Commercial & Industrial Solar Solutions
Mtshali Power Electronics & Infrastructure designs, installs and maintains commercial and industrial solar and battery systems across Durban, KwaZulu-Natal and nationally.
We are a critical power contractor. We have spent years keeping UPS systems, battery banks and generators running in server rooms, port logistics facilities and industrial plants where an outage costs real money. Solar is an extension of that work, not a departure from it. When we size a system, we size it against a measured load profile, not a rule of thumb. When we grid-tie it, we handle the eThekwini SSEG registration and the NRS 097-2-3 compliance. When it is commissioned, our registered electricians issue the Certificate of Compliance.
And when it is running, we are still there. We maintain what we install under a service level agreement.
Who we work with
Our focus is commercial and industrial. Typical projects are three-phase systems from 20kW upward at business premises: factories, warehouses, office parks, logistics facilities, medical practices, retail centres and data centres.
We do take on residential work selectively, where the system is substantial, the scope suits us and the client wants it done properly rather than cheaply. It is not our core market, and we would rather tell you that upfront than take on a job we are not the right contractor for.
Where a system was installed by someone else, we will not sign our name to it or maintain it without a compliance inspection first.
If you are a facilities manager, plant engineer, IT manager or procurement officer looking for a contractor who can supply the paperwork, sign the CoC and still answer the phone in three years time, you are in the right place.
What We Do
Solar PV design and installation
Three-phase commercial and industrial systems.
Rooftop, carport and ground mount.
Panel and mounting specified for the structure and, on the KZN coast, for the corrosion environment.
Three-phase hybrid inverters
Sunsynk and Deye.
Grid-tied, hybrid and off-grid configurations, paralleled where the load demands it.
Commercial battery storage
Lithium battery banks sized against your actual load profile and your actual outage risk, not against a brochure.
Load studies and system sizing
We measure before we quote. Power logging on your incoming supply over a working week gives us a real load profile, real peak demand and a real payback calculation. A system sized off last month's bill is a guess.
Generator integration
Sunsynk and Deye inverters have a generator input that can call and control a standby set. If you already have a generator, it should be talking to the solar system, not fighting it. We do both sides of that.
Maintenance and monitoring
Under SLA.
Thermal imaging on strings, combiner boxes and terminations. Battery testing. Inverter firmware and fault management. Remote monitoring.
Compliance
eThekwini SSEG registration, NRS 097-2-3, SANS 10142-1, Certificate of Compliance issued by our own registered electricians.
Solar Does Not Replace Your UPS
This is the part the solar industry does not tell you, and it is the reason a critical power contractor should be doing this work.
A hybrid inverter has a transfer time. When the grid drops, the inverter takes a moment to switch the load across to battery. It is short, but it is not zero. Your lights will not notice. Your servers will. Your PLCs will. Your medical equipment will.
Solar and battery storage carry the building. A UPS carries the load that cannot blink. A generator carries the long outage. They are three different jobs and they are not interchangeable, and a solar installer who tells you the inverter will protect your server room is either not thinking about it or does not want to complicate the sale.
We design the whole chain, because we have always maintained the whole chain.
We Measure Before We Quote
Most commercial solar quotes in this country are produced from a copy of your municipal bill and a satellite photo of your roof.
That gives you kWh consumed. It does not give you peak demand, load factor, power factor, when in the day your load actually peaks, what your standing charges are doing to your bill, or which of your loads are worth backing up and which are not.
We install a power logger on your incoming supply and leave it for a working week. What comes back is a real load profile. From that we size the array, size the battery, decide whether export limitation is needed, and produce a payback figure that will survive contact with your finance department.
It adds a week to the process. It is the difference between a system that pays for itself and a system that sits oversized on your roof.
Compliance and Grid Connection in eThekwini
Any grid-tied system at a commercial premises in eThekwini has to be registered. This is where most commercial solar projects in Durban stall.
We handle:
Small Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) application to eThekwini Municipality
NRS 097-2-3 compliance for embedded generation
Inverter certification against the approved equipment list
Export limitation configuration where export is not permitted
SANS 10142-1 compliant installation
Certificate of Compliance issued by our registered electricians.
We are not a broker for this. Our own people sign it.
Why a Critical Power Contractor
Level 1 B-BBEE at 135% procurement recognition.
CIPC registered, VAT registered, tax compliant.
Registered electricians who can issue Certificates of Compliance.
Authorised Riello installer for KZN. Vertiv Silver Partner. Schneider Electric factory-trained, including APC. Eaton authorised for single and three-phase.
If you are putting this through procurement, we can supply the company profile, B-BBEE certificate, tax clearance and CIDB grading as a single pack. Ask and it is in your inbox the same day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size commercial solar system do I need?
It depends on your load profile, not your floor area or your last bill. We log your incoming supply for a working week and size against measured peak demand, consumption pattern and the loads you actually need to back up. Typical commercial installations we work on start at 20kW.
Do I need permission from the municipality to install solar in Durban?
For any grid-tied system, yes. eThekwini requires Small Scale Embedded Generation registration, and the installation must comply with NRS 097-2-3. We handle the application and the compliance as part of the project.
Will solar protect my server room?
Not on its own. A hybrid inverter has a transfer time when the grid drops. It is short, but it is enough to reboot a server. Solar and battery carry the building. A UPS carries the loads that cannot tolerate any break. We design both.
Sunsynk or Deye?
They are close relatives. Deye manufactures the hardware behind the Sunsynk units, so the platform is the same. Sunsynk carries a stronger local support and warranty structure and costs more. Deye is more competitively priced. We install and support both and we will tell you honestly which one fits your project.
Do you do residential solar?
Our focus is commercial and industrial. We do take on residential projects selectively, usually larger three-phase homes or estates where the scope suits us. We are not the cheapest option for a small rooftop system and we would not pretend to be. If you want it engineered, documented and maintained, talk to us. If you want it done fast and cheap, we are not the right fit.
Can you take over a system somebody else installed?
Yes, after a compliance inspection. We are not signing our name to work we have not verified. Once it passes, or once we have brought it up to standard, we will maintain it under SLA.
Do you maintain the system after installation?
Yes, and this is most of the point. We are a maintenance business. Solar hardware fails quietly: a string goes down, a battery module degrades, a connection heats up, and your yield drops for eight months before anyone notices. We inspect, thermally image and test under a service level agreement.
Commercial and industrial solar. Durban, KwaZulu-Natal and nationwide.
For a site assessment and load study:
Mtshali Power Electronics & Infrastructure (Pty) Ltd
031 100 2679 (24/7)
078 515 4731 (WhatsApp)
service@powerinfrastructure.co.za
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