@ total green...welldone for breaking it down to simple components.

I have 2 suggestions...since his amperage needs is 187..u adviced him to get a 200amp battery.....I think he needs a minimum of 400amp batt bank...that way he wudnt be draining the battery more than 50% of its capacity...that way the battery bank would last longer......

also on the solar side I think a 250w 12 v panel would bring more charging current..250/12 = 20amps, though the manufacturer states only abt 8amps for the 12v 250w panels I bought....
but even if we assume the manufacturer is right..he needs only 6 pcs of the panels not 20 panels as u stated..in the link below....that's the exact panels I bought in the usa .and they r enroute naija as we speak

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8M39TI/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

the poster said he has a 24v system??..didn't really see that...is it a 24v inveter or 24v battery?

earthrealm: @ ....that's the exact panels I bought in the usa .and they r enroute naija as we speak

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8M39TI/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

How much did it cost to ship those panels? Do you know if the over alert Nigerian customs will not milk you dry?

am shipping it inside a car i bought from the usa....
so i would say shipping is free.....
dont think i would hv any serious issues with the customs men...people bring things in inside cars all the time

will update the house how it goes when the car hits naija late aug

Hello all!

Where can I find 6v Mini solar panel 330 - 550mA?

Who can supply it to me?

Thanks

thanks for the correction, i keep thinking everyone is using 48v system

earthrealm: @ total green...welldone for breaking it down to simple components.

I have 2 suggestions...since his amperage needs is 187..u adviced him to get a 200amp battery.....I think he needs a minimum of 400amp batt bank...that way he wudnt be draining the battery more than 50% of its capacity...that way the battery bank would last longer......

also on the solar side I think a 250w 12 v panel would bring more charging current..250/12 = 20amps, though the manufacturer states only abt 8amps for the 12v 250w panels I bought....
but even if we assume the manufacturer is right..he needs only 6 pcs of the panels not 20 panels as u stated..in the link below....that's the exact panels I bought in the usa .and they r enroute naija as we speak

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8M39TI/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


the poster said he has a 24v system??..didn't really see that...is it a 24v inveter or 24v battery?

TotalGreen:

Brothers pls make i help @exxell, i think the group really would like u to understand what you are getting into thats why "i think or guess" the dont want to make it so easy.

Let me see how i can explain it then recommend to you from your appliance listing.

Imagine you have 1000Litre GP tank, then u have borehole that can pump at 10litres per hour - meaning it will take 100hrs to feel up the tank if no water is going out.

if you then increase you borehole capacity to 50litres per hour, u will then fill up in 20hrs - which is always what we like, the faster the better, but remember it cost money

lets talk of draining the tank, assuming we only have a 10litre per hour borehole - lets say we have 10 family members in the house with different drinking capacity, 4 members @ 10 litres per hr, 6 @ 5 litres per hr.

assuming in one day u can only pump for 10hrs meaning u cant fill up the tank, u would have filled up only 100litres in one day.

if all the members drink for only 1 hr cumulatively, the would have consumed (4x10)+(6*5)= 70 litres great! meaning thats enough for the house we still have 30litres left in the tank - hurray

what if we have really big house members like 4 members @ 50 litres per hr, 6 @ 20 litres per hr. so in one hour they would need (4x50)+(6*20)= 320 litres, our tank has only 100 litres - Problem

so we need to pay for a bigger borehole pumb that can fill up to about 400litres in 10hrs for that day, so we need a 40litres per hr pump.

so in essence your gp tank is battery, you borehole is the solar panels ur members are the appliance in your house.

lets do a rough estimate, pls guys correct me where i stray off


21 inches LG tv- 200w
LG Home theater with tall boys- 100w
Royal crown fridge - 200w
1 flourescent- 40w
5 20 watts energy bulbs- 100w
1 standing fan- 50w
1 ceiling fan- 50w
1 laptop - 50
1 sattelite receiver- 50
3 phone chargers - 20
total about 900w

lets assume u use them 5hrs a day, so you need battery capacity that will drain at 900/24 = 37.5amps per hr(i assume the run at the same time and you said you have a 24volt system)

since you are pulling 37.5 for 5hrs meaning battery required is (37.5x5)=187.5

from the above i can say u need like 2kva inverter with 200amps battery

now for the solar side, assuming 5hrs of sun, since u are draining at 37.5amps per hour, you will need to be charging at 40amps per hour(expensive borehole) u will need aprox 20 x 200watts 24v panels - this is where people run away from solar, thats the nail on the head for u.

but the great part of it is like what the other members have said, start slowly.

Good Morning

wonderful analysis. In addition to 20 pieces of 200w panels, our brother also needs a large battery bank considering number of days autonomy and 50% d.o.d. All these equals to close or above a million naira. My own example is assuming it cost 60k per panel, 20*60 is 1.2million. 60amps Charge controller 130k. Battery bank of 8 pieces of 200ah is 8*50k is 400k . 12mm cable depends on ur site, asumme 40k. 24v inverter is 40k. Now your total cost 1.8million approx. Note these prices are assumptions but current prices are within range. All materials listed are for standard installation although it excludes some finishing stuffs 2 beautify d installation.The good news now is that u can buy 4 panels @240k, charge controller @130k, cable @40k. 4 batt @200k and then 24v inverter @40k. Total is 850k. Then you add the remaining panels and batteries as u have more money. Now mr excel you see why you need to know what u want and why u want it. Guess u have 2 drop the fridge and other heavy stuffs and start gradually and see how it goes. DONT BE SUPRISED YOU EVENTUALLY MAY NOT NEED ALL THOSE PANELS AND BATTs. Once you start gradually bearing in mind ur total cost, your needs may be automaticaly adjusted due 2 first hand experience.

abunafiu,
totalgreen,
bodejohn,

you have all answered well. the most important thing about solar is to start small.

in my own case I started with a 4 battery bank 200a back up system years ago and today
here i am! who would have thought?!

abunafiu:
wonderful analysis. In addition to 20 pieces of 200w panels, our brother also needs a large battery bank considering number of days autonomy and 50% d.o.d. All these equals to close or above a million naira. My own example is assuming it cost 60k per panel, 20*60 is 1.2million. 60amps Charge controller 130k. Battery bank of 8 pieces of 200ah is 8*50k is 400k . 12mm cable depends on ur site, asumme 40k. 24v inverter is 40k. Now your total cost 1.8million approx. Note these prices are assumptions but current prices are within range. All materials listed are for standard installation although it excludes some finishing stuffs 2 beautify d installation.The good news now is that u can buy 4 panels @240k, charge controller @130k, cable @40k. 4 batt @200k and then 24v inverter @40k. Total is 850k. Then you add the remaining panels and batteries as u have more money. Now mr excel you see why you need to know what u want and why u want it. Guess u have 2 drop the fridge and other heavy stuffs and start gradually and see how it goes. DONT BE SUPRISED YOU EVENTUALLY MAY NOT NEED ALL THOSE PANELS AND BATTs. Once you start gradually bearing in mind ur total cost, your needs may be automaticaly adjusted due 2 first hand experience.

am sorry, i went with total green's 20panels who later confirmed he assumed a 48v system. Let me use my personal system as example now. 10 pieces of 24v 120w @ 300k, 60amps mppt controller 125k, cables 30k, 4 used batts 120k. Total 600k approx. I use 2 fans , 5 energy saving bulbs, 1 fridge(6hrs daily) , 1 40in led tv, 1 tall boy home th system. All appliance i use at least 15hrs daily except fridge 6hrs. I also use Nepa for charging whenever available(sometimes 48hrs without nepa). But the thing is that i sometimes discharge my batt to 23.8v(danger) but average is 24.4v daily. Which means i dont have 24hrs autonomy not to talk of 3days. You see if i had like 20 panels and 10 batteries then my batt will never go below 24.4v and i can go 3days without nepa which is standard- but millions go hear am.

George_D: abunafiu,
totalgreen,
bodejohn,

you have all answered well. the most important thing about solar is to start small.

in my own case I started with a 4 battery bank 200a back up system years ago and today
here i am! who would have thought?!

you are where u are today because u had a vision of how far u are going and u figured an economical way of travelling that distance. Something tells me you are not even there yet.....1MVA.... I.P.P........lol.

We're right behind u sha.

abunafiu:
you are where u are today because u had a vision of how far u are going and u figured an economical way of travelling that distance. Something tells me you are not even there yet.....1MVA.... I.P.P........lol.

We're right behind u sha.

abunafiu,

you make me laugh. 1 mva?! wao! that would be the day!

but you have a point. something about solar makes you keep wanting to grab more out of the sun
(like bodejohn said a while back). but it stands to reason though. when you see what benefits
you can derive even from a little effort it makes you think: 'if I can get this much by making this
little effort, how much more can i get by going a little further?'

that in effect explains the passion for solar most of us have. you see what you're getting and you
want to get more. no fraud, no tricks, no stories. what you see is what you get.

its like going on a journey. only this time around, its a journey towards energy freedom. one step
at a time takes you there!

Its been a while since anyone published his daily or monthly energy harvest. August rain is approaching. True test. My advice for the new comers, solar has its own limitation. You'll understand better when the daily or monthly harvest are being published. Kindly include if possible previous monthhs for ref purpose.

How much panels would i need to power the following and how long wil it last?1.21"tv2.home theatre.3.chest size frige.4.laptop.5.pc?

attached

abunafiu: Its been a while since anyone published his daily or monthly energy harvest. August rain is approaching. True test. My advice for the new comers, solar has its own limitation. You'll understand better when the daily or monthly harvest are being published. Kindly include if possible previous monthhs for ref purpose.

more

abunafiu: Its been a while since anyone published his daily or monthly energy harvest. August rain is approaching. True test. My advice for the new comers, solar has its own limitation. You'll understand better when the daily or monthly harvest are being published. Kindly include if possible previous monthhs for ref purpose.

more ..

abunafiu: Its been a while since anyone published his daily or monthly energy harvest. August rain is approaching. True test. My advice for the new comers, solar has its own limitation. You'll understand better when the daily or monthly harvest are being published. Kindly include if possible previous monthhs for ref purpose.

i would say u need a lot, but advice u readup on old post, that would help you.

purplekayc: How much panels would i need to power the following and how long wil it last?1.21"tv2.home theatre.3.chest size frige.4.laptop.5.pc?

Totalgreen, thanks 4 d upload. But kindly consider myself and many others who usually browse using phones. Pdf seems a lil bit complex for us. Secondly, i want the new comers to av an idea of what energy harvest looks like considering the number of panels and battery bank we use. I want a situation where by when new comers see our harvest, they'll know that we are not even satisfied despite the bulky panels they think we own. May be they may find answers. I hope 2 post mine when i go to an internet cafe.

I

I sat down looking at my prag stab doing its job. Very intelligent and efficient. As the nepa input hits 138v, the stab trips off and the delay timer kicks in. At 140v nepa input, the output is still above 200v. I managed to hang it on the wall some days back. I thank God for making it possible 4 me 2 purchase the stab.
For the new comers, if u stay in areas with poor nepa supply(low voltage), fluctuation etc. Then you have to consider buying the prag stab. The common 5kva relay type of stab works really fine but when the real nigerian nepa scenario sets in, ur batteries risk being over charged and explosion may occur. Currently the prag 10KVA servo stab is sold for 50k. Check it on buyright.biz.

abunafiu: I sat down looking at my prag stab doing its job. Very intelligent and efficient. As the nepa input hits 138v, the stab trips off and the delay timer kicks in. At 140v nepa input, the output is still above 200v. I managed to hang it on the wall some days back. I thank God for making it possible 4 me 2 purchase the stab.
For the new comers, if u stay in areas with poor nepa supply(low voltage), fluctuation etc. Then you have to consider buying the prag stab. The common 5kva relay type of stab works really fine but when the real nigerian nepa scenario sets in, ur batteries risk being over charged and explosion may occur. Currently the prag 10KVA servo stab is sold for 50k. Check it on buyright.biz.

50k na for the big boys

ok i will convert

sorry

abunafiu: Totalgreen, thanks 4 d upload. But kindly consider myself and many others who usually browse using phones. Pdf seems a lil bit complex for us. Secondly, i want the new comers to av an idea of what energy harvest looks like considering the number of panels and battery bank we use. I want a situation where by when new comers see our harvest, they'll know that we are not even satisfied despite the bulky panels they think we own. May be they may find answers. I hope 2 post mine when i go to an internet cafe.

more

abunafiu: Totalgreen, thanks 4 d upload. But kindly consider myself and many others who usually browse using phones. Pdf seems a lil bit complex for us. Secondly, i want the new comers to av an idea of what energy harvest looks like considering the number of panels and battery bank we use. I want a situation where by when new comers see our harvest, they'll know that we are not even satisfied despite the bulky panels they think we own. May be they may find answers. I hope 2 post mine when i go to an internet cafe.

bodejohn:

50k na for the big boys

oga mi Dway, 50k is not for big boys. Our friend Deeplo spent 30k to repair his sukham 3kva damaged by nepa. He travelled several kilometers to lagos twice b4 his inverter was fixed. My 1.5kva is faulty and i am billed 15k to repair it. My brother, i am ready to spend any amount to protect my inverter even if its 100k. Men, am used to 25hrs electricity and i cant allow no nepa destroy ma inverter. So its only small boys that protect d little they have. Kindly post ur monthly harvest, its been a while since u did. Enjoy ur weekend.

@)George_D SO NA AREA YOU DEY? I GO FINE YOU SEE

abunafiu:
oga mi Dway, 50k is not for big boys. Our friend Deeplo spent 30k to repair his sukham 3kva damaged by nepa. He travelled several kilometers to lagos twice b4 his inverter was fixed. My 1.5kva is faulty and i am billed 15k to repair it. My brother, i am ready to spend any amount to protect my inverter even if its 100k. Men, am used to 25hrs electricity and i cant allow no nepa destroy ma inverter. So its only small boys that protect d little they have. Kindly post ur monthly harvest, its been a while since u did. Enjoy ur weekend.

PHCN has a good side after all, since they do not even supply my house power (last outage was for 5weeks) i can only think of buying such an appliance at my own convenience. In my condition, such money will go to solar panels.

Oga George, i am getting an offer of 400NGN/Watt for Suntech panels in Ibadan, is this a good deal?

bodejohn:

PHCN has a good side after all, since they do not even supply my house power (last outage was for 5weeks) i can only think of buying such an appliance at my own convenience. In my condition, such money will go to solar panels.

Oga George, i am getting an offer of 400NGN/Watt for Suntech panels in Ibadan, is this a good deal?

Me too, i prefer to stock panels but now wey rain just dey fall every seconds hence I need nepa anytime its available.
As for the suntech, i suggest u put a call tru 2 chief george. Its better u hear from him as his answer online might be just summary.

But nepa wicked for ur side o. 5 weeks, my batteries go don die. But i think you survived this because u hardly stay at home during d day? Abi?.

totalgreen,

well done for taking the pains to publish your solar harvest in response to abunafiu's request.

a few things I noticed though: your battery minimum voltage goes as low as 45, 44, 43v and on one occasion
even dipping to 39.8v. this is really a red flag you should try to avoid especially if you want your
batteries to last long. also try and allow them go into absorb mode at least once a week for more effective
cell rejuvenation. not a bad idea if you could also 'equalise' them once a month too.

I know a lot of this is hard to achieve given your peculiar situation but maybe you should give it a shot.

JUO: @)George_D SO NA AREA YOU DEY? I GO FINE YOU SEE

my brother, na area i dey o!

let's hook up sometime when you're less busy.

cheers!

bodejohn,

400n per watt is a bit on the high side for solar panels these days.

if I get you right, which means a 200w suntech will now be 80k? or 280w will be 112k?

i think you can get better deals than that.

my oga thanks,
u know my condition, i strictly off grid, but hope to put up more panels soon
thanks for the flags

George_D: totalgreen,

well done for taking the pains to publish your solar harvest in response to abunafiu's request.

a few things I noticed though: your battery minimum voltage goes as low as 45, 44, 43v and on one occasion
even dipping to 39.8v. this is really a red flag you should try to avoid especially if you want your
batteries to last long. also try and allow them go into absorb mode at least once a week for more effective
cell rejuvenation. not a bad idea if you could also 'equalise' them once a month too.

I know a lot of this is hard to achieve given your peculiar situation but maybe you should give it a shot.

TotalGreen: my oga thanks,
u know my condition, i strictly off grid, but hope to put up more panels soon
thanks for the flags

I have not been able 2 download ur harvest but from george's observation i think u need additional batteries-may be double ur current batt bank and then get few panels. Or u should consider cutting off some non essential load. I am concerned abt ur batteries.
I think d newcomers can take a practical clue from ur situation- pls newbees, read up total green's initial post of how he started. Follow his post up till this moment. Pls note- the everyday rains might have contributed to the drastic fall in output.
I hope 2 post mine 2 as soon as possible- i use my phone more these days.

my brother, na area i dey o!

let's hook up sometime when you're less busy.

no probs