Solar Electricity

The basic principle of Solar Power system:

Due to the fast development of the South African economy, the country needs to increase its power supplies. At the same time, South Africa must be able to bare the environmental consequences of increased energy production. Today, most of South Africa’s energy is produced from polluting sources like coal and oil.

Environmentally friendly resources need to play a larger role in the future of the energy supplies, as today less than 1% of South Africa’s energy is derived from renewable energy. This is despite South Africa’s favorable conditions for generating solar energy throughout the country and generating wind power along the coast.

The lack of focus on renewable energies in South Africa becomes even more apparent when comparing ourselves to some of the leading industrial nations. Countries like Germany, Japan and USA all increasingly derive large parts of its energy consumption from renewable energy sources. Germany derived 6 % of its energy from renewable sources in 2006 and has the goal of reaching 20 % by 2020.

Solar energy refers to transforming light energy to electric energy (Photovoltaic Systems) or to thermal energy (Solar Water Heaters). South Africa has ample opportunity to benefit of solar energy as the incoming radiations are amongst the highest in the world. Besides environmental benefits, solar energy provides electricity to remote areas where grid electricity is economically unfeasible.

Coastal Power Solutions offers pure sine wave solar inverters with built in Charge controllers and regulators. This enables the system as a grid tied hybrid inverter to put power back into the grid and ensure no energy consumption during selected periods at all. Our systems are integrated with a variety of applications from the size and number of Photovoltaic Panels to the output power required coupled with the correct sized battery bank to be charged via solar or the utilities and deliver the selected amount of output power via the Solar Inverter.

With a number of highly skilled and trained professionals within or solar division, you can be assured of prompt, reliable, professional and dependable service at all times once deciding to reduce your carbon footprint by choosing solar.

Wind Energy

This source of energy, like the solar farms, will benefit larger developments, and large estates. An in depth analysis report on wind flow will have to be studied. The possibility of a sizable wind farm can also be looked at only if there is enough wind on a continuous basis. All the power produced by wind is controlled by a high tech control room that manages the power distribution between the different supplies to the different loads.

Once the wind farm is up and producing power, the owners will be able to sell power back to the Grid if excess power is produced, creating a source of income and an opportunity get a return on capital invested.

The wind turbine charges a set of back-up battery banks that is then inverted via a ‘true sine wave’ inverter to 220V. These systems continuously charge the battery banks until the bank is fully charged, at which time the built-in sensor in the charger diverts the overload. Once the bank drops to a predetermined level, the charger kicks back in again, allowing the user continuous power

Hydroelectric Power

A good feasibility study must be done to determine the best location of such a plant. If there is a constant flow of running water all year round, it is feasible to build a sizable hydro plant next to the water source.

Hydroelectric power plants capture the movement of water to generate electricity. A turbine converts the kinetic energy of falling water into mechanical energy. Then a generator converts the mechanical energy from the turbine into electrical energy. Hydro plants range in size from "micro-hydro" that power only a few homes to huge schemes that provide electricity for millions of people.