Straight answers on solar and battery storage

Two things decide it: your tariff and your consumption profile. If you use most of your power during the day, solar usually makes sense. If you are on a time-of-use tariff with expensive peak periods or high kVA demand charges, a battery can earn its keep. We run a no-obligation assessment on your actual bills and meter data and tell you plainly whether the numbers work.

We focus on commercial, industrial and agricultural sites, typically in the 100 kW to 10 MW range. If you have a meaningful electricity bill and operations that depend on reliable power, we are likely a good fit.

Twelve months of electricity bills is enough to get started. Interval meter data, a site address and a few photos of the roof, parking area and main distribution board help us sharpen the design. We handle the rest, including the site visit.

Most commercial projects take three to six months from signed contract to commissioning. That covers detailed design, equipment procurement, municipal SSEG approval and installation. If you are working towards a financial year end, for example to claim Section 12B, start early.

The full project. We handle the site assessment, design, engineering, approvals, installation, commissioning, monitoring and ongoing maintenance, so you have one point of accountability from start to finish.

It depends on how much of the solar energy you use on site, what you currently pay per kWh, and how your tariff is structured. Sites that run during daylight hours get the most value. We model expected yield and savings on your own consumption data, so the figures in your proposal reflect your site rather than a generic estimate.

No. A grid-tied system shuts down when the grid goes off, which is a safety requirement so that no power is fed into lines that technicians may be working on. If you need power during outages, the system has to include battery storage designed for backup.

In many municipalities, yes. Registered systems can earn credits for exported energy, but the rate is usually well below what you pay to buy power. That is why we size systems to use as much of the solar on site as possible, with export treated as a bonus rather than the business case.

Yes. Most municipalities require a small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) application before a system is connected, even if it never exports. The system must also comply with NRS 097-2 and SANS 10142-1. We prepare and submit the application and the compliance documentation for you.

There are good alternatives. Solar carports turn parking areas into generation space and give staff shaded parking, and ground-mounted arrays work well on farms and larger sites. We assess your roof structure, orientation and shading first, then recommend what makes sense.

Commercial systems are designed for a life of 25 years or more. Tier 1 panels typically carry a 25 to 30 year performance warranty, while inverters usually carry a shorter warranty and may need replacing once during the life of the system. We set out every warranty clearly in your proposal.

Energy arbitrage means charging a battery when electricity is cheap (off-peak) and using that stored energy when it is expensive (peak). The difference between the two tariff rates is a direct rand saving on every bill.

No. A battery can charge from the grid during off-peak hours and discharge during peak hours without any solar. Adding solar improves the overall return, because it reduces how much you buy from the grid in the first place.

Yes. By discharging when the site's demand spikes, a battery caps the peak kVA drawn from the grid. That lowers demand charges and can free up capacity within your notified maximum demand (NMD), which may avoid a costly supply upgrade.

It can, but not at the size you would normally specify for one job. Your demand charge is set by the single highest reading in the month, so peak shaving only works if the battery always holds enough charge in reserve. A battery that is run down for arbitrage cannot also guarantee that reserve. We therefore size a battery for one priority by default, and if you want both, we size it larger and show you the cost of doing so.

Only if it is designed for backup. GridSolarBoost systems are built to cut peak tariff costs and are not intended as full backup. HybridMax systems are designed to keep selected or all loads running during an outage, which needs more equipment and costs more.

They grow. Every kWh you shift away from peak or generate yourself is worth more as tariffs rise, so the savings from solar and battery storage increase with each tariff increase.

It depends on the system size, the mounting structure (roof, carport or ground), whether a battery is included, and the condition of your existing electrical infrastructure. Rather than quote a rough figure off a website, we give you a fixed, itemised proposal once we have reviewed your bills and site.

Payback depends on your tariff, how much of the energy you use on site, and how the system is paid for. Your proposal shows the payback period, the return over the life of the system and a year-by-year cash flow, all based on your own consumption data, so you can compare it with other uses of capital.

Yes, if your business owns the system and uses it in its trade. Under Section 12B, a solar PV system of 1 MW or less qualifies for a 100% deduction in the year it is brought into use. Larger systems are deducted over three years (50%, 30% and 20%). The system must be commissioned before your financial year end to claim in that year. Please confirm your position with your tax advisor.

No. The deduction belongs to whoever owns the system. Under a Power Purchase Agreement, the provider owns it and claims the deduction, and that benefit should be reflected in a lower rate per kWh.

A Power Purchase Agreement gives you a solar or battery system with no upfront capital. Instead of buying the system, you pay an agreed rate per kWh for the energy it produces or saves. It suits businesses that want immediate savings without a capital outlay, although owning the system outright usually costs less over its lifetime.

Yes. Besides PPAs, we work with financing partners on asset finance and rental structures. In many cases the monthly repayment is lower than the monthly electricity saving, so the project pays for itself as it goes. Your proposal shows the cash flow for each option side by side.

Systems are commissioned with remote monitoring, so you can see generation, consumption and battery behaviour online. Under an O&M agreement, our team also watches performance and follows up when a system underperforms.

Yes, a little. Panel cleaning, electrical inspections, thermal imaging and inverter checks keep the system producing what it was designed to and protect your warranties. Our operations and maintenance service covers this on a scheduled basis.

Contact us and we handle it, including any warranty claims with the equipment manufacturers. Clients on an O&M agreement get agreed response times, so a fault is picked up and resolved quickly.