Solar Energy Solutions
From compact to utility-scale
We design and install solar PV and storage from compact systems for a single business to 1.5 MWp+ commercial and agricultural plants with megawatt-hours of storage. The principles are the same at every size: understand the load, engineer for 25+ years, and deliver it with our own team. What changes as systems grow is the engineering, the approvals and the equipment. This page sets out what a system comprises at each scale.
- Compact systems
- Tens of kWp, single-phase or three-phase
- Largest delivered
- 1 500 kWp PV with 3 000 kWh of storage
- Sectors
- Commercial, agriculture, retail, education and residential
- Delivery
- In-house engineering, design and installation
Three scales, one approach
Compact commercial and residential
Typically up to around 50 kWp, on a single-phase or three-phase supply. One or two inverters, a rooftop array, and often a battery for backup. A typical example from our work: 51.15 kWp with a 50 kW inverter and 60 kWh of storage for a business.
Mid-size commercial and agricultural
Roughly 50 to 500 kWp, on rooftops, carports or ground-mount frames. Several string inverters connect into a dedicated PV board, and storage is added where backup or tariff savings justify it. Most farms, schools, business parks and shopping centres sit here.
Large commercial, industrial and agricultural
500 kWp to 1.5 MWp and beyond. Multiple inverters or inverter stations, a connection at low or medium voltage with transformers and switchgear, plant-level control and monitoring, and storage measured in MWh.
Our installed range
Real systems we have delivered, from smallest to largest.
| Aspect | PV capacity | Battery storage | Inverters or layout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business | 51.15 kWp | 60 kWh | 50 kW Deye inverter |
| Business park | 54 kWp | 150 kWh | 100 kW Atess inverter |
| School | 60 kWp | PV only | Rooftop PV |
| Agriculture | 95 kWp | 324 kWh | 175 kW Sigenergy inverters |
| Agriculture, ground-mount | 130 kWp | PV only | Ground-mount array |
| Milk farm | 225 kWp | 324 kWh | 150 kW Sigenergy inverters |
| Shopping centre | 280 kWp | Freedom Won battery | 240 kW Atess inverter |
| Galvanizing plant | 437.8 kWp | 1 024 kWh | 300 kW Atess inverters |
| Agriculture, grid-tie | 480 kWp | PV only | Grid-tied |
| Commercial plant | 1 500 kWp | 3 000 kWh | 950 kW Sigenergy inverters |
What a system comprises
The same core components appear at every scale. What changes is their rating, their number and the protection around them.
PV modules
Monocrystalline modules from established manufacturers, wired in series into strings. The array's total rating is stated in kWp, kilowatt-peak, its output under standard test conditions.
Mounting structures
Roof rails and clamps, carport canopies, or ground-mount frames on driven or concrete foundations, engineered for wind loading and corrosion.
Inverters
String, hybrid or battery inverters convert DC to AC. Larger plants use several units, often with a deliberately higher PV rating than inverter rating to make better use of the inverters through the day.
DC and AC cabling
UV-resistant solar cable and matched connectors on the DC side, and armoured AC cable to the distribution board, sized for current and voltage drop.
Combiner boxes and PV boards
Where strings are combined and where the inverter outputs are collected, each with its own protection and isolation.
Fuses and isolators
String fuses, DC isolators and AC breakers that protect each circuit and allow every part of the system to be safely isolated for maintenance.
Surge and lightning protection
Surge protection devices on the DC and AC sides, and lightning protection designed from a risk assessment, which matters most on exposed ground-mount arrays.
Earthing and bonding
Every frame, structure and enclosure bonded to an engineered earthing system, so fault currents have a safe path and touch voltages stay low.
Metering and monitoring
Energy meters at the point of connection for export limiting and reporting, and remote monitoring of every inverter, string and battery.
Batteries and BESS
Where included: LFP battery modules with their BMS, inverter or PCS, energy management controls, enclosure and fire safety.
What changes as systems grow
Engineering studies deepen. A compact system can be designed from a site visit, bills and a short logging period. Larger systems need detailed load-profile analysis, energy yield modelling, cable sizing and voltage drop calculations, protection coordination and, at the largest scale, power quality and grid impact studies.
Structural assessment becomes formal. Every roof is checked, and for larger arrays a structural engineer assesses the trusses, purlins and fixings for the added load and wind uplift. Ground-mount plants need geotechnical input for their foundations and a wind-loading design for the frames.
The grid application grows with the system. Every grid-connected system needs the distributor's approval, and larger systems may require network studies or upgrades by Eskom or the municipality before a connection is approved. That can take months, so we build it into the programme from the start.
Monitoring and maintenance scale too. Compact systems use the inverter manufacturer's monitoring platform; large plants add plant-level monitoring, weather sensors and alarms. Scheduled preventative maintenance covers thermal imaging of connections and boards, torque checks, soiling and module inspections, inverter and battery health, protection testing and structural checks, supported by our Electrical Services division.
Approvals by system size
These are the requirements as they currently apply to grid-connected embedded generation in South Africa. The rules are revised from time to time, and we confirm them for every project.
Up to 1 MW (1 000 kW)
- Application to and registration with the distributor, Eskom or the municipality.
- Inverters with NRS 097-2-1 test certification and settings to the distributor's requirements.
- Installation to SANS 10142-1, with a Certificate of Compliance.
Above 1 MW
- Distributor approval of the connection, as for smaller systems.
- Registration with NERSA in addition to the distributor.
- At the scales we build, embedded generation for your own use does not need a NERSA generation licence.
Large plants and medium-voltage connections
- A grid impact assessment by the distributor, and possibly network upgrades, before connection.
- Protection settings coordinated with the distributor at the point of connection.
- Commissioning tests, which the distributor may witness or review, before the plant is energised in parallel with the grid.
Medium voltage, protection and control on large plants
From a few hundred kWp upwards, a site's existing low-voltage supply may not be able to take the plant's output. Large plants often connect on the low-voltage side of the client's own transformer, or at medium voltage, typically 11 kV or 22 kV, through a step-up transformer, MV switchgear and protection relays. Protection is coordinated with the distributor so that a fault on either side is cleared quickly and only the affected section disconnects.
Earthing and lightning protection become engineered systems rather than standard details: earth electrode design, equipotential bonding of every structure, and a lightning risk assessment for the array. Surge protection is installed at each level, from the array to the main board.
At this scale a plant controller or SCADA system, supervisory control and data acquisition, coordinates the inverters, batteries and export limits, and gives a plant-level view of performance and alarms.
Questions about system size
What size system does my business or farm need?
That comes from your load profile, your roof or land, your supply capacity and what you want the system to do. We study your consumption data and bills, and design for high self-consumption rather than the largest system that fits.
Do I need a generation licence?
Not for embedded generation at the scales described here. Grid-connected systems above 1 MW must be registered with NERSA, and every grid-connected system needs the distributor's approval. We confirm the current requirements for each project, as the rules are revised from time to time.
Can a system be built in phases?
Yes. We design the first phase with the next in mind: board space, cable sizes, the inverter platform and connection capacity. Each extension still needs the distributor's approval for the new total size.
Is ground-mount or rooftop better for a farm?
It depends on the roofs, the land and where the loads are. Ground-mount allows the best orientation and easy maintenance access; rooftops use space you already have and keep cable runs short. Many farms use both.
Do larger systems take longer to approve and build?
Usually. Grid applications for larger systems involve more detailed studies, and medium-voltage equipment has longer lead times. We manage the approvals and set a realistic programme from the outset.
Talk to us about a system at any scale
Whether it is a compact system for one building or a megawatt-scale plant with storage, the first step is the same: we study your usage and your site, and design around them. Share your bills or load-profile data to begin.
Power On!