Hi!! Where i can find forum 'video'?

Apologes for the long time off, personal things.

Let's talk more about battery, this is where most people have problems. There are 3 types, VRLA, GEL AND AGM.

VRLA or wet cell or flooded if you like, are batteries with acid liquid like in your car. These batteries require periodic maintenance, like toping up the liquid with distilled water. I'm not telling you to use vehicle batteries, these are a NO NO NO for solar. Your car battery is a cranking amp battery, meaning its made to crank out high amp in a second to start your car. You will notice that should your car fail to start after a few trials, the battery runs down. Though they are a member of flooded/ wet type, they are not made for renewable energy.

GEL and AGM are sealed acid, no liquid maintenance required. AGM however is the latest in battery technology. As a starter, you want to look for AGM or GEL. Care must be taken not to charge these batteries with standalone "smart chargers". They are sensitive to overcharging.

3276reliance:
Some people's panels are even oversized, yet they still complain. Its always not about how many panels you have, what is most important is getting as much current as available into the battery or battery bank. I used the word 'critical', because that's what it is. That is where you can succeed or fail with your setup. If something is not right between module alignment to cable sizing to charge controller, that means battery will suffer from proper charging. For example, I saw an installation in Abeokuta with about 12 modules, the roof angle was followed instead of a simple improvisation, the question is, must you always install based on rooftop angle, come to think of it, who says the roof is ALWAYS the best place for solar panels. If you have space on your property, the roof is the last place I will recommend, more on that and rack later.

How do one get critical current to the batteries.
When panels are installed on the roof or within the premises, questions are, Are the positioned in such way to capture the full ray of the sun, No matter the number of solar panel modules one installed, hence a little shed either from a tree or nearby houses, falls across the panels your absolutely getting little to nothing.
It's like charging a battery on idling generator.
Maximum sunlight is all about solar energy delivery.

You can deeply discharge your battery daily but you pay a price of short battery life. To have a longer battery life, the lowest you want to go is 50% DOD ( depth of discharge). If you can do 30-40%, the longer your battery is going to last.

Charging your battery back up to full state after every use is important. This is not to say you have to oversize your panels to make up for some days of bad weather as some will advice you to. If the weather is bad for a day, simply reduce your load, it will save you money, rather than generating power that you don't use on good weather days (of which we have more in Africa) from your oversized PV array. The choice ultimately is yours.

indigene:

How do one get critical current to the batteries.
When panels are installed on the roof or within the premises, questions are, Are the positioned in such way to capture the full ray of the sun, No matter the number of solar panel modules one installed, hence a little shed either from a tree or nearby houses, falls across the panels your absolutely getting little to nothing.
It's like charging a battery on idling generator.
Maximum sunlight is all about solar energy delivery.

Sorry bro, I don't get you, I can't see where I said PV should be under a shade. Thank you

Because proper charging is important, we sure need to talk more about charge controllers. I earlier said I prefer the mppt to the pwm even for small applications, as far as I'm concerned, PV array over 200 watts for me goes with an mppt, yes there are low Amp mppt like 10, 15 and 20 amps. You don't have to buy the more expensive 40-60amp versions for a small setup, if you need these low amp type, hola me.

Let's see this scenario, you have a 200 watts panels to a battery, the best you can get is between 60--70% with a pwm cc, and that figure is a few hours of peak period, plus your battery has to wait every time there is less than 12 volts from the panels early in the morning or due to clouds, pwm is the last to start and first to retire. Now you're thinking of adding a 100 watts panel to the system. I will rather buy a small mppt cc instead of another panel. The mppt brings a balance here. At peak hours, you're going to be generating up to 95-98% of your panels capacity. The most interesting part is that your battery don't have to wait for each panel to put out 12v to start charging. The mppt allows for higher voltage input which it converts back to amps going into your battery. Next we discuss wiring the panels with pwm and mppt to achieve different result

3276reliance:


Sorry bro, I don't get you, I can't see where I said PV should be under a shade. Thank you

But are you aware that a shade thrown across installed panels whether on the roof, or within a premise ground decreases their throughput efficiency?

3276reliance:
Let's see this scenario, you have a 200 watts panels to a battery, the best you can get is between 60--70% with a pwm cc, and that figure is a few hours of peak period, plus your battery has to wait every time there is less than 12 volts from the panels early in the morning or due to clouds, pwm is the last to start and first to retire. Now you're thinking of adding a 100 watts panel to the system. I will rather buy a small mppt cc instead of another panel. The mppt brings a balance here. At peak hours, you're going to be generating up to 95-98% of your panels capacity. The most interesting part is that your battery don't have to wait for each panel to put out 12v to start charging. The mppt allows for higher voltage input which it converts back to amps going into your battery. Next we discuss wiring the panels with pwm and mppt to achieve different result

@ the op, pls ride on. the layman here is enjoying your tutorial. personally I have passion for green energy but I need to know the least amount I need to have to start enjoying the power of green energy even if its just for charging of my phones and one bulb

Nice thread op

Hi... I've been doing diy solar since around 2016 for personal use.. I could answer basic questions if necessary...

anu3:
Hi... I've been doing diy solar since around 2016 for personal use.. I could answer basic questions if necessary...

I'm looking at a small setup to pay small devices like lights, a standing fan and keep phones & power banks up

Noah13:

I'm looking at a small setup to pay small devices like lights, a standing fan and keep phones & power banks up

Except it's a standing fan, you need a lot more to power a regular fan: like maybe 50ah - 100ah battery, small inverter like 500 watt, solar panel of around 100 to 200 watt, and a common charge controller.

But with a DC fan you may not need an inverter...

anu3:


Except it's a standing fan, you need a lot more to power a regular fan: like maybe 50ah - 100ah battery, small inverter like 500 watt, solar panel of around 100 to 200 watt, and a common charge controller.

But with a DC fan you may not need an inverter...

it's actually an old standing fan from qlink. How much do you think all of these would cost right now?

Noah13:
it's actually an old standing fan from qlink. How much do you think all of these would cost right now?

Ok, it may have a 12v DC port to power it. I use a mobile table fan (bigger size) that use phone charger for now.


100/150watt panel should be around 30-40k... I only got a used 80watt for just 8k a few years ago—from a house agent. But it should be around 18 to 25 then.

I just got a 380watt panel (55k, but some may sell it around 70k above) for some more serious use recently. But this time, I needed a charge controller, not a car charger. The panel is 30+ volts, it should blow off car chargers (12/24v)

anu3:


Ok, it may have a 12v DC port to power it. I use a mobile table fan (bigger size) that use phone charger for now.


100/150watt panel should be around 30-40k... I only got a used 80watt for just 8k a few years ago—from a house agent. But it should be around 18 to 25 then.

I just got a 380watt panel (55k, but some may sell it around 70k above) for some more serious use recently. But this time, I needed a charge controller, not a car charger. The panel is 30+ volts, it should blow off car chargers (12/24v)

please bros hiw can i get a solar system to give me mini 4-6hrs at night... with a budget of N130 - N150k

Immortal99:


please bros hiw can i get a solar system to give me mini 4-6hrs at night... with a budget of N130 - N150k

I guess you might need a bit more ...

100ah battery: 80k
A single unit 350/380w panel: around 70k maybe
500/1000 inverter: 15 - 25k
Charge controller: like 7-10k pwm type (but quality mppt type with better performance is around 40 - 60k or more)
Lastly, wire...

Modified

If anyone sees something wrong, pls tell...

Buying all your used household appliances and furniture. Just one text away, 07048.one9.2685

anu3:


I guess you might need a bit more ...

100ah battery: 80k
A single unit 350/380w panel: around 70k maybe
500/1000 inverter: 15 - 25k
Charge controller: like 7-10k pwm type (but quality mppt type with better performance is around 40 - 60k or more)
Lastly, wire...

Modified

If anyone sees something wrong, pls tell...

Thanks bros..

what of a solar generator i can charge with nepa..that can power my pc for 8hr min non stop

Immortal99:



Thanks bros..

what of a solar generator i can charge with nepa..that can power my pc for 8hr min non stop

Not sure if you meant a laptop, the set up above is fine. To charge with nepa, I bought a 20a battery charger, good with 100a battery...


Note: I usually order such things from jumia, so the last time I checked that battery was no longer 80k but 105k...

Immortal99:



Thanks bros..

what of a solar generator i can charge with nepa..that can power my pc for 8hr min non stop

Not sure if you meant a laptop, then the set up above is fine. I think... For a desktop, well maybe 3-4 hours, not sure. Someone used the setup to power a big freezer for 3hours... I read that on customer review...

To charge with nepa, I bought a 20a battery charger, good with 100a battery...


Note: I usually order such things from jumia, so the last time I checked that battery was no longer 80k but 105k...

anu3:


Not sure if you meant a laptop, then the set up above is fine. I think... For a desktop, well maybe 3-4 hours, not sure. Someone used the setup to power a big freezer for 3hours... I read that on customer review...

To charge with nepa, I bought a 20a battery charger, good with 100a battery...


Note: I usually order such things from jumia, so the last time I checked that battery was no longer 80k but 105k...

Thank you.

I was looking for a portable solar generator that has everything ... just to add panel ....

I move a lot ..so i prefer portable things

Immortal99:



Thank you.

I was looking for a portable solar generator that has everything ... just to add panel ....

I move a lot ..so i prefer portable things

Then I think you need a laptop power bank. I think you find some on konga/jumia. There's also a seller know on this platform. But you must be willing to pay upfront before shipping... **The inec type: small and big sizes. Your type of need should go for around 150k (8 or 10 hours). Or 100k for 4 - 5 hours...

But I prefer using platforms like jumia/konga these days. Cos you could possibly return your item even by merely changing your mind (jumia). Not sure if there are many regular sellers like that.

I first got a small power bank from a seller here... Nepa and Sunlight have been regular for a few months now, so I've not been using that new battery I mentioned very much. Cos Nepa and my new 380watt panel have been doing well with the small powerbank. But later during rainy season, there maybe less nepa and Sunlight...

anu3:


Then I think you need a laptop power bank. I think you find some on konga/jumia. There's also a seller know on this platform. But you must be willing to pay upfront before shipping... **The inec type: small and big sizes. Your type of need should go for around 150k (8 or 10 hours). Or 100k for 4 - 5 hours...

But I prefer using platforms like jumia/konga these days. Cos you could possibly return your item even by merely changing your mind (jumia). Not sure if there are many regular sellers like that.

I first got a small power bank from a seller here... Nepa and Sunlight have been regular for a few months now, so I've not been using that new battery I mentioned very much. Cos Nepa and my new 380watt panel have been doing well with the small powerbank. But later during rainy season, there maybe less nepa and Sunlight...

Thanks for the refferal Sir,