Pretoria-based Energy company LessWatts, which focuses on solar power solutions, recently completed an impressive 163kWp solar installation in the Brits area.
This solar plant is one of the first grid connected solutions for which Eskom and National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) approval was granted in the Brits area.
“This aspect in itself strengthened our knowledge of the processes involved, and lessons learnt during the entire project will be put well into practice in future,” said owner Ignatius Cronjé, who plans, designs, and implements solar solutions.
The project entailed the analysis of projected cost savings through a solar plant, taking the customer’s historic consumption into account.
Using modern projection methods, LessWatts was able to come up with a solution to maximise the saving against power usage.
“We facilitated the application process with Eskom and NERSA, both from a technical and regulatory perspective. Once approval from Eskom was received, we designed the system and implemented the entire solution,” said Cronjé.
The installation’s intent was to save the customer money and to help him drive his production cost of agricultural products down.
Cronjé said they were blessed with an educated customer who was well in control of all the finer details of his farming enterprise.
“We had multiple meetings with him to explain the various aspects that make up such a solution.
“On many occasions we were challenged to think outside the box and come up with cost-saving alternatives to standard approaches without compromising on quality.”
Cronjé evidently takes great pride in building strong relationships with his clients, and making sure they understand every part of the solution decided on.
“The Brits project was born out of a sustained interaction with our customer over an extended period of time,” he said.
Saving money is not the only benefit that this installation will bring to the area.
There will also be increased network stability due to a high-power demand, and increased job creation during the construction and maintenance phases.
Cronjé said it was important to note that LessWatts would never propose a one-size-fits-all solution like many others do.
“We will always develop a system with the customer’s requirements in mind. Each customer’s requirements are listened to, understood, and a solution tailored according to their needs.
“Quality of products are also important. We’ll never use products with a manufacturer’s warranty less than five years.”
He added that, in contrast to traditional generators, solar power solutions provide a quiet alternative with minimum maintenance.
“A properly installed solar solution will provide in excess of 20 years’ trouble-free electricity at a fraction of the cost of energy from the utility.
“Energy security is paramount. Just like buying a car to get by, solar solutions provide a modern way out to cash in on electricity prices at today’s tariffs and reap the benefit for many years,” said Cronjé.
LessWatts also sells solar modules, batteries, and inverters directly to the public at competitive prices.
Visit www.lesswatts.co.za for more information.
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