Barezzi:
Special thanks to Zeestone for an exceptional job.
BEFORE:
* 16 325w Solarworld panels in 2S8P configuration (5200Wp)
* 4 sets of Prosolar direct roof mounts
* Very steep roof
AFTER:
* Changed the panel config from 2S8P to 3S5P (4875Wp)
* Installed adjustable front and back legs to keep the panels horizontal
After reconfiguration, i now see peak power of over 4.4kw.
Pics coming soon...

Hello Barezzi,

Great news!!

What was the max. peak power from the initial 2S8P (5200Wp) configuration?

BigGuyMan01:
FCMB blocked my account they told me i exceeded the account limit and i was asked to upgrade the account which they requested for a National ID card and a Nepa bill whuuci willingly provided since on Friday but up till today my account is still locked.
I have sent them up to 10 different mails, called them, messaged them on Facebook and Instagram but my comments are always being deleted whenever I make a complaints on their pages.

This bank is ruining my life, these guys are making me having a hard to feed i don't know what to do anymore.

The funny part is that they got the worst customer service in Nigeria, they don't card about their customers they are only after their money and nothing else.

Mynd44 please help me move to front page to show the world the scam this bank is. I'll attach screenshots of my conversations with them and everything below

@OP
1. Visit the Bank to sort out things. if that fails, do 2.
2. Write a letter expressing your displeasure and ensure they acknowledge receipt. if that fails, do 3.
3. Escalate to CBN if nothing is done. Write a letter to CBN and attach scanned copy of the letter of complaint to cpd@cbn.gov.ng and make sure you copy their customer service (very important).

pranil:
Hurray After a lot of elbow grease over Saturday Sunday we are half way through

Great Work pranil. Will surely stop over to see things myself.

Cheers ma.

@

bigrovar:

lead acid is 99% cyclicable so there is money to be made from buying old dead batteries and selling them to recycle companies home and abroad.

Thanks. I understand better now.

kiekie1:

Okay Baba, let's meet in the other room as usual !

Hello Kiekie

Please enlighten me a bit. What do you use all these dead batteries for ? Been wondering.

bigrovar:
...This is due to the write limit of SD cards.

I thought you have moved from SD Card to the SATA Module using the Raspberry pi 3 X820 Expansion Board Supports 4TB 2.5-inch SATA HDMI Port USB 3.0. to solve the write limit of the SD Cards.

I use a 2G SD card with Noobs lite installed on my Raspberry Pi. No GUI, just the command mode version. I've never suffered a downtime with it even when I was rebooting at 2hrs interval. Though mine does not write to any database on SD card but the installation is just an upload medium to the emoncms.org website.

bigrovar:
Another reason is once I reboot I loose buffered logged files. Even without Internet logged files are kept in system ram until there is an Internet connection when there are not retroactively uploaded with appropriate time stamps. Rebooting would mean me losing every monitored data captured and stored between losing the Internet and before the reboot took place

I think the solution you implemented now, which is polling for the downtime on the network before a reboot is initiated is better. It meas a reboot will only occur when the network is down and it may not happen even in 2 or 3 days sometimes. More importantly, if you can trace the root cause/services that stops and automatically restart it with a daemon will completely eliminate the reboot and provide you with a more stable and healthy system. Cheers man.

earthrealm:


llooking for a similar solution for my cctv internet, i intend to power the internet with a glo 4g sim in a mobile phone-hotspot, but hv experienced this sudden outage that requires a phone reboot to resolve and restore network. the rebooting and restoring hotsopt isnt possible on most phones/apps, what do you reommend i use? how easy is this raspberry pi?, i gat 3/10 IT programming skillz , DO U THINK i can handle it?

I think it is not advisable to use a mobile phone for hotspot since the use will require the phone to be perpetually ON for a very long time. Also, the phone can also get hot with time. And schedule reboot in mobile phone is not that common unless you get a third party app.

Why not get a mini, micro-router or pebble. With that, you can then connect your cctv camera with wifi or network cable. A raspberry pi is just mini pc so that may not work for you. In addition, other forum members can also share the experience if they feel it will work.

bigrovar:

Second reason might be typical network issues..
Either way I needed a ensure the network is restarted once it has died.. took me a while to fix this but I think I have found a fix.
setup a daemon service which monitors the network process file and pings my server. if after 300 seconds it can't ping or the network process has stopped, it initiates a restart. I implemented new process watch this morning so let us see if it works.

@bigbrovar,

Had the same issue with my raspberry pi uploading to emoncms website too. At first, it was difficult tracing why it happens but i was able to pinpoint it to services stopping abruptly. I noticed as soon as you do a reboot, it starts uploading again. So what I did was to setup an autoreboot in crontab to automatically reboot the Raspberry Pi at at least 5 times daily and this solved the problem. I have since reduce the reboot time to once a day (12pm daily) and have not experienced any downtime since.

dapsyra:


Yes oh, lady solar came visiting today.

Jeeesuuuu!!!! 27.4 KWH . I think your setup has turned to a GenCo!!!. Thats quite impressive. Will like to be like you when i grow up.

hardywaltz:
Good day house please I need ur advice.
Please between these three Mppt Charge Controllers which is the most advisable to use for a 24v system (may be upgraded to 48v later on)
1. Fangpusun flexmax 60A
2. Fangpusun bluesolar 60A
3. Epever Etracer 60A
Thank you

@hardywaltz

No. 1 of course. I use the Fangpusun flexmax 80A. Been using it for more than a year, no issue. Though the FAN can be noisy but its bearable.

Sweet Solar Harvest in Abuja today.

pranil:
GUYS.

since weekend afforded me some spare time I decided to post my efforts on solar water heating

Those frequenting the forum would have known my efforts to acquire a solar water heating system and the challenges I faced I am happy to report that I am very happy with the final results after the first teething troubles Due to large content, the file is PDF ( acrobat reader) and can be downloaded from https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UnUpyI6UxUekqTklURmjERpapvRYGcnD

@Pranil

Good one. I am learning a lot from this already. This is what the forum is all about. Will give it a try at the right time.

GeorgeD1:
all,

after getting banned severally for the past couple of days i have finally decided
to go the attachment route. let's see if the botman can read attached files too

so, finally there you have it.

@GeorgeD1

Wow!! Thanks for the update. Your review is really eye-opening and will save a lot of us the stress. The after-sales service from Protek is so bad. I never imagined that. How will they survive in business without replacement parts? That business is doomed already. And to say I was saving money to buy that product after your earlier review. I will just make do with what i have now. But will still look forward to a solar water heater with good after sales service and warranty. Thanks once again for your review.

nonoski:
Pic 9 - Combiner box installation finished
Pic 10 - Outback Charge Controller mounted
Pic 11 - the battery bank

@Nonoski

Thumbs up man!!! Good work. That's the Spirit. Later, find time to tell us the level of excitement after doing the work yourself.

Enjoy.

nonoski:

Yes I will.
The Outback Charge Controller and Midnite Combiner box MNPV6 I bought from Amazon via MallforAfrica just arrived yesterday. (I had to wait 3weeks +)
However I will be doing the installation this weekend.
For now I'm doing a lot of literature review, research and YouTube watching of videos coz I intend to do all the installation by myself.
I have tried reading over 140 pages of this thread.

@Nonoski

Great! I love your courage! This place is filled with information. Best of luck my brother.

sinistrian:

Compare the two graphs below. The frequency of the troughs show how often the sweep is done, while the the depth/width of the troughs in the graph indicate how far it fell and how long it took to get back to Vmp.
The first one is the fangpusun with intermittent clouds passing over. Whenever it's overcast, the controller drops output and then starts hunting for the max power point. There is an annoying one around 2pm where it took a long time to get its wits together.
The second graph is for the tristar (low power output in the morning cos we were not home and all appliances were off). The troughs are not as deep/wide and yet they are more frequent, indicating that it detects the Vmp quickly after the clouds pass. This graph is not a great comparison as it wasn't too sunny today. But this result looks promising.

@sinistrian

I get it now. That's the advantage of data and long time monitoring. Thanks.

sinistrian:
Very little sunshine here too. I was waiting to boast of the stats generated by my morningstar
Anyway, the only thing i can say for now is that the MPPT sweep is very very fast - like once a minute, you wont even notice it. No more starting from zero like the Fangpusun 150/70.

@sinistrian

Can you throw more light on the bolded. I thought it is also MPPT and a Victron Clone? Thanks.

nonoski:
Good day house

Outback Flex 80 FM80 MPPT 80 AMP Solar Charge Controller including OutBack Power RTS Remote Temperature Sensor
48 x 400AH battery bank (with ZHC battery equalizer)
3.5kva 48v Exulted Inverter (to be replaced with Must power 5kva)
I will doing all the connections myself, this weekend we will be removing interlocking stone to pass conduit pipes from the PV stand to the building and all other ancillary works.
Thank you

@Nonoski
Hi,
How was the upgrade/installation? Do share the good news with us here.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
VmP 37.5v × 3 = 112.5v

VoC 45.9 × 3 = 137.7v

Bear in mind these two parameters are at 25°C STC temperatures and actual voltage will derate based on a known temperature coefficient for our ambient weather here in Lagos around 28°C to 35°C
Regardless, these are both within the tolerance for the MorningStar.
There is a derating algorithm designed into the[b] MorningStar[/b] where if the VmP gets into the 125v range it throws a fault code 'High Array Voltage Current Limiting' and throttles back on things to keep everything within tolerance.
See below nameplate of the Canadian Solar 330w as well as my max array voltage over several days.

I just love the Graphing functionality of the MorningStar. It is similar to Midnight Classic. Anytime I have the opportunity to change my CC, I will surely choose one of those marvelous CCs.

mank1234:

330W * 3 in series? Is it not too close to the CC limit of 150V?
What's the panel's Voc?

No. As per voltage, he is fine.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
I run a 48v nominal battery system. So my panels are connected 3 in series.

With that, I suspect you have 135.9V & 35.04A as cumulative feeding your CC (for the 12 pv panels) right?

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Two separate PV arrays on two separate MorningStar MPPT 60 CCs
1st PV Array - 3.6kw of Flames 300w Mono Panels - 12pcs about 2 years old
2nd PV Array - 2.97kw of Canadian Solar 330w Mono Panels - 9pcs under 6 months old.

@NiyiOmoIyunade

Hello,

How did you connect your pv arrays? Is it 2 in series or 3 in series before the parallel connection? Also, whats the cumulative/expected PV Volt/Amp that is feeding your charge Controllers?

Thanks.

nonoski:

Yes I know the max wattage for flex max 80 using 48v system is 4000 watts like u pointed out but from what I gathered from this forum is that a 4500 watts system will most likely not do above 75% - 80% (3600w max) from my pv due to inefficiencies.
So I think I will be doing just fine

@Nonoski

That may not be true in all cases. And with the way your solar panels are receiving fresh air on those stakes, I believe you may experience 100% or better performance on your panels one day. I use the Flexmax 80 too and I noticed I did 100% briefly one day on my 3000 watts Felicity Solar Panels.

nonoski:
Good day house
In continuation of my last post where I'm trying to add solar panels to my already existing inverter.
Attached below is a schematic diagram of my intended connection.
Total of 15 panels (12 are 300w while 3 are 325w) connected in 3S 5P total 4575w connected to

Midnite Combiner box MNPV6 with a high voltage lightening surge arrestor

Distance from Combiner Box to Cc is 51m so I'm using 16mm2 flex (5AWG)

Outback Flex 80 FM80 MPPT 80 AMP Solar Charge Controller including OutBack Power RTS Remote Temperature Sensor

48 x 400AH battery bank (with ZHC battery equalizer)

3.5kva 48v Exulted Inverter (to be replaced with Must power 5kva)

I will doing all the connections myself, this weekend we will be removing interlocking stone to pass conduit pipes from the PV stand to the building and all other ancillary works.

A few Questions:
Is it necessary I include a DC breaker between the Cc and the battery bank (I already intend to put a 100amps breaker between the Combiner box and Cc)

What size of wire do I use between the CC and the battery bank.

Looking at the attached diagram pls is there anything I missed out just incase

Thank you

@nonoski

Please take a look at the specification for FLEXMAX 80 before you max out on the max. power and voltage specification. Kindly keep us updated with diagrams of your installation. Best of luck

pranil:
It is an actual weather station connected to a small raspberry pi which uploads it to the internet and keeps a local database. If you check on Wunderground it is GOLD star rated ( means accuracy has been tested for more than 5 consecutive days against other sources ) Your are always welcome. to visit . the same applies to anybody who is intreetd in information sharing

@Pranil

Thanks for the Invite. I have spent the past couple of days looking at the readings (temperature mostly) of your weather station and comparing to other sources and I must say the accuracy is fantastic. I will surely visit your site to see how it works. Will contact you soon.
Thanks.

pranil:

you can always check actual solar insolation from my weather monitor ( installed in Wuse 2)
https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=IABUJA3

@Pranil

Kindly give more insight into your weather monitor. How can we use this to predict the solar isolation? or it is just showing the live data only? It is a great project. Kudos to you. I may visit the site one day if you permit to see the setup and how it works.

Thanks.

@dapsyra

You are not alone!!! Rainy and almost sunless. I was able to generate 2.4kWH. At a time, I had to call my wife to turn off some appliances when I noticed the terrible production from emoncms and Pvoutput. Thank God I monitor it live.

pranil:

The Ipower has an issue with the firmware which leads to this phenomena - can be fixed by uploading Coulombs firmware d.i.y route ( that's what I run on my ipower/zinnox) My flooded batteries are running since last 3 years and the midpoint between two separate banks of luminous and sukam is still below 0.2 % showing effective equalization and absorb
description of the BUG
http://forums.aeva.asn.au/viewtopic.php?title=pip4048ms-inverter&p=59896&t=4332#p59896
The latest pateched firmware ( BETA USE AT YOUR OWN RISK)
http://forums.aeva.asn.au/viewtopic.php?p=66664#p66664

@Pranil,

Thanks for providing the solution. That will save @ANEB some bucks if he can upload the firmware.

@ANEB
Can you see! the Beauty of sharing information. Now you have a solution which will correct the anomaly (though with the disclaimer "AT your own risk" ). So if you can do it, just give the upgrade a shot.

ANEB:
My Journey into Renewable Energy.
2015! Yes 2015. That was the year I had to make a decisive and far reaching decision about the future of power generation and consumption in our "little" home. I approached my wife, (mind you, with caution) and my children to discuss this new project that could potentially reduce the astronomical cost of electricity (alas! In the future) in our "little" home. Solar power... using photovoltaic panels.
Being a DIY person, I set out on the design. Base on personal data collection, I came to the conclusion that my household basic appliances electricity requirements was about 18KWH for 24 hours. That's a huge amount of power to generate considering that Calabar falls under a 4.5hour full sunlight per day region. I decided to cut down on some load... replaced all the light bulbs with LED bulbs. And  the load dropped to 15KWH in 24 hour usage. 
I believed modular design would work better for me. I set out to purchase the following equipment:
80amp charge controller (outback FM80.. though the seller sent me 60amp FM60. that was dubious of him)
5kva Ipower plus hybrid inverter... Zinox
Luminous 3.5KVA inverter (existing from my previous inverter project)
16# 250Wp solar panels (later upgraded to 26# ) i.e. 6500Wp panels in total.
16# 200AH AGM batteries in 48v system  (existing from my previous inverter project 4yrs old).
Some cables. 16mm and 35mm for moving the huge current from combiner box to the charge controllers.
Breakers as appropriate for the design. Constructed a stand for the solar panels (though some panels are roof mount)
NOTE: Due to the peculiar nature of house, I had to make some concessions.
Trading high angle 19° for a 3.5 hour shading from 2pm. I figured the losses would be less with high inclination compared to 3.5 hours of shading.
We completed the installation and power generation has been better than expected.
Challenges I have encountered so far...
The Zinox Ipower plus inverter though very good has one draw back. It only absorbed on utility mode. When on solar... it jumps the absorption mode to floating mode. As such, I had to reduce the number of panels to Ipower plus inverter and put more panels on Outback charge controller. I maxed out in amps on the outback FM60.
Future plans:
Purchase additional Flex max Charge controller (FM80)
Increase my panels to 9000Wp
Find out more about batteries... possibly the batteries with 3000 or more cycles.
Currently, we run 1.5hp borehole pump daily for 45minutes
Microwave oven for 30minutes
Other loads amount to 800Wp
In 24hours, we take from the solar average of 19KWH.
The system can do more but not enough good batteries yet to maximise it.
Most of my knowledge came from this forum. So gentlemen and ladies (If there's) thank you for contributing everyday and finding time to respond to questions and challenges. You guys are the best.

@ANEB

Thanks for sharing your setup with the house!! You have a fantastic setup.

5kva Ipower plus hybrid inverter... Zinox ..... It only absorbed on utility mode. When on solar... it jumps the absorption mode to floating mode....

Wow! this is painful. The solar charging part is faulty. Hope this is not a drawback for hybrid systems? The proposed FM 80 will fix the issue but it means spending more. For me, I don't charge my batteries at all with utility power again. I completely disabled it. I hope you will be able to do this when you increase your solar panels anyway.

16 - 200AH AGM batteries in 48v system (existing from my previous inverter project 4yrs old).

Whats the name/model of these batteries? 4 Years. Are they still strong?

All in all, am sure you are happy with your setup. Can you imagine how much you have saved on petrol and generator noise? That's the beauty of Renewable energy.

Do enjoy and keep us informed always.

Cheers.

bigrovar:
Just finally moved to my own modest house. Decided to finally take a chill pill on the race for the higher wattage and settle for efficiency on the consumption side. This allowed me to set aside some funds for putting a roof over my head all glory be to God. My 1.84kw panel is all the electricity I need for now. I will connect to the grid once am done with some finishing touches to the house.. I generate enough to provide me 24 hours electricity that meets every basic needs refrigeration, laundry, light, TV, kitchen stuff.
The house runs on LED spot lights the highest being the single 12w kitchen lights. Over night amps draw before sun rise is 75AH from a 24v 200ah battery. I had time regig my setup.. Power drill was a life saver.

Congrats man on the house. Thats a good one.

mank1234:
In the tradition of the house, I'm sharing my very first installation.

This is my first dealing (3 weeks ago) with kiekie1 and he didn't disappoint. Paid for items on Saturday and by Monday it was delivered to Akwa Ibom. Was initially skeptical about the brand but with his assurance, I must say the brand - Foresolar is beyond expectation.

325W foresolar * 2 for a total of 650W wired in series.
60A tristar MPPT controller with no meter
60A and 32A circuit breaker - wired such that if the battery is disconnected the solar is disconnected as well through the 60A breaker. The 32A breaker is solely for solar.
Chinese meter is for monitoring power into or out of the battery. The monitoring for the controller will be by Ethernet. The router is yet to arrived.
The attached images were taken at 4:20pm today. The total current drawn by inverter as fridge, tv and fan are on is 11.2A. So in essence the current from controller is 14.9A. The setup still manage to pump 1A to 7A during the period it is shaded due to the panel location.

@mank1234

Quite Impressive. Thanks for sharing. Welcome to the Club!!!

@zeestone99 & Gen2ty

Sweet!! Very very Sweet! Love the car port solar panel stand. Its the way to go if there is money and space.


Solar Panel = 300W x 20 right?
How many batteries?
is that Ipower Inverter?