In the news, bodejohn's genco temporarily shuts down following Sunday morning clouds and heavy down pour...

Now the full details...The power generating company belonging and solely run by bodejohn was temporarily shutdown on Sunday morning after 10days of uninterrupted power supply to the numerous customers in the bodejohn's household.

The 10days of uninterrupted power supply has been lauded by other gencos as an achievement that has only been surpassed by George D's genco, a company setup many years before the coming on board of bodejohn's genco.

This measure was necessary to protect the 8 deep cycle batteries from slipping pass the recommended 50% DOD after sun down.

More details during the full news bulletin tonight...LOL

Earlier on in this thread, George_D stated that he had evidence to prove that his Sukam inverter did not charge his batteries fully. Can anyone corroborate this or is it an isolated incident?
Does it apply to only his model or other models e.g Sukam 1.4Kva?
If his assertions are true and apply to all Sukam inverters, which intelligent chargers can we use as alternatives in charging our expensive batteries? I checked online and the few alternatives that will work with our power supply, 220-240V, 50Hz and with dirty electricity sources eg petrol generator are quite expensive e.g http://www.amazon.com/Charge-Ultra-Battery-Charger-outputs/dp/B008BIBSGS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381162878&sr=8-2&keywords=sterling+pro+charge+24v which costs about N60,000. Are there any cheaper but reliable alternatives eg from China, India or Australia which can serve the same purpose?

bodejohn: In the news, bodejohn's genco temporarily shuts down following Sunday morning clouds and heavy down pour...

Now the full details...The power generating company belonging and solely run by bodejohn was temporarily shutdown on Sunday morning after 10days of uninterrupted power supply to the numerous customers in the bodejohn's household.

The 10days of uninterrupted power supply has been lauded by other gencos as an achievement that has only been surpassed by George D's genco, a company setup many years before the coming on board of bodejohn's genco.

This measure was necessary to protect the 8 deep cycle batteries from slipping pass the recommended 50% DOD after sun down.

More details during the full news bulletin tonight...LOL

Nice one!!

Am sorry guys I need help here. What exactly do I need to upgrade? My battery bank or my solar panels:

I have a bank of 200AH battery x 4 in series connected to 48v Sukam with 3 x 250W x 24v solar panel in series connected to 45A MPPT controller.
Total load = 850W

What is obtained now: On a day with full sunlight and no PHCN: From 8am to 6pm Inverter is on with about 400W of load. Load increases from 6pm to full load (850W) inverter beeps (shuts down) by 7.30 or 8pm.

What I want to achieve: Even though I know half of of the load is off for about 6hrs (8am - 2pm), assuming a full load at 15 hrs (8am - 11pm), what do I need to upgrade add more batteries or more panels? How many? Please assist with calculation.

pdozie:
What is obtained now: On a day with full sunlight and no PHCN: From 8am to 6pm Inverter is on with about 400W of load. Load increases from 6pm to full load (850W) inverter beeps (shuts down) by 7.30 or 8pm.

Too bad, if this happens every time. You will destroy the batteries before you know it.

pdozie:
I have a bank of 200AH battery x 4 in series connected to 48v Sukam with 3 x 250W x 24v solar panel in series connected to 45A MPPT controller. Total load = 850W

Your battery bank is 48V, 200Ah, this is only 9600watts. Assuming you can convert all this to AC power without any power loss, you will have power for 11hrs. But since you should only use 50% of the charge in your batteries, that is theoretically 5 or 6hrs if your batteries get fully charged. My guess is your batteries are not even getting a full charge each day since you use the inverter during the day also.

My advise, you need to do some study yourself, you should be able to calculate all your load requirements, battery bank sizing, solar array design, if you can't, please get professional help otherwise, you will be frustrated and will also loose your investment.

You need to cut down your load immediately, reduce the amount of power you use during the day so that some more juice from your panels can be stored in the batteries. You will also need to increase your solar panel array. There is little you can do about your batteries now, until your next major upgrade.

@pdozie
Let me split ur load into two
A.400W @ 16hrs B.450W@5hrs
(400/48) x 16 =133.33Ah
(450/48) x 5 =46.87Ah
Total Ah = 180.205Ah
Taken 50% DoD =180.205/.5 =360.41Ah
Your battery should be say 400Ah @ 48v

Assuming no power from PHCN ur panel array should be equal to or greater than ur Total load

Remember Solar could be used directly without
Batteries but because of sensitivity of load and fluctuations from panels we use buffers(batteries)
I believe if ur panels can produce twice the Total amount of current you consume ur 200Ah@48v battery should serve you cos there will be enough current to charge ur batteries full and some for you to use from 8:00am to 6pm.
Hope this helps , Prof George_D and Top Ogas can correct me

@BodeJohn - Thanks for the feedback. I do understand the implications to the batteries which is why I'm planning for upgrade. I still get power from the Grid some-days in a week though, with some supplements from the GEN. The inverter beeps on days that we don't get grid power and no fuel for GEN .

@Pheleix - Thanks too. I actually got same figures for total Battery need. I thought I needed to add few more panels to my array but needed to confirm before I proceed.

So for a start, I'm going for 3 x 24v x 250W panels. May settle for Joy panels since it seems to enjoy more followership

@pdozie
If you can add 3 more panels ,that will be almost twice ur 850W load. I believe there will be great improvement you should have close to 15-16hrs of power. Pls do and report ur findings

pdozie....from my personal experience... i suggest u revert to 2 by 2 config for best results with ur morning star mppt. so only one more 250w panel u need now before any major upgrade. refer to my recent post on my upgrade for confirmation. tx.

abunafiu: pdozie....from my personal experience... i suggest u revert to 2 by 2 config for best results with ur morning star mppt. so only one more 250w panel u need now before any major upgrade. refer to my recent post on my upgrade for confirmation. tx.

400W @ 16hrs= 6.4kWh
450W@5hrs=2.25kWh
Total=8.65kWh

Assuming he is to use only solar to charge(when no PHCN) believing sunshine duration of 7hrs
4x250Wx7= approx 7kWh
but with 6 panels
6x250Wx7= approx 10.5kWH

So for him to enjoy his sys the way he's been using it is to upgrade to 6panels of 250W..Just saying

@ Abunafiu - Thanks for the suggestion. I already decided to add 3 more panels anyway. I will search for the post on 2 x 2 configuration. May be I can still apply it with the six panels.....

@ Pheleix: Again Thanks. I appreciate...

pdozie: I already decided to add 3 more panels anyway. I will search for the post on 2 x 2 configuration. May be I can still apply it with the six panels.....

As I said earlier in my first response, you need to design your system by diligent study, calculations and also taking into consideration some other site factors that are peculiar to your location, otherwise you will need professional help.

For example, where I stay, I have not received more than 3 times my solar array capacity in a day. This has helped me to plan my capacity increases and manage my expectations. Expecting 10.5kW from a 1.5kW installation will be ambitious.

More on Monocrystalline vs Polycrystalline Photovoltaic Cells:

Basic Anatomy of a PV cell

Pure Silicon
A lump of pure silicon

The main ingredient in most photovoltaic cells is silicon – the same element that makes computer chips possible. Silicon is the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, but unfortunately it is normally found in the form of silica (the chemical symbol for silica is SiO2) – you might know it as sand.

Various methods exist to extract the pure silicon, but the most common is carbothermic reduction, where the silica is heated to 1700°C in the presence of carbon. As the silicon cools it forms crystals.

The speed at which the silicon cools is one of the critical factors that determine the crystal size: the slower the silicon cools, the larger the crystals. With care the silicon can be extracted as one large crystal. As you might imagine, that’s more difficult, which means it’s more expensive.

The difference between monocrystalline vs polycrystalline solar cells is simply that one is produced from a single crystal of silicon and the other is produced from a piece of silicon consisting of many crystals.

Practical Differences

So what is the impact on cell performance?

Since polycrystalline cells contain many crystals, they have a less perfect surface than monocrystalline cells. This means that they absorb slightly less solar energy and produce slightly less electricity per square metre. On the plus side, the process of creating the silicon for a polycrystalline cell is much simpler, so these cells are generally cheaper per square metre.

On balance, the cost of monocrystalline vs polycrystalline based panels per Watt of power output works out about the same, but the polycrystalline panels will be slightly larger than equivalent monocrystalline panels. This is generally not a problem unless you have a very limited area available for the installation, in which case you will want to maximise the power output per square metre.

Monocrystalline and polycrystalline can also look different. Monocrystalline cells will usually have a perfectly uniform appearance, but polycrystalline cells will appear “grainy” – think of how a granite worktop looks and you’ll get the idea. From a distance this will not be noticeable, so if they are going on your roof this is unlikely to worry you.

So which should I choose?

At the end of the day, unless you are very space constrained, your choice of panel will probably be dictated by factors other than whether they are made up of mono or polycrystalline cells.

The price per Watt is an important factor, and that is largely unaffected by the choice of monocrystalline versus polycrystalline cells. In some circumstances, the area available for the installation may be a factor that pushes you to go for monocrystalline cells.

But the most important thing is to make sure that you choose a reputable installer and manufacturer. Your panels will most likely give you many years of trouble free operation, but for your own peace of mind you will probably want to choose a manufacturer that is likely to be around for long enough to honour the terms of the guarantee – which may be up to 25 years!

Source; https://solarjuice.com/blog/pv-panels/monocrystalline-vs-polycrystalline/

bodejohn:

As I said earlier in my first response, you need to design your system by diligent study, calculations and also taking into consideration some other site factors that are peculiar to your location, otherwise you will need professional help.

For example, where I stay, I have not received more than 3 times my solar array capacity in a day. This has helped me to plan my capacity increases and manage my expectations. Expecting 10.5kW from a 1.5kW installation will be ambitious.

kWh not kW
Assuming 7hrs of Sunshine
1.5kW x 7hrs = 10[b]kWh[/b]

George_D:

totalgreen,
when it comes to mppt configuration for solar panels, the 3 by 3 rule is not cast in stone. the most important thing to bear in mind is the vmp of the combined panels in relation to your charge controller voltage efficiency benchmarks. that is why it is always very important to read up documentations for any product you use. depending on the charge controller's operating voltage range, you may even have to combine up to four panels in some cases (especially for those panels that have very low vmp). in the same vein, you may only need to combine 2 panels when using high voltage panels.
if you check your tristar mppt 60 oem documentation (page 62), you'll notice from the voltage efficiency curve that you actually get about 99 percent conversion efficiency at 52v vmp. anything after 98v vmp, you may be just wasting precious power. i believe different controllers have their own unique best operating vmp range and it is very important to ascertain this compared to the specs of your panels.
some time ago, i experimented with the 3 by 3 configuration for my back facing solar panels and after a couple of months, i was forced to revert back to my 2 by 2 formation as i discovered that my high voltage solar panels far exceeded the recommended best operating vmp range for the tristar 48v system settings and i was just losing power daily if i stuck to that configuration.

http://www.morningstarcorp.com/en/support/library/TSMPPT.IOM.EN.04.pdf

Actually this post hit the nail on the head regarding the strings of panels configuration to use

pdozie:

Actually this post hit the nail on the head regarding the strings of panels configuration to use

Notes

1. "most important thing to bear in mind is the vmp of the combined panels in relation to your charge controller voltage efficiency benchmarks"

2. "my high voltage solar panels far exceeded the recommended best operating vmp range for the tristar 48v"

just to highlight

pheleix:
kWh not kW
Assuming 7hrs of Sunshine
1.5kW x 7hrs = 10[b]kWh[/b]

I got banned by the spy-boot yesterday while i was trying to respond to this.

I meant to say kWh but I still stand by my statement, it is completely impossible to get nameplate power from your panels for 7hrs, you cannot even get it for 1hr continuously. The best i got from my 2.7kW array was 8kWh on a completely cloudless day.

10kva servo stab on duty!

bodejohn2005:

I got banned by the spy-boot yesterday while i was trying to respond to this.

I meant to say kWh but I still stand by my statement, it is completely impossible to get nameplate power from your panels for 7hrs, you cannot even get it for 1hr continuously. The best i got from my 2.7kW array was 8kWh on a completely cloudless day.

Ok... That's the difference between theory and practical. Remember my calculations where based on assumptions and Nameplate spec. Am in the process of setting up mine, have been reading and consulting with George D. Need to buy ET4415N eTreacer MPPT, sent you a mail in that regards.

pheleix:
Ok... That's the difference between theory and practical. Remember my calculations where based on assumptions and Nameplate spec. Am in the process of setting up mine, have been reading and consulting with George D. Need to buy ET4415N eTreacer MPPT, sent you a mail in that regards.

I have replied you.

Yeepeee!!! I have been "unbanned".

bodejohn:

I have replied you.

Yeepeee!!! I have been "unbanned".

You did not reply the one from my gmail account. Subject: Charge controller

pheleix:

You did not reply the one from my gmail account. Subject: Charge controller

Check again, I replied both.

too bad....not at this time....one of my four batteries is dying.......

colleagues...SOS.....ASAP.

abunafiu: too bad....not at this time....one of my four batteries is dying.......

colleagues...SOS.....ASAP.

Wow! What happened? Thought you bought new batteries a while ago? Or did you have mixed batteries?
Sorry about the loss.

I installed the Battery-Life-Saver. -- > http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Life-Saver-BLS-48A-Rejuvenator/dp/B006X1Y1BY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1381490304&sr=8-3&keywords=Battery+Life+Saver+BLS-48A

Maybe that why my batteries are still OK in-spite of the frequent drains on on them.

Hi,
I do not the RS323 connection to PC. I have to manually note down the stat figure on the controller. Attached is 8 days data.

Obviously my batteries deplete beyond recommended threshold. But I want to confirm, for a 48V battery system, taking the DoD into consideration, are saying that the batteries should not go beyond what? [3 x 24v x 250W panels; 4 x 200AH x 12v batteries ]

pdozie: Hi,
I do not the RS323 connection to PC. I have to manually note down the stat figure on the controller. Attached is 8 days data.

Obviously my batteries deplete beyond recommended threshold. But I want to confirm, for a 48V battery system, taking the DoD into consideration, are saying that the batteries should not go beyond what? [3 x 24v x 250W panels; 4 x 200AH x 12v batteries ]

From this data you have shared, two things are obvious;

1. You are draining your batteries way below acceptable limits, the batteries will die faster than you think.
2. You are not optimizing your CC, you should connect panels based on the Voc in pairs. You are presently loosing considerable power now.

My advise; reduce your load immediately, especially in the evening when the sun is down, you shouldn't be going below 49V. Get 3 more panels if you can afford it or just one panel for now of same capacity. Then change your panel connection to pairs.

@pdozie.....from the excel sheet on display...its obvious ure loosing substantial solar power that xhould have been stored on those batteries. the vmax solar of 120v plus us on the high side. it should be un the rsnge of 70s for max mppt efficuency.
as earlelier said by bodejohn..connect in pairs.
i will look up for the batt rejuvenator.

hmmm...this solar thing be like money ritual....once ure in...no going back.
u keep upgrading till u get tired...from one tin to anothet..
the best part is the results are clear.
no going back o...av tasted 25hrs steady power.

Hi @Bode,
Thanks for the feedback. I already made plans for 3 panels. Also going through the MPPT manual, it is obvious I have to use 2 x 2 string configuration for higher efficiency (considering the Vmp of the panels) --> which aligns with your recommendation
The 3 panels I'm getting though is not same match as the existing ones (the very ones I bought are not in stock). So I will end up having one string of 2 different panels. Based on my findings, the current of the lower rated panel will be used (for series connection) while the difference will be 'wasted' power.
I can cope with that for now till I can get raise money for another set (and hopefully find a match)

@abunafiu Thanks too. Like it has been said in the past, very little things can make a huge difference. I had neglected taking these readings till late. Hopefully with this coming Sallah holidays, I will have time add 3 panels

pdozie:
The 3 panels I'm getting though is not same match as the existing ones (the very ones I bought are not in stock). So I will end up having one string of 2 different panels. Based on my findings, the current of the lower rated panel will be used (for series connection) while the difference will be 'wasted' power.
I can cope with that for now till I can get raise money for another set (and hopefully find a match)

The Voc of the new panels should be a close match of the existing ones.
What size of panels in Watts are you planning to buy? I will suggest you get another 230 or 250watts panel even if it is of a different brand.
Otherwise you will be loosing power again, Do not forget about the non critical loads that you need to shed especially at night.

HURRY HURRY HURRY !!!!!!

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