PacB Group // Residential Solar Solutions Could Provide Owners with an Unexpected Benefit

Articles

Residential Solar Solutions Could Provide Owners with an Unexpected Benefit

There can be few consumers in South Africa who remain unaware that we face an impending energy crisis. This is not a reference to current flaws in the generation and distribution network operated by the national service provider, but to a much larger picture, in which both reserves of fossil fuel and the earth’s ecology are threatened by the continue and increasing use of current power generation technology. A move to commercial and residential solar solutions offers one of the best alternatives to date, but the rate of transition to this more sustainable form of power will need to be faster.

South Africa has shown its ability to lead or to compete with the best in the world in many areas, including cardiac transplantation, oil-from-gas technology, and the design of advanced aircraft such as the Denel Rooivalk attack helicopter. Today, our nation is also showing signs of becoming one of the leaders in the construction of solar power stations. With four generators already functional and an additional three under construction, we hold third place, ahead of India, and beaten only by Spain and the US.

In the area of residential solar solutions, the migration to sustainable power by homeowners seems likely to experience an added boost in the light of a new development in the Mother City. A system first introduced to Capetonians in 2012, but never fully implemented, has now been launched officially and promises an unexpected benefit for those who have already made the transition to this green power option or are planning to do so. Known as net metering, it is a system that permits those who generate their own power from sunlight to divert any power in excess of their needs into the national grid, thus boosting the reserves available to other consumers.

In exchange, the users of residential solar solutions who participate in the net metering scheme will not only save money directly by reducing their consumption of mains electricity, but will also enjoy an added financial benefit in the form of credit, preferential tariff or payment for their donation, depending upon the nature of the agreement. Obviously, the hope is that this form of incentive will be adopted in all of the country’s more densely-populated cities where consumption levels are the highest.

Unlike the case in many Western countries, the South African government offers no financial incentives to those homeowners who are willing to make the transition to a system powered by sunlight, although, in 2008, Eskom did introduce a system of rebates for those prepared to install a solar-powered water heating system. Either way, the fact remains that an efficient residential solar solution is able to produce electricity for less than the tariffs applied by the national service provider, even when taking into account the cost of finance.

The implication is therefore quite clear. Although domestic consumers of electricity in Johannesburg, Pretoria and other cities beyond the tip of the Western Cape may not yet enjoy the added benefit of net metering technology, the potential savings even without this extra perk can more than justify and quickly recoup the costs involved in a move to this more sustainable and eco-friendly power source.

In the longer term also, the widespread adoption of residential solar solutions offers new hope for a planet that will be less endangered by atmospheric pollution and the eventual exhaustion of non-renewable energy sources. This is the legacy we all owe to our children and to the generations that follow them.

The benefits are clear but, on a practical note, choosing the most suitable system, and ensuring it is correctly installed will be essential to a smooth and economically sound transition. It always makes sense to deal with the experts. In South Africa, as well as beyond our borders, the PacB Group remains the preferred choice of many for residential solar solutions. As such, should you require more information from the experts, we implore you to contact us today.