Sonkus Solar Projects

28/01/2026

The Sonkus team adding another Battery to bring this system to 20kWhour storage. This will enough with this house average consumption of 700watts during the night, to say buy buy to Eskom.

28/01/2026

28/01/2026

2026 in full swing.
We started the year with s bang and I feel blessed that we are still running. Our main business now is upgrades and maintenance.

24/06/2025

More solar price pain for South Africans
Kirsten Minnaar • 24 June 2025

South Africa’s shifting renewable energy policies, including tax rebates and new import tariffs, have made investing in solar power more complex, with more potential price hikes looming.

According to Harcourts South Africa, these considerations are forcing property owners to weigh upfront costs against long-term savings and incentives.

Recent fiscal measures, including tax rebates, new import tariffs, and talks about registration fees, are reshaping the financial and, ultimately, decision-making landscapes for those investing in solar power.

The drive for sustainable energy has seen both encouragement and new economic considerations. A key incentive for individuals was a tax rebate, which allowed individuals to claim 25% of the cost of new solar PV panels, up to R15,000.

The rebate applies to qualifying solar photovoltaic (PV) panels brought into use for the first time from 1 March 2023 until 29 February 2024.

The initiative was available to homeowners and tenants paying for installations, and aimed to boost solar adoption within the timeframe.

However, a new 10% import tariff on solar panels now adds to upfront costs. The South African government introduced this general import duty on solar modules and panels in July 2024 to support local manufacturing.

This follows a 2017 request from local solar panel maker Artsolar, which said the duty was a good way to boost the local solar panel manufacturing industry.

For those looking at investing in solar, this tariff directly affects investment calculations, since many panels are imported.

This creates a complex scenario for property owners weighing the financial viability of solar. Unfortunately, these tariffs could become even more expensive in the near future.

Recently, the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) gazetted its plans to review 82 tariff codes for components used in the assembly and manufacturing of solar and wind power equipment.

Proposals include increasing their tariffs by up to 30%. The Association for Renewable Energy Practitioners (AREP), however, has criticised these plans.

It raised concerns about how the increases could affect small-scale solar power users, including homes and small businesses.

“By increasing system prices, the tariffs risk placing solar energy further out of reach for lower- and middle-income consumers,” Arep said.

Solar remains a good investment

04/04/2025

Just added another battery to help with the storage so that this system can get though the new announced PEAK Tariff period in the morning. In Winter, at R8.70kWh, it might just be worth the money spend.

04/04/2025

Use these settings on DEYE/SunSynk to accommodate the new ESKOM Tariffs. Explanation in post below.
These are only a suggestion.

04/04/2025

HI All. The new ESKOM tariffs are apon us and there is a couple of things to take note off. There is a new High demand tariff that you should take note of. If you use Grid power in that time, you will pay R4.35 in Summer and R8.70 per kW in Winter. Best is to programme your TOU (Time of Use) on the inverter to only use Battery in that time. Use the OFF PEAK time to charge your battery, to discharge during the High Peak period. Have a look at my proposed settings for the Deye/SunSynk inverters. Feel free to contact us if you need assistance.

13/03/2025

We just added an extra battery and 6 more panels to this system we installed two years ago. We also did a system check and made sure the installation is still save and optimized.
Happy customer.

10/03/2025

The team added one more battery and 6 more panels. In the original installation we planned and allowed for these additions.
Happy customer...happy business.

10/03/2025

We had the privilege to install this 8kW Inverter with 3x 5kW Batteries. 16 x 550PV panels will convert sunlight into power to feed the house, and fill the battery with power to use when the sun is down.

20/01/2025

This customer called us to add another battery and 6 more panels. We installed this upgrade last week and this morning I got a "VERY HAPPY CUSTOMER" call. Mus say I love those calls.
When we did the initial installation, space was left to the right for the second battery.