₦airaland Forum

Afam:
Please, make categorical statements on what you are sure of. Generalization don't make sense.

Granted, a lot of people have had bad stories to tell and I really don't pity most of them because when you present information that is factual some people ignore the information and go with what sounds the sweetest to the ears and when they have bad experiences they begin to generalize.

This is the same problem in the web development industry where people are constantly being ripped off by people who tell you want you want to hear as against what you should hear.


Now, to some of the points the poster stated that I disagree with

1. Making use of inverters without at least 10hrs of PHCN is not worth it.

--- This is a blanket statement that does not hold water in certain scenarios even though it does in some.

If I design a backup for say 3 days or 4 days and I require 8 - 10hrs of charging to recharge the battery bank assuming the battery bank is depleted then it means that the battery bank can do with less than 3 hours a day or 8 hours in the first day and 0 hours in the next 2 days before seeing another 3 - 8 hours on the next day.

My point is this - scenarios must be addressed as they come up. There is no "one size fits all" solution when it comes to inverter backup systems.

2. Inverters will not totally eliminate your need for generators.

--- Again, just like the 10 hrs issue it depends on so many things. My office is on Allen Avenue and the last time I used a generator in my officer was over 5 years ago and I cannot work in the office unless there is electricity because I am a software developer and must use the pc for me to be able to work.

So, my being able to work without a generator but with an inverter backup I setup is based on doing the right thing and correct analysis of the problem.

3. If you must buy an inverter, buy an american spec. China / India products are mostly junk. Tripplitte is a good american brand.

--- I disagree with you on this again for the following reasons

a) I have installed an imported inverter for a client just once in my about 6 years of building inverters locally and after that experience I refused to do so for anyone unless the person will sign that he will sort out any warranty issues with the original inverter manufacturer as I can only offer warranty for what I build as I know what is inside.

b) Majority of the problems come from improper charging algorithms because inverter technology itself (the changing of DC to AC) is a mature technology. We have had to open up imported inverters belonging to clients (not originally supplied by us), disconnected the in built charger, built our own charger and integrated it into the system and we have some of them working for over 3 years now.

c) The charging problem comes from basic design assumptions made in the respective countries you referenced and are usually mass produced based on common parameters that may not hold water down here in Nigeria.

4. Never use wetcell batteries, they die out within 3 months. Deep cycle batteries are the best but expensive, about N250 per AH

--- I agree that deep cycle batteries are well suited for inverter backup but I have heard from people using inverters with wet cell batteries that have worked for well over 1 year. The earliest inverter systems we built used wet cell batteries and most of them started having problems with the batteries from around 10 months and the problems were usually with the capacity to hold charge which directly affects the backup time.

10. The good news is that there is rapid development in solar cell technologies. Thin film solar panel promises to cut cost to as low as 90cents/W

--- I have followed the thin film solar panel trend and believe me most of the information are based on lab results that are usually unverified as quite a number of companies involved in this type of solar panel tend to treat every single information as intellectual property so we are forced to read and perhaps agree with what their engineers say which for all intent and purposes may be wrong.

The good thing about technology is that you don't hide it, if the progress being claimed is real then most of them should by coming out of production lines as we write these things here.


So, while I agree with some of the points you put down I disagree with the points I have reproduced and addressed in my post especially when statements that are not factual are used to discuss the alternative energy industry because I am involved and know the facts of the matter.

This is why I take out time to write articles to educate the end users to know more than enough to make good buying decisions when it comes to backup systems.

I have turned down many partnership proposals from inverter manufacturers in the countries you mentioned based on the fact that even their product catalogs have more than enough information to prove to them why their inverters will not perform well here in Nigeria.

If you visit www.justalternativepower.com (where I am the Chief technology Officer) you will see the difference in pricing on our inverters to the extent that we sell a 5kva 48vdc manual inverter for N220,000.00 and the automatic version for N260,000.00 even when imported 5kva inverters go for as low as N100,000.00 these days.

So, why would our locally built inverters be far more expensive than the imported counterparts when we can easily reduce the price to appear competitive and still make more money in the process? The reason is simple - We are not interested in the competition, we are only interested in building inverters that work with 1 year enforceable warranties where repairs or outright replacements are done at no cost whatsoever to the client.

However, the only problem we have is that our building process is slow and that we focus on modified sine wave inverters so you cannot use any sensitive medical equipment or laser based printers or copiers with our inverters.

Sorry for the long post but I believe I do not have any option than to correct misconceptions and wrong information as regards an industry I am doing my best to make right in spite of all the problems we have right now.

I presently do not use a generator even in my house even though I have one as I have been able to practice what I preach as regards energy efficiency which is the surest way to get a cost effective backup solution.

Any typographical errors are regretted and hopefully I will correct them when I have time to go through what I have put down on this subject.

Good points you have made Afam. The points I outlined are for the layman who is easily be ripped off. I tried as much as possible not to get into technical details

1. on the first point you suggested long PHCN hours is not necessary. Yes it is possible to charge your backup batteries within 3 hrs but check your facts fast charge limits the life span of batteries. The purpose of the system is justify cost on the long run. if you replace batteries every year its not worth it. If your inverter has 2 charge modes pls put it on the lower one to save your batteries.

2 you talked of using it in office at allen. I use it in my house where phcn is erratic. Obviously you dont use urs at night. the deeper you cycle ur battery i.e how low you deplete the charge will determine the time of recharge. The generator is always needed. Dont forget we are addressing nigeria peculiar situation.

3 I have tried india/ china products. The burn out easily and many of the are just cheap PWM circuits. Pure sine wave inverters are the best. I prefer american spec cos they pass so many standards before being approved for sale. B4 buying check the website for the approval body. I understand you are advocating ur business but it is possible to buy the right product without recourse to a repairman for upgrade and whatnots.

4 wet cell are designed for cranking e.g starting a motor car. the plate are not strong enough to withstand cycling they collapse easily wtihout frequent maintenace. Deep cycle on the other hand do not crank well. A 100AH deep cycle battery will not start ur car even if fully charged. The metal plates are very thick and and can be cycled many times over without any maintenance.


5 Thin film panel s are already in the market. The drawback is the efficiency which is still improving.

people interested in inverters shud check my post in this topic https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-256887.0.html

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Topmost16:
I have alot of package from 500wat above.My next project is recycling inverter no power failure

my friend stop deceiving people. What the hell are you recycling? The same power you got from ur battery in the first place?
People stop wasting ur time. The hand built xformer is not as efficient as the factory built. without an efficient xformer, ur battery power is wasted. These days it is cheaper to buy than build. But if you an hobbyist go ahead

I would like to warn anyone who will listen to carefully consider before believing sweetalkers who only want to get your money. I am an electronics engineer and have been using inverters for about 2 years. The points I make below should help you make your descisions:

1. Making use of inverters without at least 10hrs of PHCN is not worth it.
2. Inverters will not totally eliminate your need for generators.
3. If you must buy an inverter, buy an american spec. China / India products are mostly junk. Tripplitte is a good american brand.
4. Never use wetcell batteries, they die out within 3 months. Deep cycle batteries are the best but expensive, about N250 per AH
5. Solar panel are of 2 varieties mono and polycrystalline. The monocrystalline give a higher power output throughout the light spectrum.
6. Solar panel is still very expensive for now $3 per watt. You need at least N5m to power a 3 bedroom flat. A 180W panel costs about N140k
7. Before investing in inverter and solar panels, get an electrical engineer who knows what he is doin to help you with ur load sizing and cost.
8. With proper sizing and PHCN hours, you will get ur money's worth. With no PHCN please stick to your generators.
9. The bad news is that solar system is still very expnsive.
10. The good news is that there is rapid development in solar cell technologies. Thin film solar panel promises to cut cost to as low as 90cents/W

Good luck all

I doubt if yaradull is goin to understand haf of what was written.

I suggest recruitin and trainning a new police by sourcing from NYSC. pay off the semi illiterates we currently have as our police

Marley =Big fish
Fela = small fry
Marley is a world legend. It would be ambitious to call fela an african legend.

wackhack:
Now to what i felt the Lord want me to emphasis on is the issuse of "Foundation". What do i mean by that, every religion has a foundation and this foundation would either be God or Satan. Coming to issues before us, like someone said "Christianity is a continuation of Judaism" I strongly oppose that and say its not true neither does that came from the Holy-Spirit. Now, considering Catholic and all her embodiment or should i call them, "Her children'' and the way they practize their religion is of no different from a mere "paganism". Her foundation was wrong from the very day it started. Her foundation layer was Constantine an emperor in the ancient pagan Rome, who testify to have seen cross in the sky while going to a battle against his co-ruler mancentious in the river thyver[Novia bridge]. Not only that but no account of his salvation was mentioned neither found anywhere. And the truth of Christianity in his heart was ambiguos, he was ruthless and ambitious. His conversion was political rather than sincere.

I doubt if any comment or reference is going to really change many RCC members. I think prayers for the many sincere people in RCC is the way out of the great delusion.

So what? for all I know, any sect can say he was their convert b4 he died. pity we cant ask him if it is true

chukwudi44:
You are the biggest fool I have met in nairaland,dont you have pictures in your homes,the bronze serpent,winged creatures and other images made by moses,solomon e.t.c were they not graven images

Dont get so touchy mister. Yes I have pictures in my house, but non that I give any religious reverence to. Its your choice to make bronze serpent and other whatnots you chose to bow to. Christ never made any graven image nor did he commission any artist to do his picture for his followers to adore nor did his apostles. Ponder on this my Roman Catholic friend.

freak of nature

N50 gala+ N50 pepsi orobo

FYI eko o ni baje was Tinubu's slogan b4 leaving office. Fashola is only finishing what Tinubu started although he is doin in a fantastic way. While i will not say Tinubu is a saint, he is not a demon either. He replaced himself with someone better. All Obj could replace himself with was a sickly president with a dull v.p

seyi, apo e o ni gbe o. amin

For her own peace of mind, she shud openly tell d husband about it and ask him to put a stop to the friendship. If d guy really loves her he definetly will put a stop to it.

Definitely cricket. Cant stand watching a bunch of grown men making a fool of themselves. Same goes for baseball, rugby, american football, basketball, softball.

why is everyone suddenly making peace with IBB? Oh 2011 is around the corner.

To all those making dirty remarks, I dont see the G.O forcibly removing money from ur pockets. Those that have been giving have no complain. I agree that it looks like sheer insensitivity in this poverty infested country. Nevertheless the great commission of preaching the gospel to all nations cannot be comprimised.

Be a proffessional, state your terms b4 goin back . Your boss may have seen the evil of his ways

I see no reason why an african in the 21st century would want to live out the traditions of arabian desert dwellers. I think u need to think it tru b4 demandin 4 24k gold and what nots. The man might decide to enforce his muslim rights and give u good whippin every now and then or marry extra women or keep u in purdah. I think nig dowry traditions are quite affordable.

bought mum and dad nice gold watches. Bought me a N93 phone.

Good option but probably not feasible. It will take a civil war for UN to intervene and maybe put in place a true democracy. Those calling for breakup should understand it's not goin to happen without war.

So what? . Only for more of those devils to start mounting road blocks extorting innocent ppl. I dont see a way out of this rat race

grind kaun (potash), and mix with engine oil. Rub regularly on ur scalp.

A colleague of mine uses it. He runs his drinking water thru it, keeps it in his fridge, etc. I think it works for him cos he was able to slim down.

Thats all this country care about: - Statistics. If the topic is true, why is it that in most nigerian family, papa na chelsea, mama na arsenal, children na man U. Let this country wake up from its delusion of Grandeur.

ogbongzky:
THE LIST IS OUTDATED, I BEG MAKE THEM GO RE-QUERY their findings oooooooooooooo

Even with the master list, what can nigerians d? I guess we are totally screwed by this demons called public office holders

Methink wale's eviction is a ploy to make sure a female winner emerges

Sam Milla:
ACTING? I thought he is the IG now

Yes pending oath of personal allegiance to Y'dua et al