SycophanticGoat:


I learnt mine from the internet and by practice bro. You can also do same yourself..







Inverter = 48K
First battery = 48K
Second battery = 55K (within same month I bought the first one and note that these batteries goes for 70something K and upward now)
Panels= 49k * 2 = 98K
50Amps charge controller = 35K
Flexible wire = 10 yards for 7k
Bought 3 rechargeable fans during that time but didn't think to include the prices.

Bought steel materials and constructed the solar rack myself
Did the installation myself but I however, used the help of an electrician that did some wiring works to go with my inverter system. He's a friend so I gave him just beer money (1K). Mind you, this was the first installation I've ever done. Learnt from the internet and did it myself.

Generator sure pass

buharisbae:
sychophanticgoat y ain't u replying anybody ?? I just wanna ask how many hours does the solar last after being charged fully and how many hours does it take for it to be fully charged for a 3 bedroom flat with 3 fridges 1 led tv 5 fans 13 bulbs 2 electric kettle and others sha. anybody pls answer

the truth is you need to state how long you need these to work.

if u need to power inductive loads like coils(kettle and iron) you need a pure ine wave inverter and its more expensive than what OP has installed.

itemize like this-

Appliance/qty/Hours of Running

that will give us an idea of what u need

buharisbae:
sychophanticgoat y ain't u replying anybody ?? I just wanna ask how many hours does the solar last after being charged fully and how many hours does it take for it to be fully charged for a 3 bedroom flat with 3 fridges 1 led tv 5 fans 13 bulbs 2 electric kettle and others sha. anybody pls answer

Sorry about that. I created the thread and after waiting for sometime, thought it wouldn't make front page. It was when I came online at night I realized it did and I subsequently replied every mention and the questions I could. Just like Konnektions146 stated, how long are you likely to use individual appliances daily?

Btw, Konnektions does I mean that not all inverters with pure sine wave written on it are actually pure sine wave cuz mine says it's pure sine wave although not of high capacity...

Konnektions146:


Bro,

Please dont advice wrongly, i know this thread is for good iintent but dont mislead with wrong info

you CANNOT use an off-grid system without battery

First, your inverter can only power on wen it gets power from the battery
2nd, your charge controller gets its power from battery also

so how would you have a functional system without source of power?

please note that if you want solar power system without battery, be sure to get a GRID-TIE inverter and know that you will not have backup, as sun comes, u use and when sun goes down, yu are in darknes

Cheers!

OK! Thanks for your input, I've subsequently edited my post and cleared my comment..

.

chinebu:

I need your urgent advise. I am building a six bedroom duplex in my hometown and I am thinking of powering the house with solar. Everything in the house including the security lights must be powered at the same time and for at least 12 hours at a time.
WWhatis your suggestion please.

That will be great. Thing is, you need to have a huge budget for such but be sure you will get the value for your money if you make the right decisions with the products you go for.. Just like I got information from Lanjonath, Chris81964 and Konnektions146 on here, I think you should also contact those guys for info because it seems they're professionals in that field.

By the way, list the items you wish to power...

chris81964:


For a battery bank of that size use 6 or 2 volt batteries. Manufacturers don't recommend more than three strings for your bank. 7 banks is a nightmare and the potential for battery failure is high.
5 hours of direct sunshine is ambitious. For Lagos 4 to 4.5. You can Google irradiance charts for the area you live.

Please can you explain the connection in more detail? Thank you sir...

No body harness....dangerous job!

Lanjonath:
The Max for the i-tracer I've seen is 60A, nd that costs N155K.

As for batteries I'll be honest with you, Indian batteries are the best, but even at that a lot of batteries get damaged during shipping, some wear quickly when they aren't charged efficiently or are frequently discharged to 30%, you can only tell if a battery is good after using it for about 4 months, best is to get one that comes with 1 year warranty, so you know if anything goes bad you'll get a brand new one without spending a dime. I use M-Power (Gel-Lead Acid Hybrid) it's very good and comes with 1 year warranty and also Fullriver, FullRiver is my no.1 choice buh it's a bit pricey and it also comes with Warranty. Mercury is also not bad but there's no warranty on it, so I only use it on request. I have a client who has use the FullRiver batteries for about 2years and 4 Months, sure the backup time has reduced coz of the aging battery buh on an average(On a Sunny Day) he still gets 20 hours daily. I installed 4 Batteries and 8 250W Poly-Crystalline Panels for him with a 2.5KV Inverter.

As for the inverter it's not like you can't load it over 70%, but inverters loaded over 70% are more fault prone so personally I dont advise it, keeping it under 70% helps prolong the inverters lifespan.

For the steep roof, what I do with all my installations is to install the panels on a mounting rail, that also helps improve its efficiency. So the rail is attached to the roof and the solar panels are mounted on the rails. See attached pics.

davodyguy:


This is over 5million naira, but can link you up with the people that fixed for is at our gas station

Thanks @davodyguy for the information. That's a mighty installation you guys have there at the petrol station. Way to go. The cost, though, should be more than 20 million Naira. At the rate of 85,000 Naira, the 144 batteries alone would cost more than 12 million Naira. Then you add the cost of panels, inverters and charge controllers and cables, and labor.
How long is the installation now? And how is it performing?

ibietela2:


Generator sure pass

LoL! Well, whatever will serve you better bro..

I use a 50kva back up system very efficient on a long run.

CocoaOla:
I use a 50kva back up system very efficient on a long run.

Wow! That's huge!!! Are you powering your full street?

SycophanticGoat:

Wow! That's huge!!! Are you powering your full street?

Mayb an estate.

kowema:
Ipower Inverters and Solar panels are the best around.. I know peeps who use them

Please what is the price range of these products and approximately how many people do you know out there that use them...? Thanks..

I've learnt a lot from this thread, thanks OP.

This is exactly what I am looking for.

Lanjonath:
You'll upgrade the system to a hybrid system, it's a quick, straight forward process. However an engineer will have to visit your site because the inverter DC input Voltage is very necessary to the Solar Panel configuration.

thanks

Very interesting to know more about other sources of power.

Flips:

Please I will like to buy a solar inverter (3.5kvA) + 4 batteries. Do you know a reliable seller(s) in Lagos?
Where did you get yours if I may ask?

go for prag. I have their mail address. And phone number that might help.

femimat:
I have a 2.4 kva inverter, what will it cost me to incorporate a solar panel... Thanks

6 panels of 140watt @ 17.6volt will do the job. But u can decide to for higher wattage and voltage panel but you should be ready to pay higher amount.

Kelechi2020:
Following strictly....i would love to know the cost implications though...

implications of what sir?

Flips:

Please can a 2.4 kva with 2 batteries carry a fridge and fans at the same time?

its not advisable but if its a table fridge and just one fan u wish to power, that might do the job but no additional load on it.

petekayo:
Where can learn inverter and solar installation in Lagos . Advise needed urgently

call me on 09098973114. I learnt mine here in lagos. And i have my complete installation and installing for individuals. I can direct U to a place in lagos @ bega specifically.

tunero1010:
I have been using Nigerian branded BUDTRON inverter for the past 3yrs and my sister 2yrs 2mnths,my dad 1yr without issues the only problem was the battery but their inverter is very rugged over charge n under charge control with LCD display.I think its the best cos it is built in Nigeria and for Nigerians. you can call them 08023015163

I hope the rating is not merely for advertisement sake! In Nigeria, anything is possible!

Lanjonath:
My firm is deals with solar systems, we give generous warranty offers on every single system, feel free to e-mail me: Lanjonath@hotmail.com

Di u guys have solar fridge or freezer in stock? Thanks in adv 212L or 152L specifically

Tbillz:
go for prag. I have their mail address. And phone number that might help.

I appreciate that please.

Donaldomo:
It depends on d rating of the fridge. In summary, a 2.4KVA system can carry most fridges and fans comfortably!

fridge of 300 to 330W? Including a fan of maybe 80W? Lol you must be joking. Only the surge power of the fridge might break down the 2.4kva Inverter. But recent fridges are energy saving ones. My dear user for better life span dont put your fridge on it.

Please can anybody in the house direct me to where I can get mercury inverter battery 100A in Lagos. I have combed Alaba market 5 consecutive days and could not find one

Solar Energy is expensive because the cabals in the government refuse to give importers of solar materials import free duty and secondly the cost of Clarence is on the high side coupled with $fluations. We at KOJON ENERGIES LIMITED can meet your needs on alternate power supply. We import sell and install with warranty. Call Me 08162789287

SycophanticGoat:
Dear Nairaland Solar System Users,

My aim of creating this thread is to make it easier for would be solar panel consumers to make informed decisions before getting their own solar system. It will also enable me to be able to convince people about going solar and the best brand of products to purchase. People have been marketing solar businesses here and there, but we don't know if their products will last long in service.

I'm presently using some Indian products I suppose, and I'm quit satisfied with some while other ones are quit disappointing. So I employ all solar system users to kindly come in and talk about their batteries, inverters, charge controllers and solar panels.

I'll talk about the brands I'm using and also, will talk about the brands I've heard about.

INVERTER

Firstly, I'm using Microtek (1.6KVa/24V) Pure Sinewave Inverter which is a very strong one and is almost getting to it's sixth month. Why I classify it as a strong inverter is that on several occasions, I've had it plugged into a socket that feeds off itself mistakenly but it hasn't developed any fault at all. From what I've heard, this can outrightly damage an inverter. I've been more careful these days but as you all know it, mistakes are bound to happen and I usually tend to repeat it once in a while. By the way, it's made in India.

I've heard about Indian brands like Su-Kam, Luminous and Synergy. These set seems to be the high end Indian products and from what I've heard, it seems they do their work well tho might be costlier than others. My bro used his Luminous Inverter for 18 months before it developed fault.. I've heard only very little about other brands like MPower, SoccerPower, etc. From what I heard about these other inverters, they are ok.

From the person I purchased my solar system, I got to hear of American brand called TriStar. Quit expensive but does it job outstandingly well.

BATTERIES

This one seems to be the major problem people are likely to encounter when going solar. There are so many brands of batteries out there but getting a cheap one that will last long is quit difficult. I'm using 2 of 12V/200Ah PowerTek Deep Cycle batteries, of which one of them is giving me issues just within 6 months of purchase. One of the batteries never gets beyond 10.7 volts after full charge (and during initial us sage) while the other reaches 12.9V after full charge and during initial discharge. The man I bought it from asked me to have a car battery charger to charge the faulty one separately but I've not had the chance for that yet.

I've heard about Luminous, Synergy and Su-Kam batteries and from what I heard, they are pretty ok, although expensive. A friend of mine that works for a Solar system coy told me that the top three Indian products in Nigeria are the strongest ones among the Indian ones. And that they hardly get complains from consumers in that regards. My brother has used Luminous battery for 18 months and it appears to still be working fine while his Luminous Inverter seems to be faulty after using it for 18 months.

TriStar is expensive but better than the Indian batteries though.

One of the top Chinese brands in Nigeria is Mercury. I've not used it before, but based on what my bro said, he was like people that he knows that use it don't complain. It's quit cheap and in same range as some lower end Indian products in terms of prices.

Please where can I get mercury battery in Lagos? I have combed almost every part of Alaba market and could not get one

davodyguy:
Its really interesting.

We just commissioned a mega gas station adjacent to Lagos Business School in Ajah and it is fully solar powered

No single electricity from the national grid.
All ACs, pumps, lightings and equipment all get fed from the solar panel.

It cost is millions of naira

We have 48 *3 batteries. Installed i.e 144 200Ah batteries and 93KVA total power available at the station

Please where can I get mercury battery in Lagos? I have combed almost every part of Alaba market and could not get one

akbahbah:


Please where can I get mercury battery in Lagos? I have combed almost every part of Alaba market and could not get one

You should try calling this number to ask if he has and the price he's selling.. 0803 964 4115, Ezi Blessed Nig. Ltd. Alaba.

Called him few days ago and he said his mercury battery sells for 78K. Don't know how much he'd be selling today.