08-07-2020, 10:12 AM
South Africa is very badly affected. Electricity supply as a rule is unreliable. There is a problem with reliable supply in that the power stations have to undergo major maintenance and are lacking in skilled manpower with the result that the power now and then goes down on an unpredictable unplanned basis and we then have to share power for a few weeks at a time until the units have been repaired. During such period we have to do power sharing. Which means power goes down on a selective basis according to the region you are in and depending on the stage needed 2 to 4 sessions of 3 hour power breaks in one's area. That is bad for business. So business - particularly the large corporations have developed their own backup plans. Some are creative with solar panels but solar panels are not cheap to install. Others have worked out their own expensive methods to have their own backup plans - but of course all of this is very expensive and I guess the consumer has to pay for it in the end.
Personally it's a great headache for me with my computer. Particularly when the power comes back on. I could get a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) which will help to buffer the electricity loads, but haven't bought one yet. I'm very careful with trying to follow the schedules of power sharing, shutting my computer down immediately after use, and I have two rechargeable torches for light. I just pray for all of my other appliances to be OK during loadshedding periods.
For those willing to invest in equipment to protect one's appliances one can get mini-UPSs that are cheap and that would just help power down your computer so you can shut it down. Or you could get much more expensive UPSs where you can have more power to work on your computer. It could go from very basic systems that are more or less affordable, to very sophisticated systems that are installed by electricians and are very very expensive - unaffordable for most. Basically it's a backup power supply with batteries that are set up to charge when power supply is available, and once power supply is shut off by the electricity supplier, the unit kicks in with generating power.
Some people use generators that are petrol driven but those are horribly expensive to run as one needs lots of petrol and very disruptive with noise. Quite a number of households who have a few dollars to spare have opted for more sophisticated UPSs. One can get a whole domestic unit consisting of a battery pack that is portable and that one can plug in TV, some lights and appliances or computers selectively. Quite a number of homes have gone for that solution. They can range from very basic and cheaper to very sophisticated and high-end more expensive.
Here is a good example of a high-end sophisticated inverter/battery system that would work seamlessly with the main power supply, i.e. computer or TV won't power down when the main electricity stops - the backup electricity kicks in within 15 seconds.
Here is the price for it in South African Rand. This is approx 830 US Dollars
https://sinetechstore.co.za/shop/solar-k...tem-white/
In the above youtube show it also shows a demo for the "Ratel" product, which is a very powerful handheld inverter/battery set as backup for laptop computers and phones. It is much cheaper - only 56$ US
![[Image: BDpicNX.png]](https://i.imgur.com/BDpicNX.png)
https://ecodepot.co.za/products/omnipowe...charge-15w
Personally it's a great headache for me with my computer. Particularly when the power comes back on. I could get a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) which will help to buffer the electricity loads, but haven't bought one yet. I'm very careful with trying to follow the schedules of power sharing, shutting my computer down immediately after use, and I have two rechargeable torches for light. I just pray for all of my other appliances to be OK during loadshedding periods.
For those willing to invest in equipment to protect one's appliances one can get mini-UPSs that are cheap and that would just help power down your computer so you can shut it down. Or you could get much more expensive UPSs where you can have more power to work on your computer. It could go from very basic systems that are more or less affordable, to very sophisticated systems that are installed by electricians and are very very expensive - unaffordable for most. Basically it's a backup power supply with batteries that are set up to charge when power supply is available, and once power supply is shut off by the electricity supplier, the unit kicks in with generating power.
Some people use generators that are petrol driven but those are horribly expensive to run as one needs lots of petrol and very disruptive with noise. Quite a number of households who have a few dollars to spare have opted for more sophisticated UPSs. One can get a whole domestic unit consisting of a battery pack that is portable and that one can plug in TV, some lights and appliances or computers selectively. Quite a number of homes have gone for that solution. They can range from very basic and cheaper to very sophisticated and high-end more expensive.
Here is a good example of a high-end sophisticated inverter/battery system that would work seamlessly with the main power supply, i.e. computer or TV won't power down when the main electricity stops - the backup electricity kicks in within 15 seconds.
Here is the price for it in South African Rand. This is approx 830 US Dollars
https://sinetechstore.co.za/shop/solar-k...tem-white/
In the above youtube show it also shows a demo for the "Ratel" product, which is a very powerful handheld inverter/battery set as backup for laptop computers and phones. It is much cheaper - only 56$ US
https://ecodepot.co.za/products/omnipowe...charge-15w