chris81964:
Thank you for telling people what we have been saying for a long time.

1. Quality matters. There are a lots of Chinese and Indian brands out there. Some are good and most are crap. They won't back up their products with a meaningful guaranty. Spend the money and buy a good quality inverter. I will buy a Toyota before I buy a Geely. If I can afford a Mercedes I will buy the Mercedes. Your inverter selection should be no different

2. Batteries. This is as critical as the inverter. People in Nigeria have come to accept that batteries have to be replaced every year or two. That is wrong. Get a good quality battery. They should have at least 1200 or more cycle life ratings. If they don't move on. Pay extra at the beginning and and get 5 years or more, that is much better than saving N10 k per battery and replacing them every other year.

3. Charge controllers: You want to destroy a battery buy a cheap or bad one. PWM controllers work very well. They just can't harvest as much as an MPPT on a cloudy day. A lot of controllers advertised as MPPT are not. If your MPPT controller does not weigh at least 4 kg keep looking. I would rather buy a good quality PWM than a crappy MPPT. Morningstar makes a great PWM controller.

4. All in one units. They do exist and they do work. They tend to be high frequency inverters and there are many manufacturers that offer them. They have a PWM or MPPT controller, charger and inverter all in one unit. I have a few running in Lagos. I like to separate the solar charger from the rest of the system. I have also run the panels directly through them and there are videos of many people doing just that. The most common brand in Nigeria is the Axpert sold by everyone because they allow you to slap your name on the equipment

5. Number of panels and batteries. That should not be what sells you. The total watts and total AH should be what you are buying. You can buy 4 batteries that are 410 AH each or 6 that are 1000 AH each. A 12V equivalent would be 4, 8 batteries or more. Ditto for the panels. At the end of the day your loads will determine your needs.

Keep the discussion alive. Thank you for starting the thread.

Obeenah:
Good you identified some key issues. However you mentioned KVa and not KW. The difference being that generators use KVA while solar uses KW.

The difference being that KW is of a higher rating compared to KVA. Simple reason why a 2kw solar energy system would require a Generator of about 3.5 to 4kva to match up to.

Another thing you identified are the batteries. Standard issues for my company is 2 x 120v 200ah batteries per kilowatts so basically you multiply the batteries who's us 2 x the amount of kilowatts. So example a 1kw system would come with 2 x 120v x 200ah batteries which is 400ah.

The components come with the solar panels, charge controller, inverter, battery pack and rack. That's the real deal anything less us a sham.


Thank you

elmajor:


I appreciate the information ur have provided to someone like me without an electrical background. Geesam, I've got a question.
If I have a freezer, pressing iron, TV set, water-heater and about 20 energy-saving bulbs, all powered on, how many kva solar power is required?
Again, how many 'ah' and 'w' make 1kva?

geesampower:

Now that is a very good point, cable size.
BUT I disagree with you on the pwm, pwm has it's uses too and can deliver is you are not using them in a large setup.

geesampower:
Yeah, it's Geesam again. Here to make sure you are informed.
In business, PARKAGING and SECRECY are very important in EXploiting consumers
.
You see a lot of solar power offers especially on online store especially the popular ones here in nigeria. Many are just carefully packaged offers that are nothing what they promise. You get them and develop the notion that solar power is not reliable.

Solar power is Expensive ( but still cheaper than generators anyway) so before you pay for any solar generator, solar power installation, or anything related, here are tips to ensure you get value for the good money you are paying.












Get this right and you will regret wasting money all these years on petrol/diesel generators.


Solar power is reliable, lasts longer than any generator you could ever buy and is a class of it's own.

Solar power is much cheaper than fueling a generator for 10years.

You won't regret investing in one if you get your facts right.


I will answer ANY, I mean ANY question you may have on solar power.


Pls no adverts here and don't ask me for my phone number or mail. Ask your questions here and I will answer here


If you have any challenges or dissatisfaction with your solar power installation, pls bring it here and let me proffer solutions

Thank you.

onelife97:
@op,pls I'd like to know how much can one spend on solar energy to power let's say up to 8 bedrooms,3 large living rooms,3 kitchens,all include up to 5 air conditioners,4 refrigerators,let's say 3 microwave ovens,and other small electrical appliances for a up to 24 hours uninterrupted power supply.

Thx in advance

dozymars:
Check out this Company. They offer good Inverter and Solar Installation Service. www.inverternigeria.com

Xmen149:


well said men.......besides all that......their also exist HYBRID INVERTERS,.....but only few makes have confirmed high efficiency for now.
with setting you get to choose to either go on-grid or off-grid and choose which setup takes the with high priority.......

TheBestGovernor:


Most Nigerian inverter application is usually >=800VA (600W , using P.F of 0.75). From extensive observations and current usage of an MPPT charge controller, MPPT is the way to go.

In as much as would not like a controversy on this, you could loose up to 35% of charging power when you use PWM charge controllers in whatever application.

Another important point I did not mention is that MPPT charge controllers give greater flexiblity when you need to expand you solar grid in the future.

chris81964:

I visited the site and they sell the same thing everyone else is selling in Nigeria. Sukam and Luminous.

chris81964:


Once you looking to power AC be prepared to spend money. Your question does not provide enough detail. I would say budget between 8 and 10 million naira on the minimum.

TheBestGovernor:


Most Nigerian inverter application is usually >=800VA (600W , using P.F of 0.75). From extensive observations and current usage of an MPPT charge controller, MPPT is the way to go.

In as much as would not like a controversy on this, you could loose up to 35% of charging power when you use PWM charge controllers in whatever application.

Another important point I did not mention is that MPPT charge controllers give greater flexiblity when you need to expand you solar grid in the future.

gbigbega:
Thanks for this useful info.
I will like to install a 5kva Inverter that's hybrid (uses solar panel and PHCN), please what will be the cost of this?

geesampower:

Mppt are better than pwm, I said that in my original post. But PWM have their uses even if you want to use it to charge 4 200ah batteries. Sometimes the cost of getting 30% more panels is still less than buying an mppt controller just as chris81964 (a knowledgeable person in this subject) as agreed with me. If you know what you want then choosing PWM or MPPT won't be an issue.
It is just like the subject of monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels. Yes mono is better, but that does not make poly substandard. I use poly and mono, I use mppt and pwm. It is all about design and working with budget without compromising quality. Sure you understand me sir

femadelim:
@OP, Where can i get a good one with 5kv capacity am in owerri

TheBestGovernor:



Please, in as much as I know you mean no harm, change the notion that the knowledge of yourself or chris81964 is greater than mine in this regard.

I don't doubt the fact that PWMs would work, in fact many people use them, all I'm saying is that the best choice remains MPPT in terms flexibility, maximum power extraction, future expansion, driving of low voltage applications from higher voltage applications,DC to DC conversion e.t.c

I also stated that MPPTs are quite expensive but solar solutions is not just about adding more panels, it is more than that.

Most solar panel installations I have seen do not also take orientation to sun's ray into cognizance. Solar panel performance can also be optimized based on orientation to the sun's ray.

TheBestGovernor:



Most solar panel installations I have seen do not also take orientation to sun's ray into cognizance. Solar panel performance can also be optimized based on orientation to the sun's ray.

TheBestGovernor:



Please, in as much as I know you mean no harm, change the notion that the knowledge of yourself or chris81964 is greater than mine in this regard.

I don't doubt the fact that PWMs would work, in fact many people use them, all I'm saying is that the best choice remains MPPT in terms flexibility, maximum power extraction, future expansion, driving of low voltage applications from higher voltage applications,DC to DC conversion e.t.c

I also stated that MPPTs are quite expensive but solar solutions is not just about adding more panels, it is more than that.

Most solar panel installations I have seen do not also take orientation to sun's ray into cognizance. Solar panel performance can also be optimized based on orientation to the sun's ray.

Konnektions146:


some Installers do, some also dont , but another factor that limiting installers exploring this is the unavailability of ideal installation space,

Lets say for Example-- a client wants a system on the roof, he lives in a block of 2 flats and the right spot has a tall tree casting a shade and the tree is on the other compound or even a taller building, all you can do is make do with the other way using a pro. solar mount to lift the panels to get as much as possible.

geesampower:

Nairaland. Your points all right anyway. Just got a problem with your stance. You first comment made it absolute that pwm shld never be used. Have a nice day. Don't intend beating the issue

TheBestGovernor:


Pardon me if it looked like a sacrosanct stance and surely I do not claim monopoly of knowledge . Forums like this afford nairalander's out there an opportunity to know why their solar quotes cost so much and probably gain more knowledge on subjects like this.

PWMs work and would continue to work for many applications like street lighting and even home applications. However as a personal opinion based on research and experience with MPPTs, MPPTs are the best in home applications for reasons we both agree on.

No hard feelings, do have a nice day too.

syras:
Geesampower, how much is the rough estimate of using solar power to generate power for duplex house while cutting off PHCN totally? Thank you as I anticipate your reply.

DUNKA:
Goodday please do you have an idea on Xpert hybrid inverter as advertised on The Solar Shop?

DUNKA:
Goodday please do you have an idea on Xpert hybrid inverter as advertised on The Solar Shop?

geesampower:

This question can't be answered accurately by anyone. What I can just say is, the solar power setup you will need is dependent on the actual appliances you use daily and duration of use. Avrage of 1.5m will do for an average nigerian home.