If you discharge your battery to 30 percent, you will have about 1200 cycles. But, if you discharge the battery to 50 percent you will get around 550 cycles. In the worst case, if you fully discharge the battery to 100 percent, you will get about 320 cycles.

AGM batteries can withstand up to three times more cycle life than a conventional car starter battery and are best suited for vehicles with an automatic start-stop system. Conventional starter batteries are not built to handle the high-power demands of these systems so AGM batteries must be used.

Lead-Acid Battery Life Cycle: 250 to 1000 cycles

There are multiple types of lead-acid batteries, each with a different life cycle expectancy. Depending on how you maintain your battery and which type you have, you can expect to get somewhere between a few hundred and up to a thousand charge cycles.

Longevity in lead-acid very much depends on light discharges and proper recharge cycles. If a battery is going to be used for heavy power demands or deep discharges these batteries will get many fewer cycles.

Many manufacturers point to a similar figure of at least 1 000 charging cycles if used in proper conditions. However, extreme heat and other environmental factors can significantly reduce the life of a lead acid battery.

In addition, the increased maintenance requirements for lead acid batteries can also lead to shorter lifespans. It is not uncommon for personnel to have poor maintenance tracking procedures or not care for lead acid batteries in the manner recommended by the lead acid battery manufacturer.

Time Kills a Battery: Time and tide wait for no-one. And the same is the case with a battery. Whether you use it or not, the battery will deteriorate with time and eventually die. This is due to factors like increased internal resistance, loss of electrolyte, crystallization of electrodes, etc. The time effect was described by Arrhenius and is widely used by battery designers in estimating the life cycle of a battery. You need to remember that a battery will self-discharge itself even when idle.

Temperature Effects: Temperature affects both performance and life cycle of a battery (Battery and Temperature). Arrhenius Law also describes how a rise temperature speeds up the chemical reactions inside the battery. So whether you are using the battery or not, higher temperature means faster reactions and hence quicker discharge of the battery.

A rechargeable battery has a finite life cycle before it becomes unusable. You can extend this by proper maintenance, correct operating temperature, and regular but correct use.

How Can You Increase Battery Life?

Once you begin to understand how different factors impact your battery’s life cycle, it becomes clearer how you can increase your battery’s life. Following some simple “best practices” can help you get the most out of your battery, regardless of whether it’s a lead-acid or lithium-ion battery.

As much as possible, use your battery in moderate temperatures. Of course, this may not always be possible. It is optimal to store, charge, and discharge your battery in temperatures near 25 degrees C.

If you have a lead-acid battery, minimize how often you discharge the battery below 50% of its capacity. Ideally, the depth of discharge on each cycle should be between 10% and 50%. If you have a lithium battery, you can likely go down to 80% DOD and, in some cases, 100% DOD. Refer to your battery manufacturer’s recommendation to be safe.

Additionally, if you have a flooded lead-acid battery, make sure to keep the electrolyte solution topped off. Lastly, charging your battery slowly can help keep the internal resistance lower and extend your battery life as well.

Video: As we approcah 130 Days of Loadshedding the Demand for Replacement Batteries Spikes

More Info on As we approcah 130 Days of Loadshedding the Demand for Replacement Batteries Spikes here: https://straton.co.za/solar
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CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.

Press Release Views since 1 July 2022: 269

Read the full article by Alan Straton here: MyPR

Lithium-Ion Battery Life Cycle: 3500 to 8500 cycles

Sealed AGM Battery Life Cycle: 320 to 1200 cycles

Lead-Acid Battery Life Cycle: 250 to 1000 cycles

How Can You Increase Battery Life?

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