• Solar panels
• Inverter
• Batteries (optional)

• Grid-Tie: These systems are designed to produce solar power only when there is utility power available.
• Off-grid: These systems are designed to run independently from the grid (utility supply).
• Hybrid: These systems work with or without a utility supply

A well installed residential hybrid solar system typically has a return on investment period of 4-7 years. So to estimate the cost of a typical single phase residential household system, decide on how much electricity you would like to save per month and estimate the cost of the system from the payback period. Actual sizing should be carried out by a specialist and pricing depends on several factors such as:

• Required backup hours
• Load profile/ peak loads
• Type of roof
• Location of inverter and batteries
• Solar/ Battery ratio
• Type of components
• Existing wiring in the home
• etc.

Good quality components have life spans as follows:

• Inverters - 5/10 year warranty, up to 25 years of operation
• Lithium Batteries - 5/10 year warranty, up to 15 years of
  operation
• Solar panels - 12/25 year warranty, up to 40 years of operation

• Ability to separate essential, non essential and surplus loads and
  supply solar power to the non-essential and surplus loads
• Ability to blend power - Taking from multiple sources (batteries, solar and utility) at the same time
• Built in monitoring software
• Remote control of the inverter via smart devices
• NRS 097-2-1 compliance
• Longer warranty periods - 5/10 years extendable to 25 years
• Safer installation

• kW - The instantaneous power drawn from a system. Inverters are typically rated in kW
• kWp - This is a measure of the total power a system can produce. Example a solar system that 10*590W panels is rated at 5.9kWp
• kWh - This is a measure of battery capacity or consumption - electrical units. Example, a home that uses 25 units of electricity per day will consume 25kWh. In the absence of solar and utility power, a 25kWh battery bank will be completely depleted from a full charge during this period.

• Longer warranty periods - 5/10 years with a design life of 15 years
• Ability to draw the rated power at any given time (1C Rating). Example, a 5kWh 1C battery can pull a full 5kW at any given time continuously but a 5kWh 0.5C battery is only rated to pull half of that continuously (2.5kW)

Yes, good quality systems are completely modular. You can start with an inverter and battery system to beat load shedding and add solar at a later stage. You can also start with solar panels and an inverter first to save money immediately and add batteries at a later stage. The important thing is not to compromise on the quality of the components and installation standards