Currently in South Africa, load shedding is a major irritation and problem for many citizens, as both home owners and business owners. Everyone has advice for you as to what alternative power source you should be using, right? Solar, inverters, backup batteries, are terms that are used daily and often it can become confusing to know which backup power system is best.
Goscor has a wide variety of emergency backup power systems that will ensure you have the power you need when you need it most. We offer diesel generators, petrol generators, inverters, and solar panels too.
In this blog, we take a look at the different types of power backup for homes, and how to choose the best backup power supply for your home.
Currently, there are three main types of load shedding backup power options to choose. These three options are the most common options available to home owners in South Africa right now.
Solar panels and backup systems harness the power of the sun to provide alternative power to homes and businesses during load shedding. Most solar systems include solar panels which are positioned accurately on the roof of your home in order to get the most hours of sunlight, and include an inverter and battery system that invert the solar power into AC power that is usable in the home.
Solar batteries or lithium-Iron Phosphate, are additions to any off-grid solar solution. If you want more power for your home, than adding in additional batteries to your power backup system, will give you more power or longer lengths of solar power during times when load shedding occurs. This is especially necessary when load shedding is at a high level and we are without power for more than four hours a day.
An inverter system enables you to run certain appliances and electronic devices during load shedding but does not act as a complete power system to run your entire home. Inverter systems are cost-effective, quick, and come in a variety of sizes from small Wi-Fi connectors to larger 12kW systems. An inverter changes DC Current from your Lithium Iron Phosphate battery to AC – 220V Current in Pure Sine Wave.
During load shedding, backup power systems are critical because they provide electricity when the main power source is not available. A backup power system can help to minimize the impact of load shedding on businesses, homes, and other facilities that rely on electricity. The main reasons to consider a backup power system include:
Backup power systems are important during load shedding because they provide a reliable source of electricity, ensuring that critical appliances, systems, and electronics can continue to operate in your home even during power outages.
The calculation of backup power depends on several factors, including the power requirements of the devices or equipment that need to be powered, the duration of backup power required, and the efficiency of the backup power system itself.
Once you’ve determined your total power consumption needs of the devices or equipment that need to be powered during a power outage, you need to determine how long you need the backup power to last as well.
Once you know these two factors, you can calculate the total backup power required. Here’s how:
A practical example is if you have a total power consumption of 1 000 Watts per hour, and you need the backup power to last for 8 hours and the power supply should be 8000w in total.
Normally Lithium Batteries have a cut off at 80% discharge, so if you have 2 x 5.1 Kw batteries = 10200w total running time, and allow a cut of at 80% = 8160 w in total and that would give you up to 8 hours before the battery management system cuts the battery off.
Should the watts per hour go up, then you would have a shorter battery capacity, always keep this in mind. Think of the battery as the fuel tank in your car.
Before you make the decision as to what type of power backup system to invest in for your home, there are a few key factors to consider:
#1 – Capacity
Understanding your home’s power needs or power capacity needs is important. Calculate your power needs upfront including all the appliances, electronics, and systems you would like to keep running during load shedding. This will help guide you as to what kind of system is best as well as the kW per hour that you need power output you need.
# 2 – Budget
What is your budget for an alternative power backup system? Can you afford to install a full solar system to get you almost off the grid? Or is investing in an inverter system more affordable?
#3 – Noise Level
If you are considering a generator or any other kind of higher noise producing backup system, what sort of noise level is appropriate in and around your home?
At Goscor Power Products, we offer the full range of home power backup supply.
We also have an entire division, namely Off-Grid Power Solutions, which solely focusses on delivering high quality alternative power solutions that you can purchase online . We are determined to offer quality and affordable off grid solutions to all South Africans.
Contact Us for more information on all the affordable, effective solutions we provide.