Bigrovar's Posts

Nairaland Forum › Bigrovar's Profile › Bigrovar's Posts

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 (of 61 pages)

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 11:28am On Mar 05, 2017

harveyspec:
please if an inverter is rated 1700va, 1190W with a crest factor of 1:5

what does it mean?

cc:
chris81964
DMerciful
bigrovar

1700va and 1190w just means the inverter has a power factor of about 0.7 (The difference between VA and W is represented by power factor. VA is used with AC appliance were sometimes volt and amps go out of phase this is caused by how AC appliance load shifts the phase of the current compared to the phase of the voltage. The closer the power factor of a device is to 1 the more efficient that device is at power consumption. hence 0.9 PF is better than 0.8. You can get the PF of a device by dividing w by va in your case 1190 / 1700.

Crest factor is another term for surge capability of an inverter. 1.5 means the inverter can surge up to 5 times its rated power. In this case your inverter is 1190w (its rated power) but it can surge up to 1190 x 5. Inverter makers often exaggerate their crest factor. even if an inverter can do 5 times its rated power (highly improbable) it often can only do this for about a second which might not be enough to start devices where such power is needed.
Crest factor allows an inverter or generator to start devices which requires 3 to 5 times their running power when starting (usually not more than 3 secords)

4 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 6:51am On Mar 04, 2017

Saipro:
I don't really think so. As you are aware, 3 of my 8 batteries were defective ab initio. The one with the worst defects gave up first. From extensive reading and conference with people who've been using solar since the 80s, I would say we're doing everything right. We need better batteries.

I am yet to receive a single complain from any of my US Battery users/clients. Fresh stock for each one. Me thinks:

1. Our Trojans spent a wee too long in the warehouse. We have no idea of how they were maintained or bulk charged (3 of mine came with swollen terminals and buckled plates).
2. No need to reach float everyday so long as you can hit 90% daily. 100% charge twice a week is adequate.
3. Do not keep them under 50% charge for any length of time.

Golden rules:
4. Single string rules! If you must use multiple strings, connect them all to a busbar. More than 3 strings is considered poor practice.
5. For FLA, be mindful of electrolyte levels
6. For FLA as well, check SG at least once a month for the first 6 - 9 months so you get a feel of which batteries might give issues.
7. Routinely check terminals for dirt, corrosion and loose connections. How often is up to you

Finally:
8. Learn your charging voltages for your batteries. Overcharging is nearly as lethal as undercharging.
9. If you wouldn't be using your batteries for a while, find a way to trickle charge them to maintain them in float. Or since Nigeria is smack in the middle of the tropics, bulk charge them every 30 - 60 days.
10. Oh, I almost forgot: if you your batteries are constantly warm to hot, there's a problem. True, you get more kick out of warm batteries. They also die almost twice as fast. Shorts, overcharging, loose connections, etc. Whatever the case, investigate fast, especially if a single battery or two are warmer than the others.
11. I have been told that it's also good practice to occasionally take your batteries down to about 50% and bring them back up soon afterwards. There's supposedly another that of hard sulphation which occurs with frrquent shallow cycles. Do that perhaps every 2 - 6 months. At least once a year. You stand to gain a lot more than you stand to lose. If you routinely discharge 30 - 50% of your capacity, this advice isn't for you.

What else? Let everyone else contribute. I'm sure there are a lot of "green scholars" here.

If only nairaland has support for stickies.. This post should be tucked right where everyone can see them.

Our Trojans spent a wee too long in the warehouse. We have no idea of how they were maintained or bulk charged (3 of mine came with swollen terminals and buckled plates).

I think you are on to something there

2 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 2:13pm On Mar 02, 2017

chris81964:
I have had the same experience with my batteries multiple times. It happens the same time every. When I am away and Nepa goes with me. You can't be off grid and not have a generator, you will damage your batteries.
Run an equalization charge twice the first week and then every week for a month. Make sure you fully charge your batteries every day. They will recover. Mine took much longer this time than the last.
I am doing a video on it. You will see it on my YouTube channel next week.

Exactly why I like FLA for all their perkiness they are tough to kill and even when they die, like Iron Islanders, what is dead sometimes can raise again harder and stronger

1 Like

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 2:11pm On Mar 02, 2017

Penuelseun:
Akure, how much is it

ahh too bad... I really can't be bothered with the logistics. I hope to sell for around 40k, so I can add and procure a 250w panel.

Computers › Re: Ubuntu Linux by bigrovar(m): 10:47am On Mar 02, 2017

Gargoylesmiles:
I am a KDE fan so i have the Linux MInt 18 KDE currently running KDE Neon (User Editon).

KDE Neon is the best thing since sliced bread. Its everything you want from an operating system and brings out the best of the K Desktop. What I love the most about it is that the Neon is a KDE rolling release that is based on a stable Ubuntu LTS. You get the latest stable edition of Kde 5 on a solid base. KDE 5 itself is a joy to use. You install and you are ready to go. It is also stripped bare and does not come with bloats like akonadi, amarok or any of those non sense, It's clean and light on resources, what else could one ask for?

1 Like

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 10:31am On Mar 02, 2017

Penuelseun:
Pls who among my Ogas can sell any extremely cheap & used solar panel to me here, will really appreciate coz PHCN never remember our side for 1 week plus now & I am tired of charging my battery with generator. You can also dash me as the spirit leads you. Thanks

Your location? I might have a used but very efficient 220w solar panel for sale. I am selling for the need to upgrade my array to 1kwa, I already have 3 250w panels but the 220w is the bringing down the general power of my array to sub 900w

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 7:42am On Mar 02, 2017

abunafiu:
For over a week now.

Not sure if I would love to have a repeated flooded experience.
What about you?

Flooded is it for me oh although AGM has a advantage in terms generally having a higher charge and discharge rate compared to flooded. The ability to equalise and replace lost electrolyte for a flooded battery, ability to check SG and see how each battery cell are doing, and the general longevity of FLA if *properly used and maintained* wins it for me. With AGM or other sealed batteries, its very hard to tackle the issue of voltage divergence between the batteries and cell within a battery. especially when running multiple batteries in series (or parallel) some have mitigated this problem by getting a battery balancer (additional cost) With flooded you just need equalise once a month and you are good to go

1 Like

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 8:04am On Feb 28, 2017

dapsyra:
You can buy from any reputable dealer. Just make sure you buy LED (not LCD) TV.

Most 32' LED TV consumes less than 25w.

My 42inch LG LED consumes 20w on Eco mode

Foreign Affairs › Re: African Militaries Strictly Discussions Thread. by bigrovar(m): 4:33pm On Feb 26, 2017

jln115:
You mean a shellacking by the Russian winter!!

If Hitler just had the common sense not to attack Russia in winter it would've been bye bye USSR...also remember the Germans were fighting on multiple fronts and were still fvcking up the Russians before Winter hit!!

abeg make una no vex that I resurrected an old discussion. I just had to respond. The general misconception is that Germans lost to the Russian winter. i.e Russian winter played the biggest role in the Germans losing out to Russia. This is not true. Yes the Russia winter played a role but the biggest reason why Germany lost to Russia was due to Hitler's sense of invisibility, craziness and extreme arrogance. Germans went into Russia believing they were in for a swift victory the likes experienced in Western Europe. They considered the Russian to be of a lesser class of people who would surrender in their droves under the Blitzkrieg. The expected to to be home by Christmas (a 6 months campaign)

This arrogance made the Germans commit the following tactical error:

Started the campaign without preparing for the Russian winter: The men had no winter clothing, their hardware had no provision for coping with the russian winter.

They completely under estimated the fanatical defends of the mother russia by the Russians who in many instances fought to the last man.. This type of resistance was alien to the Germans who were used to mass surrender once a you outflank and surround an army.. it is suppose to just give up and surrender. The Russians choose not to play to that script and instead fought with the skin of their teeth even when all hope seems lost. Germans often find themselves surrounding and then having to take out the Russians from every inch of land leading to very high attrition from the former.

No room for reserve, Arrogance allowed the Germans to throw in all they had.. because they were assured of victory, they made no room for reserve. Stalin on the other hand used his reserve very well. Unleashing them on the wary Germans time after time at just the perfect moment.

Badly trained and equipped flanks. The Germans rear guard and flanks were often guarded by poorly trained, ill motivated and equipped Hungarian alley. The Russian on many cases especially in the battle for Stalingrad concentrated their fire power on the German Hungarian flanks.. decimating them with their multi rocket launcher before encircling the 6th army (Germany never recovered from that loss)

Hitler's insanity halted the German advance on Moscow, allowing the Russians enough time to prepare a defence. Many German general would go on to say Moscow was the beginning of the end for the German eastern campaign.

Also Hitler's obsession with Stalingrad, a city with zero strategic value but sucked in lots of men and resources which should have been heading towards the more strategic oil fields of baku.. Hitler insanity was in full display when he ordered the 6th army not to attempt to break out of their encirclement even when the opportunity arose. Promising to supply the troops by air.

Even at the battle of the kursk Hitlers delay and constant postponement allowed the Russians to have time to a well laid out plan.

in all these Winter role was just an enabler for the Russian's

1 Like

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 8:51pm On Feb 16, 2017

anidat77:
Hello Gurus, I need some clarifications.
I recently observed that my 4pcs of 12V deep cycle batteries connected to my 24v inverter becomes drained to almost trip-off voltage.

My bank gets charged either from the solar panels or Nepa light so by sunset they are 26.6V on good harvest days. I run my petrol generator from 7pm to 11pm if no Nepa, but from 11pm to 7am the batteries power the 3 energy bulbs and 2 fans , max of 200w.

I tested the voltage of each battery and observed that 3 where above 12.3V but one was 10.5V, do I need to replace the 10.5v battery as this could end up draining the system, will this allow the system to retain much of the harvest from my panels so I can use it in the night without discharging all the juice from the batteries before morning?

I know the answer may be obviouse ,but guys ...recession is biting hard so do forgive and also give me all DIY options too for preventive measures

What is the capacity of the batteries. Your load seem very small 200w for 8 hours is about 66Ah... If those are 200AH batteries then we are talking about 16% of dod. And 33% if 100Ah ...In any case I would be concerned by the why so to prevent future occurance. Size of your cable, size of your panel length between PV cc and cc to battery. A picture would also help. All this is so that house can look at your installation and make suggestions . Prima facie it would seem u were bitten by the threaded series parallel connection problem.. this problem can be miltigated by using proper cables and getting equal length from charger to battery. Using battery balancer and equalisers also help.. for now stick to 2 good batteries since you have a 24v system.. try to see if you can put the bad battery under sustained charge to see if it can be woken but don't count on it.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 5:59am On Feb 15, 2017

Una don the see the secret behind my battery pampering grin

.. even am away on travels.. security lights in my house do their thing.. come on at night, go off at dawn. Even the outdoor Christmas light runs on solar.. I nor fit shout..

Below are 2 crude videos I made from my phone showcasing some of the functions of the BMV victron battery monitor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTvvPg_z8MI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8tkdHXoCkM

1 Like

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 8:22pm On Feb 14, 2017

mank1234:
Nice. I love this. Please can you share the link so we can get it too. Thanks in advance.

The particular variant I ordered which has 4 LEDs is nolonger in circulation... Fortunately they have been replaced by improved version of what I have. The link below has the 6 led for less than 10 dollars. About 13 dollars including shipping.
LED Solar Light Waterproof IP65 Outdoor Lighting Ultra Bright LED Solar Lamp Wall Lamps For Home Garden Corridor Decoration
http://s.aliexpress.com/JfuIJN3Y
(from AliExpress Android)

Below is a picture of my own install in action.

6 Likes 1 Share

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 7:24pm On Feb 14, 2017

dapsyra:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/battery-equalizer-battery-balancer-for-4pcs-12V-battery-connected-in-series-for-48V-battery-system-solar/32643622608.html

Thanks alot

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 7:23pm On Feb 14, 2017

Barezzi:
Nice one Bigrovar.
Where did you get your Victron energy battery monitor BMV700/702?
I need it as an additional permissive to the timer switch to control loads on my secondary dB.

I ordered them via Amazon UK and had a relative visiting Nigeria deliver it. It's been an amazing device. I will find time to do a proper product review

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 7:19pm On Feb 14, 2017

pdozie:
Hi Bigrovar,
I took interest in the Bolded.
You mean you purchased a security system that is solar powered and run it separately off you inverter? Can you share details of the external solar security motion sensor lights please?

Yes o. My outdoor security lighting are completely offgrid, separated from the inverter and battery bank. I got 6 for $60. each has its own battery and tiny solar panel. I just nailed them to the wall and that's it. They come on by themselves at night and go off in the morning. Besides saving me 600wh daily, the fact that they are dim by default and only brighten up when they sense motion adds a layer of security compared to bright outdoor lights. This is because a bright outdoor lights gives the potential criminal a good view of your house and stealable items.. however a dim light restricts view of your compound.. the sudden brightness of the light also acts as an early warning system that someone is out and about around your home.

Been using them going to 2 years now and they are still running sunset to sunrise and require zero maintenance. I have more than recouped my investment on those devices.

6 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 1:56am On Feb 14, 2017*

dejidotun2000:
How do you regulate DOD, I see that you use a Sukam inverter which hasn't got an option to adjust low voltage settings.

The sukam has a LVD set at 23v but I have never even gotten close to that. LVD is a lousy inaccurate way of determining SOC of a battery underload because the voltage of a battery underload varies to the load put on it. The only time battery voltage can close to SOC is when the battery has been at rest for over 2 hours (which defeats the purpose of LVD) In the end, try to design your system to use only ~25% (to 50%) depth of discharge per day.... Usually, trying to automate a low voltage shutdown that protects your batteries takes a lot of time and money. --Plus a few problems along the way. Designing your systems and loads to stay within your desired window is best and the approach I took. It meant my daily battery cycle (consumption and charge) leaves my battery at not less than 65% SOC. Lowest state of charge I recorded was 55%. But usually my SOC is mostly around 65-70 on days when grid is off and at 80-90 when we get the usual 10 hours power from the grid. Battery rest voltage rarely drops below 24.7 in fact voltage mostly hovers around 24.9 to 25.1.

My loads include
Freezer (operating at minimum of 6 hours a day) fridge at 4 hours aday. TV at about 16 hours a day.. lighting at about 6 hours per day, ceiling fan for 7 hours aday and 2 rechargeable fan that operate close to 10 hours aday.

Most of the operating hours is at noon, there is a bit of catch 22, the high SOC means battery gets charge quickly which then allows me to run more heavy stuff like freezer during the day directly off what's produced by my panels removing the need to run them off battery which in turn means less load on battery and higher SOC. I also have a monitor that helps me ensure my battery is discharged at the 40 hours rate rather than the recommended C20. Average night time load is 120w when we have visitors and about 90w when we don't. This includes TV 2 fan and 4 lighting points

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 1:37am On Feb 14, 2017

dapsyra:
Hello Pdozie,

It all depend on your battery configuration. Either one or two equalizers can work.

If you have eight 12v batteries in a "2 strings of 4 " arrangement, then your require 2 equalizers.

But you can make do with only 1 equalizer if you arrange the batteries in a "1 string of 2 batteries" formation. This arrangement require you to parallel two 12v batteries and then four in series. See attached image,

Name of the battery equaliser that you use.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 11:22am On Feb 12, 2017

dapsyra:
The Mercury MC5048E is a very rugged pure sinewave inverter rated 48vdc, 5kva (4.2kw).

It was installed on 1/12/15 and I have not had a single issue with it. I live semi off-grid, so the inverter is on duty 24/7.

It has a very good load bearing capability. I have thrown all types of loads at it. Be it resistive, capacitive or inductive load, it bears them all without a hiccup. I have even loaded it up to 4.8kva for 5minutes and it handled well.

I do not use it to charge my batteries, so I don't know how good the charging circuits are.

It has two down sides that I have observed:

1. The Low Battery Voltage disconnect is 40vdc. This represent 100% DOD which will greatly shorten the life of your batteries if you allow them to get that low on many occasions.

2. The High Battery Voltage disconnect is 58vdc. While this value is adequate for SMF Gel and AGM batteries, it is too low to properly charge and equalize Flooded Lead Acid batteries.

thanks for the review. Which part of Abuja do u stay

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 11:07am On Feb 12, 2017

Number of watt my 43 inch TV + Dstv HD uses ... Just 30.. conservation is cheaper and more efficient than generation the way prevention is better than cure

2 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 9:17am On Feb 12, 2017

dapsyra:
Yesterday, at sunset, I washed my Solar Panels and was rewarded with a bountiful harvest today.

My harvest increased by 3kwh, from 11.7kwh the previous day to 14.7kwh today. My daily harvest had consistently hovered around 11kwh since January when the harmattan haze took over the skies of Abuja.

If you have not washed your panels recently, please do so without further delays. Your efforts will be pleasantly rewarded by the god of green energy.

Egbon according to your pvoutput page. You are using a mercury MC5048E inverter. How is it serving you. I always thought mercury inverters are all modified wave.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 9:00am On Feb 12, 2017

efuro:
for sharing your experience, i say thank you !

i love your Tubular batteries too i wish recession should just go to purchase some too. the distance btw battery bank & CC + battery loop seems too long, but you seem to have solve energy loss using rated cables. Nice too!

i admire your monitoring meter and its basic installation. it re-buttress what konnection said earlier that we are like hawks watching over our power solutions.

I am not comfortable with your cables hanging or dangling from your PVs. I hope you don't have domestic goats around your place or else they may practice "head butt" with it or use horn to test their stamina to impress she-goats.

Me too. But the panel cables where too short to have them tacked away. I would get a bamboo stick and wedge it under the panel so the cables can be hinged on them.

1 Like

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 6:45am On Feb 11, 2017

harveyspec:
I can't find it on Aliexpress o, I have searched excerpt I'm using the wrong key word

help me with the link

http://s.aliexpress.com/Z3MFveIj

3 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 6:42am On Feb 11, 2017

cooldipo:
Pls we need more contributions to this issue of limit pose by charge controller rating. In my case, I have a 12V inverter set up and a 30A Epever Tracer charger controller with 3 units of 150watt mono panels. The Max Pv input power is 390watt(12volts) 780watt(24volts) for the cc..... I was tempted to add one more panel even though the Maximum Power current is about 8.5A per panel. I wanted one more panel if 150watt for obvious reasons......bountiful harvest on days with less solar radiation which my supplier gave a nod to but my installer here gave me the scare that I run the risk of blowing up my cc with the extra/over current...... Pls help me out with informed opinion. Thanks

The max panel you need to achieve the rated output for the controller is 390w. You can stack up to 600w just your output would not exceed the 30A rated out of the controller. The line you should be careful and never try to cross is the max voltage which is 150v for most tracer series and 100v for the tracer A series. Check your cc manual for the absolute maximum PV power it can take which should be close to 1000w am not sure though. It's always good to have your panels properly derated to give you a more realistic output than the STC rating of the panel. The maths I use is PV Pmax x 0.77 from my experience that has given me the realest out put of my pv. .77 represent 77% of panel rated standard test condition PMAX. Hence applied to 450w panel you get 346w. Always good to assume 23% of your panel will be lost to heat, wiring and cc inefficiencies. Your mileage may differ depending on the PV and location.

1 Like

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 6:29am On Feb 11, 2017

harveyspec:
I haven't actually gotten the renogy CC, kinda of settled for this cos it's kinda midrange from all others & it's actually US made

How much did you get your fangpusun, meter inclusive?

did you import it ?

If you haven't gotten that CC then my advise is.. don't get it. The tracer bn series which that cc is based on has an horrendous tracking. It sometimes took mine 4 min to find MPP and recognise load applied. You can get the tracer A series (which has less VOC input limits 100v) but has very good tracking. Those controllers are not made in the US.

I imported the Fangpusun from Aliexpress you can check there. If you have to go for epsolar get their product Renogy warranty reputation is dodgy especially when you use them outside the US.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 6:17am On Feb 11, 2017

harveyspec:
Which is more rugged the renogy or epsolar ?

I thought epsolar is Chinese while the renogy is USA

the screen shots is from the manual, under tech spec, it says maximum solar input power is 1040w for 24v

then it also says Max Pv array power 1560w and Max Pv Voc input as 138v

So I don't get, what's now the total watts this CC can take?

Epsolar is the OEM for most of Renogy controllers. Most Chinese companies also make white labelled rebranded product for anyone with money to pay. Zinox Ipowerplus is actually a rebranded axpert inverter by voltronic.

The controller can take up to 1560w from PV. However you must never exceed the VOC input of 138. I would even advise you don't come close to the it's PMax limits controllers like most electronic work best when used below their recommended limits.

3 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 12:17am On Feb 11, 2017

harveyspec:
I want to buy solarworld panel 265w with the following specs

Maximum Power Voltage (Vmpp) : 30.7 Volts
Maximum System Voltage : 1000 Volts
Maximum Power Current (Impp) : 8.56 Amps
Open Circuit Voltage (Voc) : 38.9 Volts
Short Circuit Current (Isc) : 9.18 Amps
Cell Configuration : 60 cell in sries, (156mm x 156mm)

What's the maximum number of panels that can go with renogy mppt 40A CC(CMD-40)

my battery is 24v

The renogy cc is actually the rebranded epsolar BN Tracer. You have to check the manual to be sure what the max power it can take.. my advise is to stick with 4 (like the previous comment) just ensure your series string should not be more than 3.. the controller has a limit of 150v

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 5:01pm On Feb 10, 2017

So yesterday I finished series of updates I have been carrying out on my system. The upgrades include an additional solar panel (250w) to my 240w+240w+220w array. Due to the VOC limitations of my controller .. I had to switch to a series parallel setup. I had to improvise not having an mc4 y connector. Made do with wire joiner which I encased in a ip65 casing to prevent it from the elements.

Test showed about 35% increase in harvest. I was pulling 621w up from 420w (Harmattan had been very hard solar iridiance in Abuja. I project to get close to 850w pick power once the hazy sky is replaced by blue clear skies.)

Anyway.. next thing I upgraded was to replace my Tracer Bn series 30A Controller with a Chinese like for like direct clone of victron energy bluesolar MPPT charger. The clone is made by a company called fangpusun. The new controller is 45A, 150v MPPT. Got it because of the abysmal tracking of the BN tracer. It sometimes take 4 Minutes to find MPP with the bn.. a huge pain on cloudy days... I got the MPPT controll display for the bluesolar Controller, the Direct to USB cable which allows connection with PC. New CC has been a joy. Interestingly I get to update it using victron Energy firmware and Victron connect. Last update , I made was to replace my crudely put together battery monitor with victron Energy BMV 700 battery monitor. Comes with a shunt and display too.

Hope to do a product review on the BMV soon. (Fantastic product.)
Below are mandatory pictures

7 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 1:21pm On Feb 05, 2017

DMerciful:
Bigrovar gave an excellent deposition and solutions on what and what not to do if you want battery longevity while you gave a realistic situation and recommended Oversizing. You guys are great but I lean towards your angle more cos u're not d only user of d system to be able to really control DoD. For instance ur battery is 50% already and its still 10pm...what will you do? Shutdown d inverter and put on generator you have abandon for 1 year? Or stay in darkness? Mind you there may be cloudy weather the previous day and no NEPA light for a week. Why buy batteries of so much capacity and u're limited to only 30%? We need a battery revolution, LiFeO4 or Nickel iron are d way forward! Mind you with current cost of deep cycle lead batteries, its already at par with LiFeO4 cost wise. LiFeO4 ti take over

Just to add, I stay in abuja north centralish.. I think we have more sun hours and intensity here than down south. My 3 panels probably equivalent to what 4 or 5 panels do in lagos. I need to throw that out there.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by bigrovar(m): 9:30pm On Feb 04, 2017

idsolar:
just a thought of mine. i think you should let d house know your load, solar charge and battery capacity to enable u get proper advise. from experience, sometimes if any of d listed is not adequate, it may lead to frequent cycling/rundowns which is not good for any battery especially as u are offgrid

+1 mistake most people make. Fail to size their load and consumption and then working their way up. The cost economy of going green makes no sense if u keep changing batteries like recharge cards. Batteries the achilles hill of offgrid solar. It has to be pampered otherwise u lose the green advantage. How do you prolong your battery.

Know your battery. Understanding of what battery you have the type and specification is very important in how long it will serve u. AGM, Flooded and Gel all have their own peculiarities from charge and discharge voltage and current. What applies for one don't for the other.

Keep charge and discharge within recommended parameters. If you discharge your 200Ah C20 battery at c10 then it's nolonger a 200AH battery it's has effectively become a 180 or even 150AH battery with a different depth of discharge etc.

never discharge below 50% this is a golden rule for all lead acid batteries.. how do u know if your battery is below 50% DOD. Well you spend some money on systems that can give u an idea of battery state. From hydrometer in case of Flooded batteries to multimeter for SMF batteries to give u voltage readings (ensuring rest voltage don't go below 12.1v) but if u really want to keep an eye on your battery. Get a battery monitor with a current shunt. This can tell you how much has left your battery in terms of watt helping u have an idea of discharge depth vis a vis battery capacity. Some of this items cost less than 10$ on Aliexpress .

Also ensure to properly cycle your battery. Nothing kills lead acid batteries than leaving them in partial state of charge. Ensure to properly charge your battery to full at each day discharge. Never make a habit of using your battery today.. leaving it partially charged and then discharging it against tmr. The rule of thumb to make this easy to achieve is never to take from the battery more than you can give back. Although I have a 220AH battery at 24 volt which is about 2600AH at 50% DOD. I never discharge it more than 1500wh a day (about 29% dod) not because I can't go further but because if I do I might struggle to charge the battery back to full with my 660w panel array. Thankfully since my system went online my battery always gets to float every single day. Battery rest voltage never dropped below 24.7

Avoid parallel connection if I can. Rather it's always better to go on higher voltage than current. Parallel connection no matter how well installed have a knack for not being evenly charged. Even where u follow all the rules of using bus bar with Equal length cables .. as long as batteries even same brand have different internal resistance u will always have issues where one battery gets better charge than others you can mitigate the problem by using a battery balancer but that's just more money. Going for higher voltage is just a win win.

I hope more guys can chip in on how best to preserve ones battery.

For me Lithium based batteries are still too bleeding edge the tech is just not yet as matured as lead acid.. I will maintain a wait and see before I can consider it.

8 Likes 1 Share

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 (of 61 pages)