SA to jump to Stage 4 load shedding until Friday

**adrianh** · 27-Oct-21, 01:21 PM

Banana Republic!!!!!

Eskom has announced that it is jumping to Stage 4 load shedding at noon on Wednesday, and this will continue until 05:00 on Friday.

Stage 2 load shedding will then be in effect until 05:00 on Saturday, as announced by the utility earlier in the week.

"Over the past 24 hours a unit each at Medupi, Kusile and Matla power stations tripped, while a unit each at Lethabo and Arnot power stations were forced to shut down. This constrained the power system further requiring extensive use of emergency reserves and therefore, hampering the recovery of these reserves," Eskom said in a statement.

"Some generating units have returned to service and we anticipate another two units to return to service during the day. In addition, Koeberg Unit 1 is expected to return to service today and begin ramping up to full output within 48 hours."

It said the implementation of Stage 4 is "no cause for alarm as the power system remains to be effectively controlled".

Total breakdowns currently amount to 14 957 MW while planned maintenance is 5 301 MW of capacity.

On Monday night, two units at the Kusile and Matimba power stations also tripped, adding to the strain on Eskom's capacity.

https://www.news24.com/fin24/economy...riday-20211027

**tec0** · 27-Oct-21, 04:01 PM

Well right now i am camping so i don't really care LOL i ran away from home for a few days. XD

**ians** · 28-Oct-21, 05:46 PM

Dave do you have monitoring software ... if no check out solar assistant ... I have a couple mecer and RCT inverters using solar assistant ... cheap (R799 for the software only ) and easy to install.

On one site we have been having so major power issues ... using solar assistant has recorded everything ... all the dips and swells ... power outages etc etc.

it uses a Pi3B+ ... you can either buy the kit which comes complete with the Pi .. power supply and cabling or you can buy just the software.

remote viewing on your phone PC or whatever.

**ians** · 31-Oct-21, 03:34 PM

Dont joke ... have you seen how many people a spending millions on bunkers ... they say its for their children

Have you seen what happens when you isolate humans in a hole in the ground.

**adrianh** · 31-Oct-21, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by ians

Dont joke ... have you seen how many people a spending millions on bunkers ... they say its for their children

Have you seen what happens when you isolate humans in a hole in the ground.

Reminds me of the movie "Blast from the past" : 'A naive man comes out into the world after spending 35 years in a nuclear fallout shelter.'

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124298/

**Dave A** · 27-Oct-21, 04:19 PM

My saviour at home.

Click image for larger version.

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And I put one in at the office to replace the backup generator.

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No generator noise and no crashing IT systems.

Last step is to add solar panels.

**adrianh** · 27-Oct-21, 04:38 PM

Very nice - please tell me more about the system.

**ians** · 29-Oct-21, 03:47 PM

Just be warned ... if you decide to try out solar assistant.

The support is like buying stuff from the China mall ... if and when it works it does the job ... but if it doesnt ... like yesterday and today I am trying to install solar assistant on a new site ... 2 days and I still havent had a response from solar assistant.

**ians** · 27-Oct-21, 05:25 PM

Dave why Growatt ... is it a hybrid?

Lithium batteries?

**Dave A** · 27-Oct-21, 08:53 PM

It's the Growatt SPF5000ES
While it is labelled as an off grid system, it is a hybrid.
5kW constant load rating with up to 7.5kW for 10 minutes or a surge load of up to 10kW (which is handy for dealing with very short burst start-up loads)
Plays well with Dyness batteries which are well priced LiFePo batteries with a 10 year warranty and impressive cycle stats. (Just make sure you get the right comms cable

)

I've put in 2 x 3.6kWh batteries in each, which is massive overkill for my home while just acting as a UPS, but is about right for my office install (eats about 12% per hour during normal office hour load).

Why the mix?
It seemed to be the right combination of capacity, robustness and cost effectiveness.
A big plus was the confirmed compatibility of the inverter with the battery system.
Cost of all the bits and pieces totalled R46k (incl VAT). What blows me away is for another R32k in batteries you have something really close to a Tesla Powerwall.