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.

CHARGE CONTROLLER

In this case, I use a Chinese product and it did get faulty whenever my batteries discharge below the Low Voltage Disconnection Protection (LDP). I've changed this product twice (within six months) due to the guarantee period given by the guy that sold it to me. From its pack, it is more of a nameless product.

For charge controllers, TriStar is expensive but as usual will give you value for your money. I neither know nor have I heard much about Indian brands of Charge Controllers. Although I've used one in the past which worked pretty well and always tells me when I should switch off my inverter by a red signal light. Will get the name later and post on this thread.

dave07:
Great thread and sincerity by the OP

There is a need to clarify the two main types of inverters in the market today. 1. The high frequency inverters pure or modified sine wave, inexpensive and relatively light in weight. If all you want is lighting, TV, decoder, fans and the likes, then go for this.
2. The low frequency inverters, pure or modified sinewave, more expensive, bulky with more weight. If you are considering more inductive load like refrigerators, electric motor or compressor based application, in addition to the load listed above then you are good with thus.
Most inverters in the market today incorpoates a battery charging element which enable you to recharge your depleted battery once there is mains power. On suitable brand, the indian brand I agree are more preffered though more expensive plus the fact that the input voltage range IMO are most ti es unnecessarily outrageous! For instance 12V is limited to less than 1KVA, 24V limited to 2.4KVA, anything rating higher than this goes for 48V, 96, and even 120V whereas you will still get an American Spec (e.g Outback) of 5KVA rating with 24V input. There are locally built inverter and Chinese inverters less than 2KVA that can easily be purchased within a tight budget and yet perform well. The only edge Luminous, Sukam & co have (IMO) is the availability of after sales repairs and services offered

SOLAR PANEL

For panels, I think any panel will do. All the consumer has to do is ensure that the ratings are accurate. Ask the seller to test the Short Circuit Current and Voltage for you and once done, multiply the current (I) by the Voltage (V) to see if it is close to or same as the panel power ratings in Watts. After confirming this, just take your panel home ensuring you prevent it from damage during transport and installation, and you should be good to go. Solar panels last for as much as 20 - 25 years or more. Though in dry seasons and dusty areas, they require cleaning once in a while. However, in rainy seasons, rainfalls can help you clean them up.

My products are 2 of 300W/24V panels. Quite heavy and large.

Someone asked me to help him acquire his own system and i therefore want to get inputs from Nairalander before making my decisions on brands to go for. So I ask that users of solar system come in and give their bitter or good experience using brands of batteries, inverters, charge controllers and solar panels. And also, mods please take us to front page for more contributions

Lanjonath:
I use Apollo, Vil, Gamatronics and a couple of others. The main thing to look at is the spec, because most manufacturers always a weaklink in their line of Inverters that won't perform exceptionally well. And as for Solar Panels, there are a lot of nice ones out there, what I'll advice is when you find a Solar Panel brand that works for you, stick with it. And stay away from Sunshine and Joy Solar Panels. Feel free to ring me up:08131506603

Im2Busy2Bother:




Why should we stay away at the bolded brands?

Which brand should we go for? ( It'll be nice if you can give the cost implications with respect to the wattage in view)

Thanks a lot

Lanjonath:
I'd stay away from them coz there are a lot of inferior ones out there, not up to the described wattage just a pasted sticker on the back. Tried to get a 250W Sunshine Panel some years back, the seller proli didn't know I would check what I was buying. On an afternoon of amazing sunlight, the so-called 250W panel registered just 180W. There are a lot of good brands, I just advise you understand the product and check coz there are a lot of refurbished panels out there & ones of inferior quality that even if you get em brand new, you'll proli never get 15yrs outta them

Im2Busy2Bother:



Alright. Thanks. You didn't say anything about the cost implications. Hope you saw it on my original post

dave07:
@doskie, nice setup, those batteries are the real thing, I guess it's the 1000Ah range. Will give you a call later in the day

dave07:

I agree 100% with poster who played down the emphasis on thw superiority of mono over poly. Maybe you should look at the doc he attached, It's high time we began to adapt the tbeories we ve read to suit our environment. That aside the issue of shading of the solar cell must be taken seriously if you are going to enjoy solar and correct information must be given too. There are standards in the solar industry, believing a panel of 200W @24V will give 7.25A is incorrect for instance. Check the name plate, do a little load test, a dc clamp on is a necessity for every DIY solar enthusiasts &prfessionals. Take the rated and short circuit current given at the back of the solar module very seriously. If for instance you see a figure of 4.5A and 4.85A given as rated & short circuit, then know that if the highset sunshine comes out and stay for one hour you wont get more than 4AH . If you have such light for 5hour with one module, assuming other things constant you woulld have harvested 4*5=20Ah with diffuse radiation and time of intermittent shadowing, the highest you'd do with one module will be around 26Ah. If your battery is 200Ah and gets depleted to say 50% dod, then you ve got a long way to go if you dont increase the number of modules you put out there. The fact that your panel has 200W doesnt mean it will give you 200W, that rating is at STC, look for NOCT ratings which are a little but more realistic and be mindful of temperature cos your panel performance decreases with temoerature increase, this is naija not America!

dave07:
Finally, all your solar-controller-battery will either work well or underwork if you fail to get your wiring correct. It is not just a matter of 6mm or 10 yards. For effective charging the rule states that the maximum voltage drop between the panel and the inverter should not exceed 3%. To achieve that you must get your cabling right or else, you waste money.
Yes lightning protection is very necessary and the MPPT crew should know that at certain voltages and battery connection a surge protection is a must,( classical example-midnite solar).
Above all Solar pass theory o, you must do it practically to know it as you should. To those asking for where to learn, start here and look out for practical installation. God bless you all.
I'd be glad to answer question with the OP, I dey fear to call that name sef

dave07:
So sorry for your experience with the CC. If I can recollect very well, I have used the controller shown more than 5 times and had no issue, the user interface/digital display and higher amperage made it a choice for me over the morning star PWM and BP solar CC I gad been used to un the past. No, it is not nameless but was brought into the country by Roysolar ( A chinese outfit at Fedan plaza Alaba), the company started well with good product with outstanding quality but in recent time has been tilting towards the Alaba 'factor' but when you know what you need they will give it to you. Roy & Ezi Blessed are my only trusted vendors in Alaba.
on MPPT, you'd be surprised that most product being branded online are MPPT by name & PWM by design, for most application in Nigeria, with the weather we have, I consider MPPT CC not necessary, maybe if someone will show me ab appreciable difference in the daily sun harvest using an MPPT CC and PWM CC in naija, I'll have a change of mind

dave07:

On batteries the truth of the matter is that every battery produced has a life cycle that ia determined by the number of charge/discharge recorded. Most of the batteries in today's market do not come with this information because they are sub-standard, the likes of Zenith, Ritar, Luminous, etc are more favoured because by experience people have come to know them. I have had my bad days with luminous batteries though the good experiences have been more. The most expensive item with the shortest lifespan in an Off-grid RE system is the battery and you can't afford to throw money away just like that. But if you really really want to go for batteries try out the 2V or 6V high amperage deep cycle batteries. Even a fairly used (decommissioned ) set of this type will last you longer and better than the popular 12V modular brands

SycophanticGoat:


Thanks a lot! I feel like the wrong guy must have created the thread judging from the gurus commenting on here. Thanks a lot for this wonderful piece. And please, kindly tell us the meaning of STC and NOCT. Also, for my 2 panels rated 300W/24V with only about 8.1 short circuit current, and connected in series, so I should be expecting just 4(8 × 2) = 64Ah if there's just about 4 hours sunlight? That's too small and no wonder it seems my battery don't charge fully..

Also wanna ask, why is charging voltage, assuming a 24V system, which is about 26 - 27V different from operational/load voltage, which is about 25 - 24V?

Lanjonath:
Oh, I'm sorry sir. I don't really understand your question, can you please explain?

Konnektions146:


Nominal Operating Cell Temperature (NOCT) is de temperature reached by open circuited cells in a module under the conditions as listed below:
Irradiance on cell surface = 800 W/m2
Air Temperature = 20°C
Wind Velocity = 1 m/s
Mounting = open back side.

Standard test condition is the condition of cell operation that can make the cells achieve its rated output which most times is -
Temperature at 25degC with 1000w/m2

If your panels are connected in series you should expect a higher voltage and same current, the implication is that u can use mppt cc and a smaller cable size and yet less loss due to heat.

For you to charge a batterythats at 24-27volts , your need a highet voltage lest you have some form of equilibrium (charging voltage and operating voltage equal) this u will not have any juice going into the battery.

I am trying to explim in lay language as much as possible.

Hope this helps

Cheers!

SycophanticGoat:


Thanks for the explanations. I get all you said but I think the one regarding battery voltage didn't address my question or thought.. Let me rephrase: Why is I that when the battery is charging, especially when the sun is out fully or when using mains to charge, the battery voltage reaches 27.4 or 27.5V but when the source is removed after charging (even when the inverter shows battery fully charged), the battery voltage drops to 25.7V?

Im2Busy2Bother:



How much is the cost of good quality solar panels (range from 200W to 300W)?

Lanjonath:
okay Sir, the prices are canging everyday but currently,

Poly-Crystalline 200W: N41k-N44k
250W: N48k -N54K
300W: N63K+

Mono should be between N5K to N9K more expensive sir

SycophanticGoat:


How long have the batteries lasted? What brand of batteries and do they deliver to the stated capacity?

Emeka71:
There is no PHCN supply in my village for 5 years ;we have used inverter with generator for 2 years since 2014 they added solar since early this year I think ; the solar powers the house during the day including 2 deep freezers out of 3 because we have 3 deep freezers ; we just put on generator at night by 7:00 or 8:00 or sometimes for only 2 hours or not at all unlike when there was no solar and inverter when we used to put generator on from 7:00 in the night till 7:00 at dawn; nowadays ; we put off the generator by 12 midnight or by 1:00 or 2:00; the inverter which would have charged the batteries ; the inverter will work till dawn ;when afterwards the solar shall pick-up and resume working The battery sometimes deliver to stated capacity .

SycophanticGoat:


Thanks for the explanations. I get all you said but I think the one regarding battery voltage didn't address my question or thought.. Let me rephrase: Why is I that when the battery is charging, especially when the sun is out fully or when using mains to charge, the battery voltage reaches 27.4 or 27.5V but when the source is removed after charging (even when the inverter shows battery fully charged), the battery voltage drops to 25.7V?

chris81964:

Your battery has a float voltage which is between 26.5 and 27.5 your charge controller will maintain that float voltage and then the battery will fall back to its charged state once the charge source goes away. Float is in excess of 100% SOC.

Im2Busy2Bother:




Thanks a lot. I appreciate the time taken to answer my question.

steel5800:
To the gurus in the house, pls what is the cost implication of setting up a solar system to carry a minimum load of 2.3kva to a maximum of 3.5kva at any given point in time. Out of this load, there'll be a freezer of about 300w(0.375kva) that'll be always on and a low power consumption 1.5hp AC that'll be almost always on. The ACs' wattage is 880w(1.1kva) due to the low power consumption. Other appliances that make up the remaining power are normal household appliances. I'll like to go completely off-grid and will only use my gen for the pumping machine. The minimum load can even be as low as 1.8kva when everyone is asleep. Thanks