ENERGY SYSTEMS

There are three main renewable energy systems which we are able of customizing to suit to specific needs.

GRID-TIED SOLAR POWER SYSTEM 

  • A grid tied system can only operate while the Eskom grid is available.
  •  Solar panels generate energy by exposure to sunlight.
  • The energy is used to supplement the building’s grid energy requirements.
    (self-consumption) and/or exported to the grid if allowed.
  •  A grid tied system can be integrated with a diesel genset if required.

HYBRID SOLAR POWER SYSTEM

  • Linked to the Eskom grid with a battery system connected to it.
  • Solar panels generate energy by exposure to sunlight.
  • The solar energy is used to charge a battery.
  • The battery bank stores the power for later use.
  • The HYBRID INVERTER connects to the battery and converts the energy from DC to AC. The inverter also connects to the grid.
  • The energy is used to supplement the building’s energy requirements (self-consumption) and/or exported to the grid if allowed.
  • Grid power or generators are used as a backup to charge the battery bank when the batteries start running low.
  • This happens when there is higher than normal consumption or when there is reduced charging from the solar panels.

OFFGRID SOLAR POWER SYSTEM

  • An off-grid system is not connected to the Eskom grid.
  • Solar panels generate energy by exposure to sunlight.
  • The solar energy is used to charge a battery.
  • The battery bank stores the power for later use.
  • The OFF-GRID INVERTER connects to the battery and converts the energy from DC to AC.
  • The energy provides all the buildings’ energy requirements.
  • A generator can be used as a backup to charge the batteries or run the buildings’ load.
GRID TIED SOLAR

A grid-tied solar panel system is simply a solar energy system that is connected to the electrical grid and, therefore, uses electricity from both the solar panel system and the electrical grid. Because of this, a grid-tied solar system doesn’t have to meet all of the electricity demands of the site. By law, a grid-tied system must switch off if there is no grid supply.

Solar hybrid power systems are systems that combine solar, wind, grid and any other power source. Battery storage is integrated into most hybrid systems to provide a means of storing energy. Diesel generators are used to constantly fill in the gap between the present load and the actual generated power by the hybrid system when all other sources are depleted.

Unlike grid-tied solar systems, off-grid systems have no connection with the utility grid, and must make all the electricity necessary to power the site. An off-grid solar system is designed for the power needs of small to mid- size facilities and always include battery storage.

Energy Capital designs microgrids. Microgrids are small, advanced electric grids with features that make them especially adept at managing energy and ensuring its reliable delivery. Self-sufficient, a microgrid serves a discrete geographic footprint, such as a remote village, school, hospital/clinic complex, business centre, or gated communities. Microgrids consist of one or more types of distributed energy (solar panels, wind turbines, generators) that produce its power. In addition, most new microgrids contain energy storage, typically from batteries.

Many companies rely on diesel generators, either as a backup system for grid load shedding or for complete off-grid applications. With the cost of diesel escalating, the expenses both for fuel as well as generator maintenance for such diesel gensets is a significant cost. Adding a photovoltaic system to a diesel genset configuration creates a large opportunity to reduce energy costs by supplementing diesel generated energy with clean PV energy.

A solar-powered pump is a pump running on electricity generated by photovoltaic panels as opposed to grid electricity or diesel run water pumps. We have a range of solutions for boreholes and irrigation pumping.

These are AC coupled systems that are used to provide load shifting, maximum demand reduction and energy security in the event of a power failure.

A standby generator is a back-up electrical system that operates automatically. Within seconds of a utility outage an automatic transfer switch senses the power loss, commands the generator to start and then transfers the electrical load to the generator. We offer a range of different solutions.