Overwhelmed by engineering speak? Here’s a breakdown of the different systems available and how they work.
Solar finance
Power purchase agreement
Under a power purchase agreement (PPA), Decentral Energy owns and operates the solar PV system that is installed on your property, and you pay only for the energy generated by the system – at a lower cost than Eskom or your municipality tariff.
We cover 100% of the upfront and ongoing costs of operations, maintenance, security and insurance, saving you and your business money, time and energy.
Zero capital expenditure on your part is required, but our PPAs also include buy-out options that allow you to purchase the system after a period.
Competitive energy tariff
Zero capex, no upfront costs
Buy-out options
Load shedding protection
With optional battery or generator integration
Will I be protected against load shedding?
If you’re looking for a solar energy system that’s load shedding-proof, we offer optional battery storage or generator integration. Just let us know when you enquire.
What do I need to apply?
If you are applying on behalf of an organisation, you must have sufficient authority to enter into an agreement (e.g., be the director of a company, or the head of a body corporate).
If you are a tenant, you will need to obtain the consent of the property owner.
Documents required
- Electricity bills for the last 12 months
- Load data for the last 12 months (if available)
- Google Maps screenshot of the site
Our process
First contact and preliminary information
We will ask for your address and information about your energy consumption and usage patterns in order to determine the correct size and tariff for your system.
Preliminary proposal and Letter of Intent
We will present our preliminary proposal to you. Should you accept it, you will sign a Letter of Intent, giving us the green light to proceed.
Detailed technical and credit review
We will undertake a detailed review process, which may involve site visits, structural assessments and a detailed check of the system design. We will also ask for financial documents in order to perform a credit assessment.
Final proposal
We will issue you with a final proposal and agreement to sign.
Contract signing
System implementation
Our project execution team will get to work and make your new solar PV system a reality so that you can start reaping its environmental and cost-saving benefits as soon as possible.
Operations and maintenance
Our O&M team will ensure that your solar PV system is well maintained and operates optimally.
Case studies
Residential
Bronberg Retirement Estate
Pretoria, Gauteng
System size: 328 kWp
Energy tariff savings: 35–40%
Year 1 savings: Over R320 000
Retail
Southdale Centre
Johannesburg, Gauteng
System size: 843 kWp
Energy tariff savings: 15–20%
Year 1 savings: Over R350 000
Industrial
Graniti Tecnica
Johannesburg , Gauteng
System size: 579 kWp
Energy tariff savings: 30–35%
Year 1 savings: Over R330 000
Solar outright purchase
With our outright purchase option, you will own your solar PV system from day one. This is a good solution for those with cash on hand, and who wish to benefit from the SARS Section 12B allowance.
Our experienced team will handle all the details of design, procurement, installation and delivery of a turnkey solar PV system.
An often-overlooked aspect of owning your solar PV system outright is that you are responsible for maintaining it and ensuring its optimal operation.
With a Decentral outright purchase solution, our experienced O&M team will take care of these details: your total system cost will include operations, maintenance and cleaning by our experienced O&M team for the first year, after which a monthly O&M charge will apply.
Will I be protected against load shedding?
If you’re looking for a solar energy system that’s load shedding-proof, we offer optional battery storage or generator integration. Just let us know when you enquire.
What do I need to apply?
- Electricity bills for the last 12 months
- Load data for the last 12 months (if available)
- Google Maps screenshot of the site
Our process
First contact and preliminary information
We will ask for your address and information about your energy consumption and usage patterns in order to determine the correct size for your system.
Preliminary proposal and Letter of Intent
We will present our preliminary proposal to you. Should you accept it, you will sign a Letter of Intent, giving us the green light to proceed.
Detailed technical assessment
We will undertake a detailed review process, which may involve site visits, structural assessments and a detailed check of the system design.
Final proposal
We will issue you with a final proposal and agreement to sign.
Contract signing
System implementation
Our project execution team will get to work and make your new solar PV system a reality so that you can start reaping its environmental and cost-saving benefits as soon as possible.
Operations and maintenance
Our O&M team will ensure that your solar PV system is well maintained and operates optimally.
Backup power
Energy security is one of the greatest challenges in South Africa today. Our backup power solutions include battery energy storage systems (BESS) and diesel generator integration, which will ensure that your lights stay on when the grid goes down.
We offer both subscription and outright purchase options as standalone solutions or optional add-ins to a solar PV system.
Operations and maintenance
An operations and maintenance (O&M) contract can be thought of as a solar insurance policy that gives owners peace of mind that the plant will keep working as expected. Let experienced professionals take care of the technical details so you can focus on your business.
Commercial and Industrial solar PV plants have a design lifespan of 20 to 25 years. To ensure that these solar plants operate correctly and bring their owners the expected financial returns throughout that time it is essential that the solar plants are properly monitored and maintained by trained professionals, and that any technical issues are swiftly resolved.
We have an experienced O&M department capable of providing technical O&M services to customers, including:
- Daily monitoring via remote monitoring platform
- Fault identification and troubleshooting of identified technical issues
- Replacement of faulty equipment
- Conducting warranty claims for major components
- Deployment of technicians and engineers to sites
- Preventative biannual routine maintenance
- Required cleaning of PV panels
- Monthly and annual reporting
If you’re interested in learning more about our O&M services please fill in our contact form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.