Day: 2 Oct 2020

Need for solar batteries - Solar panel grid drawing
BatterySolar
The Need for Solar Batteries

Need for Solar Batteries

If you believe in all things green or have decided to go off the grid due to convenience, care and cost. Whichever way you view the situation you are going to see your need for solar batteries.

Many home owners that are planning on installing a solar panel system limit their thinking. They don’t usually concern themselves with the many choices of solar batteries that are available. But there are many home owners as well as other solar energy users who are planning on installing a solar energy system.

Most will be 100% off the grid or that at the very least, have emergency backup power. If this is the case you will most certainly need to learn a little about solar. You would also need to be able to navigate your way around solar battery systems.

When properly managed a solar electricity storage system can prove to be a reliable. Solar electricity is also an affordable method of powering your home or business.

Grid-Tie and Off-Grid Battery Systems

Did you know that there are two different kinds of solar battery storage systems? These include grid-tie with battery back-up and off-grid systems.

Off-Grid

Off-grid systems are independent of the grid. When it is dark and on cloudy days, off-grid solar homes rely on their solar batteries for power.

Peak generation of solar electricity happens around about midday with peak consumption usually happening at night when lights and appliances are turned on.

To power a home reliably; a battery bank must be able to efficiently charge in a couple of hours of intense sunlight and discharge during the night-time hours.

Solar batteries designed for this environment are referred to as deep-cycle batteries.

The most common solar deep-cycle batteries are referred to as being flooded, gelled lead-acid batteries and AGM.

These are three types of solar batteries that are able to discharge repeatedly, yet have low discharge rates.

Grid-Tied

Grid-tied systems with battery backup only use batteries when there is a power outage, but during normal operation, DC power form the solar panels is passed through a grid-tie inverter that converts it to AC power.

Always check with your supplier. Contact us today for a quotation.

Home solar systems - Solar panels on roof side view
Solar
Home Solar Systems

Questions Asked Regarding Home Solar Systems

For those looking for an alternative way of powering their homes in South Africa, consider home solar systems.

Thing is, how exactly does a home solar system work?

  • A PV – otherwise known as a Photovoltaic Solar System. PV consists of solar panels, racks for placing the panels onto your roof, an inverter and wiring.
  • From sun-up to sun-down the solar panels generate electricity which is transmitted to an inverter.
  • The inverter in turn then converts this DC power into AC (Alternating Current). AC is the standard used in most households.
  • AC power is then delivered directly to the main electrical service panel of your home.

Another oft-asked question is; how long will your solar system last? First let’s ask another question before the answer. Are you in for the long or the short-haul?

Systems can last anything from twenty five to forty five years. Some have been known to last even longer than this.

Does shade and grey days affect the efficiency of your home solar system?

Because solar operates at optimal output when the sun shines brightly. Shading could prove to be an issue.

Unlike the early days of solar power when systems had to be sized for peak loads, a grid-connected PV system will seamlessly switch to draw from the utility grid when power is required.

Your solar system has been designed with an annual production target; in other words it has been specifically created to average out sunnier days with cloudy days; a win-win set-up all round.

Will the value of your home be augmented by installing a home solar system?

UPS Systems - phd_powerhouse_t2_series_st2020-l_ups_kit
UPS
UPS Systems

Connecting Your Expensive appliances To Your UPS Systems. Considering selecting surge protection for your expensive appliances? You need to ensure that you don’t make any vital errors when connecting your expensive appliances to your UPS Systems.

The wrong selection of these Systems could impact negatively on the daily running of your personal life and also of your business. In this economic climate it is important to ensure that every single cent is accounted for.

When investing in surge protection for your appliances, many will not receive the kind of back-up they need. From your inverter which makes them vulnerable to power surges, dips and hikes as well as brown-outs and black-outs.

Your expensive high-end equipment that needs to be protected through these systems. This usually include electronic access-control equipment, garage doors, electronic gates, booms, alarm systems, fridges and freezers in the home. For business this includes industrial refrigeration, air conditioning units and many others.

Installing UPS Systems is imperative (Uninterruptible Power Supply Units). By doing this will give you peace of mind. Your business and equipment will function regardless of the type of power disruptions may or may not occur.

It is best to avoid hooking your heaters and air-conditioning systems to your UPS systems.

For those that are not familiar with the size of UPS systems, here is a short list of what you should be looking at:

  • Your PC with scanner and/or printer – recommended UPS size – 1KVA

Two or three PC’s with scanners and/or printers.

Power Inverters - ig2000_inverter_ups_kit
Power Inverters
Power Inverters

Always Ensure You Install Power Inverters Correctly

All AC equipment that can be found in retail stores has been specially designed to run off a pure sinewave wave form. This includes equipment such as motors, computers as well as certain lights, not to mention the numerous other sensitive electrical paraphernalia. Power inverters primary function is to turn DC into AC.

The standard AC mains that we get from Eskom is of an untainted sinewave nature. This means that these waves experience very little distortion to any outside interference which includes lightning and massive AC loads.

The internal working parts of power inverters and UPS, inverts the incoming DC voltage into sinewave waves. But due to the complexity of these parts, the result would be that investing in power inverters could prove to be a costly exercise.

Sine waves have been re-created to save costs. Modified sinewave inverters as well as UPS systems simply switch from the DC supply between positive and negative poles. This offers you a simulated sinewave wave.

Modified sinewave inverters and UPS systems are inexpensive to manufacture but could be very costly if these are installed into the wrong equipment.

Anything with a high inrush or high speed control or equipment with sensitive data should be connected to the correct power inverters to avoid damage.

It is imperative to take special note that certain UPS systems. Most particularly the 600 VA which falls under the desk-type UPS systems. Included are in the modified sinewave categories. Computers run off power inverters for short periods of time when power outages occur. This way they are far less likely to be damaged from modified wave forms.

Types of inverters

For those that don’t know the difference. There are certain distinct advantages of pure sine wave power inverters over modified sine wave power inverters.

These include:

  • The output voltage wave form is pure sine wave with very low distortion and pure power such as the electricity supplied by Eskom.
  • Certain appliances and equipment will enjoy better speed. These include motors, microwave ovens as well as other devices. These appliances will also enjoy running smoother, cooler and quieter.
  • Crashes in computers will be reduced.
    • Glitches in sensitive office equipment
    • A reduction in the noise in monitors will also be noticeable.
  • Some of the devices that will not usually operate with modified sine wave power inverters include:
    • Laser printers, some laptops, pellet stoves with microprocessors, digital radio clocks, certain power tools, to mention a few of the many.
Home solar systems - Solar panels on roof side view
Solar
Invest in Home Solar System

Home Solar System

Many people in South Africa is making use of home solar system to generate power.

For example, in Alexandra Township in Johannesburg, houses are being fitted with solar panels for hot water geysers. As is the case with many low-cost housing developments like these. 

These might seem to be expensive to install at first. Solar power will however save you a lot of money in the long-term.

Power Inverters

The internal working parts of power inverters and UPS, inverts the incoming DC voltage into sinewave waves. Due to the complexity of these parts, the result would be that investing in power inverters could prove to be a costly exercise.

Incoming sine waves have been re-created to save costs and protect equipment. Modified sinewave inverters as well as UPS systems simply switch from the DC supply between positive and negative poles. This will offer you a simulated sinewave wave.

Modified sinewave inverters and UPS systems are inexpensive to manufacture. But could be very costly if these are installed into the wrong equipment.

Anything with a high inrush or high-speed control should be connected to the correct power inverters to avoid damage. The same for equipment with sensitive data.

It is imperative to take special note that certain UPS systems. Most particularly the 600 VA which falls under the desk-type UPS systems. They are classified in the modified sinewave categories. Because computers only run off power inverters for short periods of time when power outages occur. They are far less likely to be damaged from modified wave forms.

Different Inverters

For those that don’t know the difference. There are certain distinct advantages of pure sine wave power inverters over modified sine wave power inverters. We make use of energy every single day of our lives and in every single aspect in a modern world. In South Africa electricity supply is barely keeping up with the pace and demand. Coal-fired power stations are experiencing issues plus they cause pollution in an already-polluted world.

But there is hope on the horizon, such as using and installing a home solar system. Making use of the abundant sunshine we are so lucky to have in South Africa.

Leveraging the Sun

The sun is a significant font of energy without which no life would be possible on Earth. The energy from the sun can be used to generate electricity in a more sustainable and pollutant-free process. More so than coal-fired power stations that are at present generating most of our energy.

But heating water through the use of solar power is certainly not new to man. The ancient Greeks, for example, were building houses in ways that the sun could heat them during cold winter months.

Solar or photovoltaic cells are specifically designed to capture the rays of the sun and directly convert them into electricity. Furthermore, solar cells have been used for many decades to provide power to satellites, too.

A solar cell consists of two thin plates made of a semi-conductive material such as silicon with a layer of chemicals on their surface. When sunlight falls on the cells, electrons are released from the silicon and they move over the layer of chemicals, generating an electric current.

South Africa has among the highest levels of sunshine in the world. But very little has been done to use its power to generate electricity. When Earth’s fossil fuels are exhausted, scientists believe solar energy to be the only alternative.

It has been predicted that more than 2.5 % of the world’s electricity needs will be provided by solar energy by 2015.

Installing a home solar system this summer is perhaps one of the most practical ways forward.

about us

VSP specializes in Lightning/Surge Protection and alternative power systems. The company offers state of the art technologies and services and is generally considered as a leader in its field. VSP is uniquely positioned in a country where 80% of electronic malfunctions arise from power surges.

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