While the difference between Grid-Tied, Hybrid or Load-Shedder PV solar systems can be explained very basically here, it’s important to find a solar expert you can trust to really get to the bottom about which would suit your power requirements and budget best.
This is where the awesome team at Renaissance Solar in Cape Town comes to the rescue. They’ll take the complicated technical jargon and put it into a language that we are able to grasp, well enough to allow you to make a fully informed decision about how we’ll invest in a PV Solar System of any type.
Of course, there are the advantages of each system to look at, as well as the downside of each, so that they can be viewed from a realistic point of view.
Let’s look at the very basics of these three PV Solar Systems, just to give you an idea about the questions you can line up to ask Renaissance Solar when you’re ready to move to solar power:
Grid-Tied PV Solar System
One of the major advantages of the Grid-Tied PV Solar System is that it’s connected to the power grid, which, even though we don’t have a very stable power grid at the best of times with Eskom, still is one of the least expensive systems to begin with.
Despite an unstable power grid, solar panels still generate more power than is generally needed by the average homeowner in a 24hr cycle, but this will also depend on the size of your system in relation to your energy requirements.
It must be noted here that all energy-generating Solar PV Systems that are installed in the City of Cape Town electricity supply area must be registered for authorisation, but this won’t cause you any sweat since the team at Renaissance Solar includes this registration process in all their installations!
In terms of feeding any excess electricity back into the grid, you’d need to pick the brains of the team at Renaissance Solar on the finer details, with regard to getting the most out of your Grid-Tied PV System.
Eskom currently pays less for electricity fed to their grid via Grid-Tied Solar PV Systems than what they charge for electricity. Of course, any loss is more than made up purely because of our mild climate. One sunny summer in Cape Town will make up for less power generated from solar panels in winter.
Your Grid-Tied PV System comprises of solar panels and a grid-tie inverter which, very basically put, turns the grid into a remote battery. It does not come with batteries so your benefit is during the day when the sun is shining or at least it is bright outside.
The downside here is that when there’s load shedding, and it is night time or a cloudy day, you’ll still be in the dark, unfortunately!
Hybrid PV Solar System
Granted, the Hybrid PV Solar System is more expensive than the Grid-Tie system, mainly because of the addition of backup batteries; however, if you’re able to invest in a system like this, you can be certain of making it through load shedding with all the lights on.
Due to the fact that we seldom get much notice ahead of load shedding, having backup batteries that are fed by the solar panels during the day will give you the average of 4 to 5 hours of battery power you may need during load shedding.
Of course, this also depends on the size of your installation and the demands placed on the battery during load shedding.
The team at Renaissance Solar have been in the solar industry for over 10 successful years now, and they can give you all the tips you need to make the most of your solar battery power during load shedding!
Load-shedding PV System
This is the least expensive PV system to install. It consists only of Inverter and batteries. While you do not generate your own energy (there are no panels) it will get you through load-shedding.
Speak to Renaissance Solar for expert advice and guidance!
Renaissance Solar was initially founded in Cape Town with a commitment to offer clients affordable, high quality solar hot water systems, and this unwavering commitment has seen the company grow in leaps and bounds since 2009, on the heels of service excellence and a superb reputation.
Today, Renaissance Solar has grown to become a premier supplier and installer of Grid-Tied, Hybrid and Load-shedder Solar Systems in Cape Town, carrying on their proud tradition of providing quality solar systems at affordable prices. We offer residential and commercial installations.
Contact the friendly team at Renaissance Solar today to find out more about their quality solar products, including solar hot water systems and heat pumps, as well as to discuss the variety of financial offerings they have up their sleeves to make it possible for you to switch to solar and save, with a great ROI!
Here are a few tips offered by the Western Cape Government in terms of preparing for load shedding; we can do with all the help we can get as we look at a future that sees no end to being plunged into darkness!
