Eight Days Off-Grid: How the Transition Has Affected Us in the Short Term The human side of eight days off-grid. The anger and confusion on day one. A battery that drained to zero overnight due to a wrong communications cable on installation. Waiting for the sun to fix a dark house. A monkey destroying the road transformer — neighbours without power for days, our lights staying on. And the moment I stopped needing to care about Eskom tariffs, billing disputes, or transformer repairs on our road. We do not need Eskom any more. Read More →
Monitoring and Maintaining Your Solar PV System Ensure your solar PV system operates efficiently with proper monitoring, cleaning, inspection, and maintenance. Read More →
Solar Maintenance & Tips Learn how to maintain solar panels, inverters, and batteries, perform inspections, clean panels safely, and troubleshoot common issues for long-term efficiency. Read More →
What It Really Cost Me to Go Off-Grid in South Africa Going off-grid is not simply buying an inverter, a battery and some panels. After transitioning my home completely off-grid following an Eskom disconnection, I documented every cost — including structural work, battery compatibility failures, and the hidden expenses that most solar ROI calculators systematically ignore. Total investment: ~R141,320. Read More →
Solar PV Regulations and Legal Requirements in South Africa From <strong>SANS 10142</strong> to <strong>NERSA registration</strong>, <strong>municipal approvals</strong>, and <strong>incentives</strong> — this is your <strong>one-stop compliance roadmap</strong> for grid-tied, hybrid, and off-grid solar systems. Read More →
Hubble AM-5 review 5.12kWh <strong>fully usable</strong> (100% DoD). 1C discharge. Stack up to 15 units for 76.8kWh. Hubble Cloud app with real-time monitoring. <strong>Payback in 3.8–4.5 years</strong>. Read More →
Victron VE.Direct Cable 3m review Genuine Dutch <strong>3m VE.Direct cable</strong>. RJ45 straight-through. Connects MPPT, BMV, SmartShunt to GX devices. <strong>5-year warranty</strong>. Plug-and-play monitoring. Read More →
Solis S6-EH1 8K review 8kW continuous output. 12.9kWp PV input. 190A battery charge. <strong>Intelligent fan cooling</strong>. Powers geysers, pools, EVs, and high-consumption homes. <strong>Payback in 4.0 years</strong>. Read More →
BlueNova RacPower 5kWh review 5kWh <strong>usable</strong> (90% DoD). 7000 cycles. 1C discharge. Proudly built in <strong>Cape Town</strong>. BEE Level 1. <strong>Payback in 4.0–4.8 years</strong>. Read More →
Dyness A48100 review 5.12kWh LiFePO4 rack-mount. 90% DoD. 6000 cycles. Stack up to 15 units for 76.8kWh. RS485/CAN BMS for GoodWe, Solis, Deye, Sunsynk. <strong>Payback in 4.0–5.0 years</strong>. Read More →