Plentify, a home energy management company, has partnered with Herholdts Group, one of South Africa’s largest distributors of solar and electrical solutions, to launch SolarBot, an intelligent controller for home solar and battery systems.
SolarBot analyses weather pattern, load shedding schedules and customer demand to help consumers decide when to charge and discharge the battery – the rationale being to maximise savings and ensure backup power when required.
SolarBot also works with HotBot, an intelligent geyser controller, that trains the geyser to use less energy and to favour solar over the grid.
Plentify says its bots speak wirelessly to each other to heat water with extra solar that otherwise would have been wasted.
Drop in solar sales
According to the two companies, solar sales have slowed significantly as households shift spending priorities during a prolonged break from load-shedding. Solar installers are now looking to revive post-load shedding sales.
“The relationship between the stage of load shedding and the popularity of solar is quite dramatic,” they point out.
A chart shows Google searches for solar-related terms (solar, batteries, inverters) spiking whenever load shedding is enforced, and flat-lining at levelling off at about 30% of its peak since load shedding eased.
Solar market growth
However, Plentify notes that, like globally, the growth of South Africa’s solar market is driven by economics. "When solar becomes significantly cheaper than grid electricity, installations surge.”
CEO Jon Kornik says that while falling solar panel and battery costs have helped, effective use of solar systems is key. “You could have 50 panels, but if the energy has nowhere to go, it won’t be productive,” he explained.
You could have 50 panels on your roof in the middle of a summer’s day, but if that energy has nowhere to go – if your battery is full and home demand low with no grid exports – it will not produce.”
Herholdts will distribute SolarBots and HotBots through its 200-installers network. Technical manager Lukas Stoltz says the future of solar lies in intelligent energy management.
Plans to offer SolarBot directly to consumers are in the works, with pricing details to follow.
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