I have looked and searched for informations on companies and other outlets that offer solar components for sale. One thing is common with ALL of them, they want to sell you a 'complete package'. E.g 3kva inverter, charge controller, 4 batteries and 8 solar panels for a fixed amount.

There is nothing wrong in selling a package for those who have the money to buy everything at once, what is wrong is lack of information on each of the above listed components. Another thing I found out, is that they don't promote D.I.Y, no matter how small your application is, they want to send an installer which usually mean separate charges. The worst part is that most so-called installers, especially on nairaland know very little, solar installation goes beyond being able to identify positive from negative, yet so simple if you put your mind to it. Get the calculation right, I tell you a person with just 200 Watts panel can enjoy solar better that the person with double the capacity but with faulty calculation. This is where I want to help people interested in D.I.Y. ( Do It Yourself)

Booked. Following

sholatech:
Booked. Following

I'm right behind you.

Another thing about this 'complete package' trick is pricing, most are way too expensive, plus they don't point out you can build your required solar need over time. What I mean is, if you require say 4 kWh per day at a cost of #400,000 (pls note that I'm not giving a quote, just an example), they don't tell you you can start with half or less of that money and build gradually until you reach your required kWh. They like to cash in all at once

From many expressed disappointments I have read on nairaland, I come to conclude that the dos and don'ts about batteries (which is critical to the success of a renewable energy) are not spelt out to users.

I read somewhere a supposedly experienced 'installer' confessed that he did not tell his client the truth because the cost will be high and he might lose the job. Funny isn't it.

Interesting.

If your setup is large, like schools, hospitals big offices or big houses, this is not for you, stick with your installer or get a better one if you're not pleased with the present one. As there are teribble people who call themselves installers, so there are VERY good ones even on nairaland. I have read comments by some of these, and i believe they know their stuff and very experienced. You can however come along on this thread to learn more. But if yours has between 100 and 1000 watts of panels, and you feel disappointed by the result you're getting, come on, let's help you get the best out of the sun. Or if you're just planning to invest, lucky you!

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.

Following.

This tutorial is going to be basic, we are going to try to set up a 12 volt solar system. Once you fully digest and understand this stage, the rest will come to you gradually, if you open your mind to it.

Let's start by going through the four main components of a solar system.

The solar panel to generate power,

The charge controller to regulate the power going into the battery.

The battery to store power and

The inverter to provide ac for household use.

Taking a 100 watts for our setup. When you check the voltage rating as written at the back, you will see that its actually not 12 volts, there usually are two volt ratings, the first in the region of 18 volts. You will see another one which is 22V. (22 VOC). Don't bother yourself with the later for now, let's just focus on the 18V. (Vmp). The mp stand for maximum power. Apart from voltage you also see your amps rating. You need to multiply volts by amps to arrive at your 100 watts

You will be wondering why we are charging a 12v system with a panel rated at 18v. The truth about charging is that you need a higher voltage panel to charge the battery, even a fully charged battery is higher than 12V.

There is a little black box at the back of the panel with 2 wires hanging out. One is labeled + for positive and - for negative. If you attach the + cable of panel to the + terminal of your battery, - of panel to - of battery, ( red sign on some battery stand for +, while black is -) then expose the panel to sunlight, you've started charging the battery, its as simple as that

But we are not going to leave the 2 connected indefinitely, because the battery stand being overcharged, which will damage it. That is why we need the charge controller.

You've not stated how much these components are.

Well done Bros pls continue

I should mention that there are 2 types of panels in the market, monocrystalline and polycrystalline. Don't bother too much about which is better. The mono type is slightly more expensive and efficient than poly. Interestingly, according to report, there are more poly in use worldwide than mono. So just buy according to your pocket.

Back to the controller, call it a mediator, moderator or regulator and you will still be right. It simply make sure the battery doesn't get overcharged. It puts a brake to the power going into the battery once its full and burn away the excess.

The cc as far as I know also has 2 types in the market. Namely PWM and MPPT. if you recollect, I said we are setting up a basic 12v system for beginners. So we are choosing the basic simpler of the two, the pwm.

So let's look the cc over and see how to connect it to our battery and panel. Connecting the cc is no harder than connecting your DVD player to your TV set. This little gadget is plug and play.

If you recollect, coming from the panel are 2 wires, positive and negative, the battery also has 2 terminals of a positive and negative, it means DC components have the + and - for connections. looking at the cc, you can see it's self explanatory. From the left you have a panel drawing showing the + and -, the panel cable will go through there, then you have the battery, the third drawing is of a bulb. What this mean is that you can run anything that is DC powered, like DC fan, DC light directly without having to go through battery or inverter. The reason I particularly like this feature is that, as long as the sun is still shinning, whatever power you consume through this port is being drawn directly from the panel outside and not your battery. Some cc also have USB ports where you can charge you phone.

Make sure you always connect the cc FIRST with a positive and negative cable to the corresponding terminals on the battery before you connect the panel to the cc. this is important pls. It doesn't matter if you have a load or not to the last ports. Once the battery and panel are property attached, that's all there is to protecting your battery.

Your 100 watts panel is charging your battery but sadly you're not getting all 100 watts you paid for, no matter how bright the sun is, and this is one of the areas I find faults with some of our installers. THIS IS NOT THERE FAULT, but they don't pass important informations to the users. Let me tell you why this is so.

I said a fully charged battery does not read exactly 12v if you check with a meter. It will give you 12.7v (this is when it's not under a charging process). But when it's under charge, the voltage will go up between 13.5v and 14.5v. This is when the cc puts a stop to charging, but will automatically resumes as soon as there is slightest drop in the battery voltage. I don't want to confuse you with so much details here, just giving you a hint so you can understand why you can not get the full 100 watts.

Let's say you start charging with your battery at exactly 12v, it means the battery is 50% full. If you remember, I said your 100 watts panel will be around 18v. If it 18v, your amps should be 5.5. 18x5.5 is roughly 100. If the panel is 18.9v, your amps will be about 5.29 which still give you the same 100 watts. Now read the next paragraph very well.

Your battery is at 12 volts, the sun is bright and shinning and your panel is putting out its full capacity of 18v x 5.5amps but the controller will not give you all 18v, it's going to match your battery voltage and deliver 12v x 5.5 amps which translates to 66 watts from your 100 watts capacity. So as battery gets fuller, the voltage will continue to rise up till 13.5 when the cc cuts off charge. Even at 13.5 x 5.5 amps, you are still short of tens of watts. This is why the mppt controller is superior to the pwm, but very expensive, but remains my favorite even for small applications.

If you have any question from what we have learnt so far, let's have it.

Great job Bro. ..pls can u give more info. On how yo identify original panels, charge controllers, batteries and inverters. If possible list out good brands and relative cost in the marketplace.

I really don't want to discuss prices and brands of solar components. The reason being that, as it is with other electronics, a large percentage of what we use today are either from China or other Asian countries. I have bought items (for other off grid projects) from US stores, only to find out they are made in China and Indonesia. I'm 100% OK with their products, just saying this so you are not tricked into buying something made in China as EUROPE or US made.

As for panels, just look around for best deals that will suit your application. I do not have a particular brand in mind, if a panel puts out its rated capacity, its ok. they all do the job.

There are also plenty to chose from cc, there are big players like outback, morningstar which are far beyond the budget of many. But at the end, the difference, as far as I'm concern is going to be like one person buys Tecno C8 for 40k, another buys a Sony Z3 for about 120k, surely the Sony will look better with superior materials, camera etc, but ultimately, both phones have the same operating system in them, ANDROID.

Since this thread is about basic DIY, I will advice you go for inverters with familiar names in Nigeria, I have used a few of them and haven't got a reason to regret. This site is about the only one that spread out the prices of their products without offering the 'complete package' gimmick. www.buylan.com.ng

When you go through solar related forum on nairaland, you see different people preferring different battery type. They are not something you produce in your backyard overnight and sell in the morning, a lot is put into the production. So its more of how you use and take care of your battery rather than which one to buy. The well known, very expensive American and German batteries can die on you in months when badly used, while the less expensive local ones can give you years of good service with the right approach. More on battery usage later.

i used a sony z3 once and seeing the price of the camon c9 ...seriously i wil go for it

Because you do not know does not mean it is not possible or workable. Good morning everyone.

MaryWest:
i used a sony z3 once and seeing the price of the camon c9 ...seriously i wil go for it

I only used z3 to illustrate a point, thank you for not derailing this thread.

Continuation of this thread is long overdue.

@ the op , weldone bro. pls let's continue. i love this thread.