Grid-Tied Solar PV

The energy output of your solar PV system depends on your roof’s space and orientation, as well as the local municipality’s generation limits for your property.

No, your photovoltaic panels will not power your building if the grid turns off during the day. This is because of the choice of the grid-tied inverter. It is a cost-effective and simple product that works well to give you savings on your electric bill, but you won’t have power during load shedding. If you would like energy security we will need to add batteries. You have the option to either add separate, modular battery backup (link to page) systems with your grid-tied solar PV system, or to install a battery-tied solar system (link to page) with a hybrid inverter.

But don’t worry, you don’t need to make the decision yourself about which solution is right for you. AWPower’s services include designing systems that are custom-tailored to each individual’s needs – whether its commercial or residential – while making the whole process as simple as possible for you.

Click here if you would like to learn more about the differences in solar panels.

Municipalities differ in their ability to let you sell excess solar energy back to the grid. For the best savings, it’s better to maximise your use of available solar power rather than exporting it. Based on our experience as solar PV installers, we haven’t found any municipality that buys back solar power at the same rate they sell it. Typically, they pay less, meaning lower savings if you export instead of using the solar power yourself.

To increase self-consumption, we suggest adding battery storage to your system. This way, excess solar power is stored during the day and can be used in the evening and at night.

Having the option to export to the grid can still be beneficial. When your batteries are full, exporting excess solar power is the next best option to make full use of your solar PV system. To export, you’ll need a special meter from the municipality. In Cape Town, commercial businesses can apply to have this meter installed for free by the city.

The component of the system that reduces the payback period of the installation is the solar photovoltaic panels, as these are what produce electricity and generate savings. The more PV panels you install, the lower the payback period will be. Batteries have a large capital expense and although they provide energy security during times of load shedding, they do not produce savings directly. Adding batteries to your system will increase the time it takes for the system to pay back its initial investment.

Installing your solar PV system in a modular way can make adding battery capacity more affordable. Because of the modular nature of these systems, you can add solar first and batteries at a later date or vice versa.

If you would like to get an estimated cost for a solar installation with projected monthly savings, use our solar calculator here.

The solution for generator integration is a little tricky for this type of system, but it is possible. The generator power needs to be at least the same size or larger than the solar system. We usually only look at generator integration for commercial systems of 100kW and above.