Ijeoma660:
@mcTrinity @NiyiOmoIyunade @makavele

Thank you for all the selfless support you are providing here...

Please I am about setting up and commencing my DIY solar project. I have

i. a 3KW, 60A mppt CC
ii. 4nos PV panels whose capacity [wattage] were not stated but made by afromedia. i assume they about 250w each.
iii. 1.4KVA inverter and
iv. 2x200AH deep cycle batteries

Kindly advice what size and type of cable I require between the pv panels and the CC. The distance from pv panel to CC is estimated around 12m max.

Like the initial poster said, there should be a rating of the panels. . but if the stickers have peeled off;
do a benchmark test . . to give you rough estimates . . .for Voc and Isc . . .
in any case, if the panels will be connected in series .. a 4mm to 6mm cable will suffice due to low current.
They can be connected via their MC4 cables if present . . or you can improvise if absent
Battery connect/interconnect cables should be at least 16mm (industry standard)

p.s.: 250 x 4 = 1kwp panels is just sufficient enough to bring your batteries to float just around 1pm or so . .
if your batteries are discharged to 50% during the night . . .
Personally for me, I love to see float around 11am to 11.30 am latest

DMerciful:
The pv configuration for mppt depends on the brand of controllers. while EPSolar works best with 3x3 configuration, fangpusun works best with 2x2 configuration where Voc is twice battery voltage. However, as a general rule, PV voltage should be atleast twice battery voltage but ensure the right cable thickness is used. one watchout for using 3-4times PV voltage compared to battery voltage is a tendency for the mppt CC power tube to fail especially during cold bright sunny morning where the max allowable Voc could be exceeded due to the illuminance that may exceed standard test condition so always create buffer btw the PV voltage and the max allowable Voc input to mppt.


Anyways i leave you with pictures of my remote monitoring using the epsolar ebox-DTU that allows monitoring and control over the internet anywhere in the world.

The above plus physics also comes to play. There is no way 250VOC panel on a mppt charger would charge a 12v battery bank as efficiently as it would charge a 48 or even 96v battery bank. with the 250v a lot of work is required to down convert to battery voltage of 12v, and more work means more energy.. more energy used in the down conversation process means less for the battery. it is just more efficient to leave the PV VOC to be about twice the battery voltage. Your mileage my differ based on the design of the CC. Episolar as stated above prefers a 3x3 because of its huge toroidal transformer and excellent heat dissipation of it's controllers. However Victron energy works best when the panel voltage is about double the battery nominal voltage. It is not written on any stone (rarely is anything nowadays) but it is just best practice for getting the most from your system.

Ijeoma660:
@mcTrinity @NiyiOmoIyunade @makavele

Thank you for all the selfless support you are providing here...

Please I am about setting up and commencing my DIY solar project. I have

i. a 3KW, 60A mppt CC
ii. 4nos PV panels whose capacity [wattage] were not stated but made by afromedia. i assume they about 250w each.
iii. 1.4KVA inverter and
iv. 2x200AH deep cycle batteries

Kindly advice what size and type of cable I require between the pv panels and the CC. The distance from pv panel to CC is estimated around 12m max.

for cable service you need to calculate voltage loss there are sites on the internet where you can calculate this by putting in the expected voltage from the panel to cc and from cc to battle. Standard practice is to ensure voltage loss between PV and CC stays between the 1-5% ball pack and battery to cc should not be more than 2%. Like Oga makavele said, do a test to figure out the VOC of the panel and its ISC. You can always use a multimeter just make sure you do your test around 12 noon on a sunny day. Test all your panel for VOC and ISC and then connect them a CC and battery and test the VMP and IMP. this should give u a close indication on the size of the panel. whatever u get, make sure it is original flexible wire for solar. I think Frankie sells some so U can reach out to him

sinistrian:
Where can I get PV cable for sale? Or can I just use regular 4mm² wires? This is for connecting the panels to my hybrid Inverter/Controller

Hello, contact us for solar cables & accessories .
Smartcell global services
081-350-31951

Hello house. I still have these 2 charge controllers for sale.

1.Roysolar charge controller 12/24v 60a

2. Roysolar 12/24v 20a

Interested? Call/sms 08033735359

Hello house. I still have these 2 charge controllers for sale.

1.Roysolar charge controller 12/24v 60a

2. Roysolar 12/24v 20a

Interested? Call/sms 08033735359,

olagunju2000:
Good afternoon house.

I finally got the Magnum PT-100 charge controller with the remote monitor ME-ARC50. However, the monitor can only be used with a Magnum inverter connected to the charge controller.

Please has anyone found a workaround to this in the house?

Right now I am only able to view PV voltage, PV power, charge voltage and current. Monitor will be needed to view logging data.

Finally i have something to report on my setup. I have changed the Master CC to Magnum PT100 CC. I have also changed my cable to 16mm tiny flex. I got a fairly used Magnum 4.3kw inverter as well. My daily harvest improved from 6.1kwh in November to 14kwh in January. Although weather may have played so part in the increment. I believe that the new charge controller and cable change play significant role

olagunju2000:


Finally i have something to report on my setup. I have changed the Master CC to Magnum PT100 CC. I have also changed my cable to 16mm tiny flex. I got a fairly used Magnum 4.3kw inverter as well. My daily harvest improved from 6.1kwh in November to 14kwh in January. Although weather may have played so part in the increment. I believe that the new charge controller and cable change play significant role

Nice one

Good morning all, I need fairly used 250w or 300w solar panels.

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR BEST PRICES YOU CAN GET ON PRAG PRODUCTS . STAY TUNED !!!

Prag inverter 1kva 12v ......N65,000
Prag √√√√√ 1.2kva 12v....N70,000
Prag √√√√√ 2kva 24v.......N88,000
Prag √√√√√ 1.5kva 24v....N98,000

Prag Solar inverter 1.5kva 24v....N121,000
Prag inverter 3kva 24v ....N150,000
Prag solar inverter 3kva 24v...N205,000
Prag inverter 5kva 48v ....

Prag 4kva 24v wall H ......N225,000
Prag 6.5kva 48v wall H....

PRAG servo & relay stabilizers ;

-Prag 3kva relay B(95-280v)..N35,000
-Prag 3kva relay E(95-280v)..N36,000
-Prag 10kva servo ..N103,000
-Prag 12kva servo...N108,000
-Prag 15kva relay(95-280v)...N110,000
-Prag 15kva(45-280v)..N125,000
-Prag 20kva relay (95-280v)..N150,000
-Prag 20kva relay(45-280v)PB...N145,000
-Prag 20kva relay Y..N130,000
-Prag 20kva servo(80-260v) ...N305,000
-Prag 30kva servo(80-260v)...N410,000

For fast order,delivery
Contact details:
Sir Frankie
Smartcell global services
081-350-319-51

garbamaza:

I want to buy 4 pieces

Hello, hope you finally procured the fairly used poly panels sampled by Ola

garbamaza:
Good morning all, I need fairly used 250w or 300w solar panels.

Sorry i have exhausted mine .. Cheer's

My Oga. You have thrown some serious cash and resources at this problem.

I salute your determination and I'm happy at the outcome you have achieved - 14kwh yield out of a 4.5kw solar array is a decent result considering the harmattan haze that is just now lifting off.

Once we get into the times of good sun, you should be able to achieve 17kwh to 23kwh daily average if your power consumption stays as it is currently.

I have a sneaky feeling you already got good results once you ported to the Magnum PT100 CC and all you lacked was a means to measure your solar yield because the Magnum monitoring interface required you to also have a Magnum inverter. Regardless, you can not go wrong with the choices you have made - the Magnum Inverter and CC lines are well respected products and with good reason too.

Please observe battery DoD rules (no more than 30-50% of battery AH capacity consumed daily) and ensure your batteries get a full charge and move into 'float' daily and you should get many good years of service from them.

olagunju2000:


Finally i have something to report on my setup. I have changed the Master CC to Magnum PT100 CC. I have also changed my cable to 16mm tiny flex. I got a fairly used Magnum 4.3kw inverter as well. My daily harvest improved from 6.1kwh in November to 14kwh in January. Although weather may have played so part in the increment. I believe that the new charge controller and cable change play significant role

MIDNITE CLASSIC 150 MPPT, 150V 96A 300k
TriStar TS-MPPT-60 Charge Controller 280k
Flex max 80a fangpusun 170k
Flex max 60a fangpusun 145k
50a-12/24v 45k. 50k
60a-12/24v/36v/48v 100k.
70a-12/24v/36v/48v 120k
45a-12/24v/36v/48v 72k
30a-12/24v 35k. 38k
MPPT- CONTROL 16K
epever 30a+MT50 12/24v (CN) 50k
epever 30a 12/24v 46k
epever 40a 12/24v 60k
epever 60a 12/24/36/48v 140k
BMV 702 FANGPUSUN 45K
PROGRAMMABLE Digital timer 15/16a 5k din rail
PROGRAMMABLE Digital timer 25a 7k din rail/wall mount
DC/AC CEILING FAN 56' 12V/30W, REGULATOR, REMOTE CONTROL INCLUDED 25k
080-987-337-09
Special discount for known installers

DMerciful:
The pv configuration for mppt depends on the brand of controllers. while EPSolar works best with 3x3 configuration, fangpusun works best with 2x2 configuration where Voc is twice battery voltage. However, as a general rule, PV voltage should be atleast twice battery voltage but ensure the right cable thickness is used. one watchout for using 3-4times PV voltage compared to battery voltage is a tendency for the mppt CC power tube to fail especially during cold bright sunny morning where the max allowable Voc could be exceeded due to the illuminance that may exceed standard test condition so always create buffer btw the PV voltage and the max allowable Voc input to mppt.


Anyways i leave you with pictures of my remote monitoring using the epsolar ebox-DTU that allows monitoring and control over the internet anywhere in the world.

nice. where and how much did u buy the epsolar ebox?... also the internet dongle, how is it powered. thinking of using such to monitor my villa set up remotely

Hello house. Please assist with this challenge. I have a 12V dc load drawing 6.3A, a 200ah battery, a pwm charge controller and 290 watt mono panel. Connected it up but i noticed that the battery is not getting charged. Please assist.

Everything here sounds spanigerjam....

simply to say, am a Mewbie here..

Any help?

funstufz:
Everything here sounds spanigerjam....

simply to say, am a Mewbie here..

Any help?

go and read from page 1 it will greatly assist you

earthrealm:


nice. where and how much did u buy the epsolar ebox?... also the internet dongle, how is it powered. thinking of using such to monitor my villa set up remotely

Thoughtful. Villa setup always need remote tweaking too.
I wonder how he handled 3 - 5volts mismatch of remote devices.
Sure to get help from "meciful" legend.

babniyen:
Hello house. Please assist with this challenge. I have a 12V dc load drawing 6.3A, a 200ah battery, a pwm charge controller and 290 watt mono panel. Connected it up but i noticed that the battery is not getting charged. Please assist.

Attach pix of the setup. Panels, cabling, breaker, pwm and ur vpower battery. We are not magicians.

babniyen:
Hello house. Please assist with this challenge. I have a 12V dc load drawing 6.3A, a 200ah battery, a pwm charge controller and 290 watt mono panel. Connected it up but i noticed that the battery is not getting charged. Please assist.

Not getting charged at all ?

OR

Not getting charged adequately ?

Sorry Not charging adequately. The voltage keeps dropping.
The installation is still temporary, for proof of concept.
Thanks

makavele:


Not getting charged at all ?

OR

Not getting charged adequately ?

Will attach the pictures when i get home. Thanks

efuro:


Attach pix of the setup. Panels, cabling, breaker, pwm and ur vpower battery. We are not magicians.

babniyen:
Sorry Not charging adequately. The voltage keeps dropping.
The installation is still temporary, for proof of concept.
Thanks

You are still confusing us.
What do you mean the voltage keeps dropping?

If the voltage is dropping during charge; then it means the charge controller and/or panel isn't supplying the necessary charge
But if the voltage drops after a full day's charge; then check your battery.

please try to be explicit.

It is dropping during charging with the Load on as well.

makavele:


You are still confusing us.
What do you mean the voltage keeps dropping?

If the voltage is dropping during charge; then it means the charge controller and/or panel isn't supplying the necessary charge
But if the voltage drops after a full day's charge; then check your battery.

please try to be explicit.

It uses a SIM. It has a charger and can also be powered from the batteries.
Bought it from a seller on Aliexpress.Ningbo Zhenhai Geebo Electronics, check this guy on Ali express.com

earthrealm:


nice. where and how much did u buy the epsolar ebox?... also the internet dongle, how is it powered. thinking of using such to monitor my villa set up remotely

babniyen:
It is dropping during charging with the Load on as well.

This is what I am saying . .
The panel and/or charge controller isn't working . . . and you think it is working . . .
so you connect the load . . . . the battery keeps dropping volts until it gets flat . .
But if the panel and/or controller is working, then battery is bad . . replace it
So isolate the problem one after the other . . .
test panels, check wiring,
test charge controllers
and check your battery too
one amongst them is the judas

come to think of it . . your single panel on a PWM controller "might" just be insufficient to charge that 200Ah battery to full
in one single 'Sun-day" (not Sunday)

babniyen:
It is dropping during charging with the Load on as well.

If your system is pure solar (off grid), then 140 + 150 watt panels will damage the battery due to insufficient charge current... Practically you can only get 50-60AH from your panels on a good day


For hybrid system like mine, I do have power most of the time so my 220 Watts panel is just a supplement... To keep my battery voltage High during the day... I run my inverter 24hours/7day

For 200ah do not load more than 100- 120watts
Recommended solar for off grid is 600watts...

I do see some seller misleading people buy selling a system with 100Ah battery with 130watts panel and tell you you will have 24 hours light...

Dam5reey:


If your system is pure solar (off grid), then 140 + 150 watt panels will damage the battery due to insufficient charge current... Practically you can only get 50-60AH from your panels on a good day


For hybrid system like mine, I do have power most of the time so my 220 Watts panel is just a supplement... To keep my battery voltage High during the day... I run my inverter 24hours/7day

For 200ah do not load more than 100- 120watts
Recommended solar for off grid is 600watts...

I do see some seller misleading people buy selling a system with 100Ah battery with 130watts panel and tell you you will have 24 hours light...

Of course, you will have more than 24 hours light sef; sheybi na just connect one 3W bulb . . dazall

makavele:


Of course, you will have more than 24 hours light sef; sheybi na just connect one 3W bulb . . dazall

Obviously it's not 3watt bulbs but energy efficient 9watt type...

The first step when going into solar is power audit... You miscalculate you will waste money...

Dam5reey:


Obviously it's not 3watt bulbs but energy efficient 9watt type...

The first step when going into solar is power audit... You miscalculate you will waste money...

I have dozens of this in my house . .

Recently, I had to replace all the bulbs in my house with the 5W cool-white LED bulbs . . . 45 in all

(minus 14 x 3W spotlights)

Thats 45 X 5 watts (max) = 225W if they are turned on concurrently

Cos I came to realize it is cheaper to save energy than it is to generate it.

makavele:


I have dozens of this in my house . .

Recently, I had to replace all the bulbs in my house with the 5W cool-white LED bulbs . . . 45 in all

(minus 14 x 3W spotlights)

Thats 45 X 5 watts (max) = 225W if they are turned on concurrently

Cos I came to realize it is cheaper to save energy than it is to generate it.

Before buying any electronic. I look for power ratings and sellers will be wondering why...