Solar PV Pergola

Solar PV Pergola for your House or Business

A Solar PV pergola is a perfect, multi-purpose addition to any backyard. It offers shade, ambiance, and an area for entertainment. But what if you could turn it into something more, say, a Solar Pergola?

Solar Panel Wooden Pergola

Solar PV can be used to varying degrees in your house or business:

• from a small solar PV system designed to offset a portion of your electricity usage,
• to a larger system designed to generate most of your electricity demand.
• Solar PV systems can also be paired with battery storage to store electricity generated during the day for use during the evenings, and days when electricity generation is low because of weather conditions.
• Depending on how the Solar PV system has been set up and your available budget, battery storage will be able to kick in during load-shedding and can run a few selected essential items or most of your appliances, devices, and machinery.

How much does a Solar PV Pergola cost to Install?

The cost of a solar pergola will vary greatly. It can depend on the following:

• The size of the structure. (existing and/or new build)
• The number of solar panels.
• The type of solar panels being used.
• The construction materials that need to be purchased.
• How big is your garden?
• What is your budget?
• Are you looking to power several household appliances or go completely off-grid?

These are all important questions that you need to ask yourself and think about before adding a pergola to your property.

Aluminium Frame Pergola with Solar Panels _ Residential

The Benefits of Solar PV

Every year more and more businesses and homeowners are discovering the benefits of investing in solar energy. Installing a   Solar PV (photovoltaic) system on your Pergola roof will not only save you money in the short run but also offers long-term rewards.

1) Save on your power bill:

The repayment of a solar PV system is close to 5 years, depending on certain factors like your electricity demand and your current electricity tariff structure. With solar panels that have a 20 – 25-year production warranty, it’s very much like buying 25 years’ prepaid electricity at 5 years’ cost.

2) Benefit from a feed-in tariff:

Most of the municipalities in the Western Cape allow you to earn a rebate against your electricity bill for extra electricity your Solar PV system may feed into the municipal grid. This will allow you to save even more money on your electricity bill over and above savings obtained from reduced electricity usage.

3) Installation is tax-deductible:

Section 12B of the Income Tax Act of 2016 provides for an accelerated depreciation allowance on the entire cost of a solar photovoltaic system under 1 megawatt. A maximum of 28% of a PV system’s cost can be saved in the first year through a reduced tax bill.

4) Stop load-shedding (with battery storage):

Solar PV systems with battery storage can be more expensive and increase the repayment period but can continue powering your building during load-shedding. The extent to which it can continue powering your building depends on how much battery storage has been included and your budget. Some opt for smaller, cheaper storage to run only essential equipment, while others opt for larger, more expensive storage capable of power more equipment.

5) They offer the best spot for placing solar panels.

As a pergola is usually constructed on the most exposed outdoor space, it serves as a great host for solar panels. A pergola is usually built where shade is needed the most, which is generally North facing in South Africa, which is ideal for a solar panels.

It is important to remember that Solar PV alone is not an all-encompassing solution. Depending on what your goals are, Solar PV systems can be implemented with battery storage and in conjunction with other measures, like energy efficiency efforts, to reduce electricity usage significantly, save you significant amounts on your electricity bill and improve the sustainability of your home or business.

Residential Solar PV Pergola

Solar PV does:

• Reduce your monthly electricity bill and provides electricity price security in an environment where electricity prices increase above inflation every year.
• Provides electricity supply security for customers, particularly when paired with battery storage.
• Supports Eskom and municipal supply constraints by removing some of the demand on their systems.
• Makes the South African energy mix less carbon–intensive and more sustainable.

Solar PV does not:

• Protect your home or business from load-shedding unless you choose to include battery storage.
• Necessarily reduce peak demand and cost of peak-time energy. There may be a misalignment between peak PV generation and average peak demand depending on your electricity demand profile) unless battery storage is installed and / or you are on a peak time tariff.

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