As rotating power interruptions are anticipated to continue for the foreseeable future, load-shedding is a permanent phenomenon, and South Africans are increasingly purchasing backup batteries to keep their important equipment functioning.
Long-lasting lithium-ion battery systems are made by a number of well-known companies and are sold in South Africa. These include Tesla, Huawei, Sunsynk, Freedom Won, and Revov.
Newsnote examined the cost and cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of capacity of the battery systems. We chose batteries with a minimum 10 kWh capacity.
For charging and switching between mains and battery power, the other five battery systems in the comparison need a separate inverter.
Overall, Revov’s R9 250Ah battery with a 12.8kWh capacity was the least expensive at R4,133 per kWh. The battery costs R52,899 in total.
Locally, the Sunsyk 10.65kWh battery system costs R70,000, or around R6,573 per kWh.
With 10kWh, Hubble’s AM-10 battery has the least amount of energy stored in it. However, this comes out to R6,950 per kWh at a cost of R69,495 instead.
The Freedom Won LiTE Home 15/12 system, which costs R105,720 and has a 15kWh capacity, is the last option. Battery system buyers fork up R7,048 for every kWh of energy storage.
It was by far the most economical per kWh, with Cyclone’s 15kWh LiFE system at R94,999, or R6,333 per kWh, coming in second. Prices per kWh in the middle of the market are hotly fought and range from R6,333 to R7,048
Although lead-acid or gel batteries are less expensive for South Africans to purchase than their lithium-ion equivalents, there are serious disadvantages to take into account.
Lead-acid and gel batteries have a far smaller depth of drain than their lithium-ion counterparts, beyond which the battery’s capacity can be harmed. Manufacturers of lead-acid batteries recommend that their products not be drained below 50% of their capacity as a point of reference. For your gadgets to stay powered without the battery being harmed, you must purchase double the anticipated capacity. The cycle limits of lead-acid and gel batteries are likewise much lower than those of lithium-ion versions.
Lead-acid batteries only last 150–200 cycles, but lithium-ion batteries can survive more than 2,000 cycles, according to GeeWiz.
Lead-acid batteries would lose some of their capacity when there are more frequent rotating power outages, even if they are sufficient for stage 2 load-shedding and lower.