hello bodejohn,
you are very correct. best in class standard for battery bank sizing is to always aim for a maximum dod
of 50 percent. however in majority of cases this is difficult to achieve mainly due to cost implication.

also, if you tell a beginner who is just starting out in the solar business that he has to install a battery
bank with 50 percent dod, the total cost of acquiring those extra batteries may be too much for him and it
may discourage any further interest in renewables.

again, depending on usage, a dod of 80 percent may not be too much of a bad idea if the owner only plans
on using his system on a skeletal basis (no heavy usage) especially for hybrid systems installed in areas of
near constant public power supply with occasional interruptions.

George_D:

totalgreen,
things are really looking up at your end especially with a solar harvest like that.

a word of caution though: you should start thinking seriously about getting a second
charge controller as you're already maxing out the capacity of your tristar.

at 55a you're racking up about 92 percent capacity and any more increase in array current
may not bode well for the controller.

you could try splitting your array into two strings (like i did with mine) and then installing
a second charge controller for added capacity.

just my thoughts.

two pics just to show when the morningstar starts to do its "current limiting", i have 3300 watts on that controller, 15 x 220 watt sharp.... nice of the controller to use up all the wattage "almost" available.

@totalgreen...wow! 12 units of 250watss panel!!..thats a huge investment o.
so r your panles 24v or 12v?..did you wire them in series?..whats the totalvoltage output from the panels?....ur charge controller it appears its 60amp mmpt

earthrealm: @totalgreen...wow! 12 units of 250watss panel!!..thats a huge investment o.
so r your panles 24v or 12v?..did you wire them in series?..whats the totalvoltage output from the panels?....ur charge controller it appears its 60amp mmpt

1. 12 units of 220watss.
2. 24v
3. 3 series and 5 strings
4. attached a pic of my array
5. yes 60amp mmpt

3 series and 5 strings?...sorry for all my frequent msgs but am trying to understand.
i tot it shud be 3 series n 4 strings?....since they r 12 in nos...3units in series gives u min of 72v, then since you have 4 strings..that implies u have min 72v in 4 strings parallel?....i dont understand ur 5 strings thing..since u hv just 12 panels.
pls educate me, am a newbie

earthrealm: 3 series and 5 strings?...sorry for all my frequent msgs but am trying to understand.
i tot it shud be 3 series n 4 strings?....since they r 12 in nos...3units in series gives u min of 72v, then since you have 4 strings..that implies u have min 72v in 4 strings parallel?....i dont understand ur 5 strings thing..since u hv just 12 panels.
pls educate me, am a newbie

sorry just did copy and paste, was to correct u on the 12 unit.
i have 15 x 220watts sharp panels
3 series in 5 strings
so i have a total of 3300 watts running into the controller

TotalGreen:


two pics just to show when the morningstar starts to do its "current limiting", i have 3300 watts on that controller, 15 x 220 watt sharp.... nice of the controller to use up all the wattage "almost" available.

quite interesting no doubt.

your installation must be very optimal for you to have almost nameplate power available
at your controller.

although i guess the sunny weather these days is a big bonus for all of us solar enthusiasts.

gurus in the house.i have read all the observations and all the likes.Please am intending to go for 5KVA inverter sine wave off grid 24 volts product.Please how many batteries and solar panel do i need to get along with it.Please just help me out.i have been on it for while .all i need is your advice.

Thanks

jayboskie7: gurus in the house.i have read all the observations and all the likes.Please am intending to go for 5KVA inverter sine wave off grid 24 volts product.Please how many batteries and solar panel do i need to get along with it.Please just help me out.i have been on it for while .all i need is your advice.

Thanks

I doubt you will find a 5kVA inverter with 24V input voltage, minimum at that power will be 48V.
I think you will first need to re-consider if you really need the 5kVA, I use a 1.5kVA (it powers my house house including tv, fridge, lights, washing machine and when the fridge is off i can power the water pump) and Oga George uses a 3.5kVA.

This is very important as it will determine the minimum number of batteries (2 batteries minimum in case of 24V and 4 batteries minimum in case of 48V) that your setup will require and that alone determines almost all the other components that you will use.

George_D:


quite interesting no doubt.

your installation must be very optimal for you to have almost nameplate power available
at your controller.

although i guess the sunny weather these days is a big bonus for all of us solar enthusiasts.

well almost optimal, since its on my water stand, but the sharp products really helps, i noticed one of your pics for morningstar reading, i monitored mine at that same reading and i think i had about 2amps more at the same wattage, but i was not too sure if there were other external forces at yours or mine, let me dig back at the pics and compare, i really would like to know why the difference, just for my knowledge.

if u have any idea's i would love to "absorb"

Thanks a lot Bodejohn,God will bless you real good.Actually i want to use for pumping machine,Air condition,Tv,Fridge and water heater.Please just a quick one how many solar panel do i need to get because this is my next project now.

Professional advice is needed here pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

jayboskie7: .........Air condition.......

@jayboskie7, bodejohn can answer your questions but I'd advise you to forget ACs. Think more of fans. Energy conservation is a large part of the switch to renewable energy. ACs will drain your system.

Have you noted the power ratings and the length of time your want to run each equipment you've listed? Bodejohn will need that to answer your question.

TotalGreen:

well almost optimal, since its on my water stand, but the sharp products really helps, i noticed one of your pics for morningstar reading, i monitored mine at that same reading and i think i had about 2amps more at the same wattage, but i was not too sure if there were other external forces at yours or mine, let me dig back at the pics and compare, i really would like to know why the difference, just for my knowledge.

if u have any idea's i would love to "absorb"

totalgreen,
yes, you're right. other factors may have played a part in my not getting as much current as yours for the same wattage.
notice that the battery temp. on my end seems to be higher than yours. temperature compensation may be playing a role
here i guess.

and for installation, i think my rooftop inclination could be contributing to my panels not putting out enough juice
for their power rating.

George_D:

totalgreen,
yes, you're right. other factors may have played a part in my not getting as much current as yours for the same wattage.
notice that the battery temp. on my end seems to be higher than yours. temperature compensation may be playing a role
here i guess.

and for installation, i think my rooftop inclination could be contributing to my panels not putting out enough juice for their power rating.

thanks....

hello totalgreen,
kindly shoot me your email and phone number. i want to confirm something.

thanks, expecting.

George_D: hello totalgreen,
kindly shoot me your email and phone number. i want to confirm something.



thanks, expecting.

my oga, u got mail

TotalGreen:

my oga, u got mail

thanks. i have seen it and already replied.

will be calling you shortly.

[quote author=jayboskie7]Thanks a lot Bodejohn,God will bless you real good.Actually i want to use for pumping machine,Air condition,Tv,Fridge and water heater.Please just a quick one how many solar panel do i need to get because this is my next project now.

Professional advice is needed here pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee[/qu ote]

As rightly pointed out, you might want to leave your AC and water heater out for now, it will drain your batteries like when witches gather in a coven to drain the blood of a victim.

Like i said before, you have to list all the gadgets you plan to use, get their rated power and for hour long you wish to run them, its an exercise you cannot skip.

As no man is an island of knowledge, do seek help and comments from other members in the forum.

Just registering my presence for now.
I just discovered some or majority of those guys with shops doing all these installations outside are not as knowledgeable as the guys here.
So I respect you guys. I have studied the thread from the first to the 37th Page. I noticed when boys here were men and when men became fathers and grandfathers. I must confess that I understood very little.
I will soon come up with questions and issues when I raise money for my inverter and batteries.
For now, you guys are great.
Idsolar hasn't been active here....any reason? He was active at the beginning....business pressure?

alstacs: Just registering my presence for now.
I just discovered some or majority of those guys with shops doing all these installations outside are not as knowledgeable as the guys here.
So I respect you guys. I have studied the thread from the first to the 37th Page. I noticed when boys here were men and when men became fathers and grandfathers. I must confess that I understood very little.
I will soon come up with questions and issues when I raise money for my inverter and batteries.
For now, you guys are great.
Idsolar hasn't been active here....any reason? He was active at the beginning....business pressure?

You're welcome brov, on behalf of every one i say thanks for the compliments. You see, the knowledge is due to d fact that most of us started small and have made one mistake or the other which had made us strong. Secondly, we share knowledge here as no man is an island...So feel free to ask and pls dont forget to post ur discoveries because others too will surely benefit.
My advice is that u start small bearing in mind what ur future target is going to look like.
For example, get an inverter first(depending on d load u wish 2 power) and suitable batteries and then start using so you can learn by urself how 2 manage the installation(effective usage)......then after some time depending on ur financial power, you start stocking the panels(small small)....in a short while you'll be there too..
George D,my self and many others did the same....
You are most welcome.

alstacs: Just registering my presence for now.
I just discovered some or majority of those guys with shops doing all these installations outside are not as knowledgeable as the guys here.
So I respect you guys. I have studied the thread from the first to the 37th Page. I noticed when boys here were men and when men became fathers and grandfathers. I must confess that I understood very little.
I will soon come up with questions and issues when I raise money for my inverter and batteries.
For now, you guys are great.
Idsolar hasn't been active here....any reason? He was active at the beginning....business pressure?

Welcome to the solar world of energy freedom.

VISIT the Website below for more insight on the best brands of inverter in Nigeria.

2 years Warranty on the Inverter, 1 year warranty on battery.

www.inverternigeria.com

You can also call to get more details.

Pls sirs, on installing a 10kva servo stabilizer at the mains to supply the house. Won't the draw load of say a deep freezer, fridge, washing machine, iron, ACs, &microwave oven being in use altogether at one point or the other in the house affect it. Or is using separate stabs for some of them in the house not a safer option. My concern is about compressors and heating elements. They draw lots of loads to get going. Won't this burn out the 10kva stab in due time. Noting that the owner may not be around to monitor electrical usage in his house all the time & almost all these loads may be in use at one point or the other.

zobo-i-zee:
Pls sirs, on installing a 10kva servo stabilizer at the mains to supply the house. Won't the draw load of say a deep freezer, fridge, washing machine, iron, ACs, &microwave oven being in use altogether at one point or the other in the house affect it. Or is using separate stabs for some of them in the house not a safer option. My concern is about compressors and heating elements. They draw lots of loads to get going. Won't this burn out the 10kva stab in due time. Noting that the owner may not be around to monitor electrical usage in his house all the time & almost all these loads may be in use at one point or the other.

If your total load is more than 10kva,you can connect 2 or more in parallel to make 20kva. At least I know its possible for prag servo stabs.

the major culprits are a/cs and water heaterrs/pressing irons/pumping machines.......though these are often temprorary loads and arent on for more than 1 or 2 hrs continously.....freezers arernt much..most freezers are abt 400watts max......if you are going to have more than 2 standing a/cs working at the same time or 3 or 4 split a/cs then..i wud advice you to go for a 20kva stabilizer, or if money isnt easily available...get separate stabs for each device. ...for the avergae home in naija..the 10kva stab is perfect...
you can prepare a chart of ur total appliances/wattage..that way we can advise you further

note the stab works twice as hard at lower voltage...ie if ur house volatge is 120volts ..the stab works harder than if the house voltage was 190volts.

THIS LINK SHUD MAKE MORE ENTERTAINING READING..
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-04/solar-panel-makes-fresh-water-too?src=SOC&dom=fb

a bit hush hush here.

link to the 20kva servo stabilizer....115k naira

http://www.buyright.biz/index.php?module=product&event=viewdetail&pid=104

Good day here the great ones.
There is firm that won me over from Cyberpower....www.opti-solar.com. There is a company in abuja that markets these inverters.
Kindly help check these inverters. I learnt some of them have in built charge controller.
Does anyone know anything about these inverters?

alstacs: Good day here the great ones.
There is firm that won me over from Cyberpower....www.opti-solar.com. There is a company in abuja that markets these inverters.
Kindly help check these inverters. I learnt some of them have in built charge controller.
Does anyone know anything about these inverters?

hi,
its always cool when we bump into something new, but from my little take, its always good to look for users review, basically let others take the plunge, then only then will u know how good it is under "NAIJA" conditions, ie bad generators, wrong voltage, wrong frequency, erratic nepa.

my little take on the issue

TotalGreen:


hi,
its always cool when we bump into something new, but from my little take, its always good to look for users review, basically let others take the plunge, then only then will u know how good it is under "NAIJA" conditions, ie bad generators, wrong voltage, wrong frequency, erratic nepa.

my little take on the issue

Who bells the cat?
I think a hobbyist will do a risk assessment and discover....

bodejohn:

I got my panels here in Ibadan, it's difficult to carry they higher watt panels because the are bigger than what a saloon car can carry. The panels are poly crystalline and i think they are branded some thing like Emerald. My 30Amps MPPT charge controller is from China, about 50k with dhl shipping, I have no idea what it costs in Lagos. I am sure other members of the forum can help you out on the price.

@bodejohn, kindly give the link of ur mppt.......i want 2 check it out. i just lost my pwm. thanks....i need ur email adddy too.