₦airaland Forum

specco: Hello house Can someone explain to me the difference between battery parallel and series connection. I use (1) 200ah 12 v battery at the moment but I intend increasing the battery bank to (2) 200ah batteries. How will I connect the batteries to get maximum hours from them is it parallel or series?. Presently at 300watts total load I get 7-8hrs from the one battery I use. How many hrs will I get in parallel connection and vice- versa. And what is the merit/demerit of each. Thanks

. Yes, you have to parallel the 2nd batt. Your back up time will be doubled as well as ur charging time.

Daxbiz: Any one in the house who specializes in UPS repair?

Got a BEST POWER 10kva UPS to service.

This should comfortably support my home - 42 inch plasma, 2 decoders, one fan, and a home theatre.

Please holla at me on 08067085555.

Thanks.

. BROTHER, pls take no offence. This thread u created is a duplicate of other solar/inverter threads. As u are aware, many professionals and other senior members have contributed a lot in terms of time, energy and know-how towards the success of the two known solar/inerter threads. I suggest we join hands together so that our dear solar forum will be one. Once again, i mean no harm, am only saying what i feel.
About ur 10kva inverter fault, pls contact a member called femiolorun- he has posted on the inverter thread about his expertise and i have spoken wit him as well before, so i believe he is good for the job. Or, better still contact ur supplier may be they can be of assistance. Thanks.

kie kie: HURRY HURRY HURRY

Brand New Power safe Inverter Batteries 12V 190ahms @ 45k( Yellow & Red Color )

Power master inverter (48v 5000watt). @ 60k only

Solar Panels 12v 130watt Monocrystalline @ 25k

Solar Panels 24v 230watts Polycrystalline @ 45k

Multipower Inverter 12v 800va Pure Sinewave @ 30k

Emerson Module Chargers 24v & 48v @ 15k each

PWM Charge Controllers @ various types of power starlight,, Multi Power & Tripplite Inverters @ give away prices........ CALL 08135031951 NOW

. Whats the name product manufacturer of ur panels.

Talibanis: Pls, I need some assistance. I have a 3kva 24V Prostar inverter and it seems the fan cooler is no longer working thus making the inverter hot during charging. Apart from that, it works perfectly okay. I have decided not to use it till i get a solution from this honourable house. What can be done since my installer is no more? Any help is appreciable.

Thank God you discovered early enough. I suggest you get a qualified technician since ur installer is no more. If you have little electronics experience, you can open the inverter and see whats harp ur self. Dont be suprised it could be just dust blocking the fan. Your best bet is to get a qualified person.

kie kie: HURRY HURRY HURRY

Brand New Power safe Inverter Batteries 12V 190ahms @ 45k

Power master inverter (48v 5000watt). @ 60k only

Solar Panels 12v 130watt Monocrystalline @ 25k

Solar Panels 24v 230watts Polycrystalline @ 45k

Genus Inverter 12v 800va Pure Sinewave @ 27k

Emerson Module Chargers 24v & 48v @ 15k each

PWM Charge Controllers @ various types of power starlight,, Multi Power & Tripplite Inverters @ give away prices........ CALL 08135031951 NOW

. . Pls whats ur shop address. Whats d make of ur solar panels?.

Federal polytechnic mubi is in Adamawa state. I left mubi in 93 and since then, i have not met any of my class mates again. Pls comment if u know any one or if u have any info. Thanks.

About charging current, i agree wit total green based on my personal experience. I had my inverter repaired at luminous office 2 weeks ago. On getting back home, i discovered my battery gets full quicker than before and i was happy. Few days later i discovered my battery drains faster than before. Which means the chasing current of the inverter is too high as my 310ah 24v charges in less than 5hrs. I had to revert to the old inverter which takes God knows time to get full(may be 20hrs) now my batteries drains slowly. So for solar installations always consider charging current with respect to ur battery bank and load requirement. Note when there clouds are clear my batteries get full quicker and stay on float mode till it gets dark and discharges slower too.

JUO: lol. una wan make me go thief o

my brother no need 2 steal. Since na area both of una dey, simply tap either wired or wirelessly afterall na free baba God give us. Anyhow you want it, u have my logistic and technical support.

TotalGreen: congrats again
very pure harvest

have u considered "Morningstar HUB-1 MeterHub"

In addition, kindly refer to morg star website. There is a larger mppt charge controller now available. It can handle larger systems as its target customers are oil companies. May be oga george and other senior members will be interested.

[quote author=George_D]power cut time: 29 hrs snap shot. went on for about a week un-plugged.[/quote]hmmm, oga george.....oga george.....oga george..... How many times i call you!. New members need not to buy panels nor controllers....they'll simply tap from you online as u seem to generate more more and more than enough..
Wow....you're simply doing it and hitting the 1MVA in a grand style. Keep it up. More power 2 ur elbows.

Old students of Federal Poly Mubi Staff Primary School ('88-'93 set). Lets meet here.
Since i left mubi, i missed many of my class mates. Many of them i cant remember their names. Our head master Mr Jackson Tsuya. Tita Thomas English teacher. Many others. Pls join if u belong.

Front page pls. So many, infact more than 50% of nigerians dont know d abbreviations of plate numbers, even within their state of origin. I like this topic and am grateful for d poster. My self am guilty.
Lagos ktu- ikotun egbe.
Delta KWC- ndokwa west lga KWALE.
Delta Abh- Aboh-ndokwa east.
Delta JRE- OTUJEREMI-Oshimili north/south %not sure,check my spelling as well.

feasy1: Abunafiu, Many thanks for the comment,
You are right with the battery bank size, I got the battery from senior friend at an higher price because he import them into Nigeria in bits hence the higher cost, I'm considering another array of 4 12V 200AH Zenith since I can save about 30k on each. That will give me about 48V 400AH.

The Outback Inverter and Charge controller was brought in from the US and battery from HongKong. Installation PVC pipes etc, I understand are from Alaba.
The steel work was done by a local welder, materials procured at Owode Onirin.
Thin film panels are from Du Pont, Du Pont has an office in Ikeja but I doubt if they retail, the sênior friend I mentioned has a collaboration with them.

We will be able to provide this gadgets locally at competitive cost in a few months as we are joining you guys in the solar energy drive.

You mentioned how we have been able to Power the house without the grid for 3weeks, its a combination of not having the full load yet and being energy saving conscious, the main load we have almost round the clock is 240W deep freezer, TV is only switched on few hours in the night, all bulbs except security Light are off when not in use, but having said that, another battery bankb of 200AH will follow to have some days of autonomy

am jealous o. I suggest u consider using the same type of battery in ur batt bank. Due to importation prob u stated earlier, you can sell those batt 2 who ever needs them. Then use the money to buy new ones. For a unique system like urs, 800ah @ 48v should only be ur STARTING POINT and nothing less. Your neighbours go dey envy u.

feasy1: Another 3KW installation in town

PV= 3KW = 30* 100W Du Pont thin film
Inverter= 3KW, Charge controller FlexMax 80 (Outback Power)
Battery= 4* 12.5V 210 AH Sec batteries.
Voltage from the grid has been low to charge the inverter, getting pragrl stab soon.
But thanks to the sun, the system has been operating for three weeks without input from the grid not minding the cloudy days.

Pictures below

i was like wow when i finally saw the pictures. Very clean and professional. My observation still remains ur battery bank size. You should consider improving on them. Where did you buy all those gadgets, i have only seen such at UN sponsored solar projects. Kindly post the link.

feasy1: Another 3KW installation in town

PV= 3KW = 30* 100W Du Pont thin film
Inverter= 3KW, Charge controller FlexMax 80 (Outback Power)
Battery= 4* 12.5V 210 AH Sec batteries.
Voltage from the grid has been low to charge the inverter, getting pragrl stab soon.
But thanks to the sun, the system has been operating for three weeks without input from the grid not minding the cloudy days.

Pictures below

Hmmmm, shady details...well maybe when i see the pictures.
Kindly break it down how you are able to sustain 3 weeks without NEPA with such a small battery bank.
youre welcome on board.
Congratulations.

[quote author=George_D]hello i_shekinah,

pls check your mailbox and reply asap. thanks.[/quote]Oga mi, another kid in da bloc abi?

ola80: @ Abu Nafiu, thanks for the prompt reply. It seems I will have to get the inverter. The solar panel option will consume a lot of money.

Youre welcome brov.

olarevo: more pics

Nice one. See if u can make a car park out of those panels by simply rearranging them. Hope nearby trees and roof tops are not shading them.

ola80: Hello House,
Please I need your advice. I operate a cybercafe with 14 desktop computers (with flat Screen monitors), 3 standing fans and 1 ceiling fan. I recently convert my 2 X 24V big UPS (2.2 KVA bluegate & 1.7 kva Maxtor) to an inverter by replacing their batteries with 2 X 200ah Mercury inverter batteries connected in series. But I have not enjoyed it since. I am still running on generator from morning till night because the setup seem not to be able to carry the whole systems for long. Someone suggested building a separate inverter (4kva) to be used instead of the UPS but I believe a solar panel should be more economical and better. Please does anybody knows the type and how much solar panel it would cost me that can carry the whole computer setup. Waiting for prompt replies.

.
For your whole power needs to be solar dependent, u'll definately need some millions of naira. The good news here is that you can schedule ur hours of cafe operation so that ur inverters(without solar) alone can be useful. How- do u have like 7 or more hours of nepa?, do u operate over nite browsing?. If u have 7hrs of nepa, them a 5kva inverter(aprox 700k naira) should give not less than 5hrs of back up, so ur gen can take it up from there- am assuming you have 100% patronage. Assuming only 4 or 5 out of the 14 computers are used at every point in time, then ur 5kva will give u not less than 10hrs of back up.
If u operate overnite, 7hrs of nepa may not be sufficient except if nepa gives u lite during such period. Your previous inverter experience will make u understand me better.
You need 5kva inverter- 200k approx and 8 pieces of 200ah batt 400k approx if u have 7 or more hrs of nepa daily.
For solar- assuming no overnite operation , you'll need not less 7kilowatts panels, that about 35 pieces of 200watts panels , also u need 3 different 60amps charge controller as its difficult 2 get a controller of over 120amps. Each controller cost abt 125k each while each panel cost abt 80k. You'll also need additional 8 or 16 pieces of 200ah for a robust battery bank because its not guaranteed that d sun will shine every day.: you also need.....::......and so on. My oga 4million will only be managable.
So, u can manage inverter only with occasional generator usage while you save for solar panels. You can pls go tru previous post as most of d questions that u may later ask have already been answered. There are also several websites that have solar system size estimators. Thanks.

guseman: I am using sukam 800va and 200ah deep cycle battery and I can use it for 3 to 4 hours.(it a used battery but I added acid to it though dry cell battery but its working)


To make the inverter more useful; change all your bulbs to 15watts or 11watts instead of the normal 60-100watts bulbs. It will save more energy.

Always switch off any appliances and bulbs you don't really need.

I spend like #500 now a week on petrol unlike when I use to spend above 2k. I don't need to on my Generator even if it is only my phones I want to charge

You are wise man. I suggest you change ur battery when ure buoyant. If possible buy additional batteries and an external INTELLIGENT charger for additional back up time and zero fuel cost. Enjoy.

JUO: this on na research now. you wan give am the work?

[color=#990000][/color] abi o. As if u know why i was unable to answer d questions.

TotalGreen: My oga u are wetting appitite, can't wait for the pics

my oga, kindly post what u think abt my previous post on solar panel prices.

I had an argument wit a friend. He said there exist a device(charger) that can convert 24vdc to 48vdc. He went ahead and said i can use it on my current 24v system to obtain 48v which can be used on a 48v inverter. In the process of d argument, he showed me d stuff. It was an old mtn emerson product.
Friends, what are ur thoughts abt this product. I am aware of d fact dat power input equals power output + loss. Anyone ever seen or heard abt this product.
@chief george, ure gradually hitting d target i set 4 u. 1mva. Pls make me a shareholder by that time o. Thumbs up on ur recent upgrading. Ure indeed a source of inspiration. My wife said 'this man like wahala too much o'. You know she's been following ur installation pictures which makes her laugh at me each time i consider anything like upgrading.

dsunmade: i have a sukam 1.4 kva 24v inverter. what is the largest battery size i can use conveniently with it? 2* 260 Ah, 2*200Ah or lower?

I use for pieces of 155ah@ 24v. That is 310ah @ 24v. So i honestly advice u go for the 260ah. You'll get far longer back up hours. But its gonna take a long time before they get full. Do u have like 12hrs of un-interruptted nepa? Else Set it to high current to reduce the charging time.

JUO: the inverter can carry the fridge but it will not start the compressor. when you plug the fridge the inverter will go off. you need at least 800w to start that compressor

E go start am if the guy parallel 2 batts. Only say the inverter go faint small o. The fridge na small one now. But make the guy buy 1.5KVA or higher to enjoy those stuffs. No mind my typo abeg.

TotalGreen: hi,
at 24volts mine would be 900amps 24volts

wow....thumbs up. I dey ur back sha. My target for 2013 ending is 400ah at 48v. God help ur servant o.

Pls house mates, i need to know more. There is a news going on air for abt 3 to 4 week ago about a trade dispute between china and the european union on solar panel importation. My news source is aljazeera english channel. I just heard the dispute has been resolved that china has agreed to adjust to european market forces. Pls, how does this affect us in nigeria- pls do research before u comment. But i pray solar prices should not be affected o. God hear our prayer o.

TotalGreen: Thanks,

But.the issue with me is the rains, my battery bank is not that small, I have 450amp 48volts, and my batteries are 6volts Trojan, the good part is that my batteries are flooded, so when I equalise it's should get batter, if I had none flooded I would not take this chances, but the controllers will not show when I run my generator, I always run the Gen just to charge the battery
Thanks

oh yes, ur batt is not that small. Infact urs is 150ah higher than mine which is just 300ah @ 24v. This shows that ur marriage to ur gen set is still intact. I pray God provides 4 u and everyone so u can upgrade. God, i hate that Gen noise. Nice weekend. Cheers.

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.

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?.

letsgo365: Hi Guys just came across this forum and i think this is probably the most informative topic here on NL. Keep it up . Anyway i have some questions and i would appreciate your answers , i am new to this whole inverter topic so my questions might seem very "noobish" , abeg bear with me . Ok. so :
1. How strong is a 1KVA / 2.5KVA ? For example , which home appliances can either one carry ?
2. What type or brand of Inverter would you advise me to buy based on affordability and durabilty ? Please give estimate of cost if possible.
3. How long can an inverter last (1KVA or 2.5KVA) ?
4. What type of battery would you advise me to use with my Inverter?

Just some questions for now , hope you guys respond. Thanks

these questions remind me of my undergraduate days. Answer all questions. No option..... Lol.
Q1. 2.5> 1kva.
Q2. Sukham, genius. Price?
Q3. Depends on the load. The higher the load, the lower the back up time.
Q4. Any 200ah batt you can afford. Eg zenith.
Pls read all previous post. You will find all answers 2 ur questions.

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.