Generate Your Own Power

Off-Grid Living: Two Months Later, I Don't Miss Eskom

Two months after an Eskom disconnection over a billing dispute forced a load-shedding backup system to become a full off-grid setup, here's an honest…

Building Solar on a Forested Property: What Shading Really Costs You

Building solar on a forested KZN property meant solving a shading problem before solving an energy problem. R35,500 in structural and arborist work later, the…

How I'm Turning a R23,000 Sunk Cost Into a Secondary Solar System

Rather than selling a perfectly functional Volta 5kWh battery for R6,000 on the secondhand market, I am connecting it to a small Growatt inverter and panel…

Can You Install Solar Yourself in South Africa? – Complete 2026 DIY Rules

Exactly what South African homeowners are allowed to do themselves in 2026 – mounting panels, running cables, final connection rules, CoC requirements and real…

Best Time of Year to Install Solar in South Africa – 2025/2026 Ultimate Timing Guide

Why January–April beats every other month for solar installations in South Africa – price, weather, production, installer availability and beating the December…

Hubble AM-5 review

5.12kWh fully usable (100% DoD). 1C discharge. Stack up to 15 units for 76.8kWh. Hubble Cloud app with real-time monitoring. Payback in 3.8–4.5 years .

JA Solar JAM72D30 review

520W PERC panel with 20.9% efficiency. Multi-busbar for low-light. 12/25-year warranty.

JA Solar JAM54S30 review

440W monocrystalline PERC half-cut panel with 20.7% efficiency. Ideal for urban rooftops with partial shading. 12/30-year warranty.

Risen RSMxxx-108 review

Lightweight, affordable, and Tier 2 reliable, perfect for small urban roofs in Cape Town, Joburg, and Durban. Payback in under 5 years with real-world yields of…

Sunsynk 12kW (SYNK-12K-SG01LP1) review

12kW continuous output with 18kWp PV input. Dual MPPT. Seamless battery & generator integration. Payback in 3.6 years for high-consumption homes, farms, and…