₦airaland Forum

ojesymsym:
Looks like the sun's trajectory across the sky has shifted a bit by a few mini degrees.

Na wa o o.. Una dey monitor angle of the sun too. Chaii.. I never even start . You guys are making me look like a vulcaniser that is venturing into aerospace ran by NASA.

earthrealm:
This article is a good read, and tackles all aspects of the lifepo4 vs lead acid debate..
I must warn you, its a long read ..

Peeps averse to long reads can scroll to midway and read only the pros and cons of Lifepo4 battery bank.

https://marinehowto.com/lifepo4-batteries-on-boats/

That was a very long one but very educative.

earthrealm:
I feel you may have some bad/weak batteries in the mix, i suggest you buy or borrow a 12v battery load tester and check each battery 1 by 1.
Charging very fast is a classic sign of bad battery, how old is your battery?.
When did you introduce solar?. Hope from day 1, cos that inverter looks like a dumb inverter, not capable of charging fla batts.

Lastly, hope your cc is configured properly to charge flooded battery, what are your absorb and float voltage settings

Thank you for the response. i will get to it this week.

ojeysky:
Which is same thing that others have been saying as well(including myself). I will just add that people should stop referring to those using lithium as advance people, it's not the case at all. It's also no longer valid that a truly equivalent cost of a lead acid is less expensive than a Lithium equivalent. Ultimately it depends on individual preference.

It should not be a war between both chemistry, it should be an attempt to have one another informed and updated so each person can make an independent but informed decision!

Truly said sir

Saipro:
If it works for me, it works.

Well said sir. Use whatever works for you.

I have found the debate on lithium vs lead acud batteries very interesting and educative. For me i think the lithium is designed for those with space and weight constraints like boats, ships, planes, etc. Despite its advantages, cost is a major decider for me. I no get kidney to sell .
I have a major concern though on my solar array. I observed it does bulk charging /absorption in about 3hrs and goes to float for the rest of the day. Is it supposed to charge that fast?

In the morning when I check, the battery is at 48.4 v with the lowest individual battery volt at 12.08v. CC battery indicator shows i am just above 50% capacity.

My Set up is thus:
1. 30 x 320watts flames panels (mono), set up as 3S5P. 15 panels directed to one solar CC.
2. 2 x MUST MPPT Solar CC (100A)
3. 16 x 200AH @C10 Flooded Luminous batteries. (i ensure i don't reach 50% DoD. 4S2P batteries connect to each inverter
4. 2 x 5kva 48v Mopower inverter.
5. Sukam 48v battery management system. (Although I feel this is a waste since the CC has equalization function).

Is it normal for my CC to be charging the batteries at float stage just after 3hrs? I feel its too fast. Any suggestion or thought? or could it be that it is in the absorption stage but the indicator is giving a wrong indication of being in the float stage.

eleojo23:
Ok, but the 50% DOD rule still applies to all regardless of C rating?

Does DOD mean depth of discharge? How do you measure that?

cretin:
am a silent follower of this forum

pls help me choose btw these options.

1. 4 units 12v 200ah quanta /thundervolt smf batts .about 600k
2. 48v 200ah felicity lifepo4 bank, abt 700k

3.4units 12v flooded tubular batts, i see so many makes with slight diff in prices, is anyone better than the others?. genus, mecury, luminous etc about 500k

Make sure you buy a C10 and not the rampant C20. The C10 is more expensive. For luminous, you will see solar boldly written on it. It is sad that even the luminous marketers don't know why the "solar" tubular battery is more expensive than the regular tubular battery variants.
Try to read about the differences between C10 and C20. If you have good power supply, C20 may suffice.

JustCryptos:
I use this at home. There's an option to change the consumption between 400w, 700w, and 1200w I think. I sometimes use it with my gen set.

Thanks a lot for the info.

Dam5reey:
It's a great Microwave has selectable power 200W is where it starts at the power it will consume 600watts, and work like electric iron it will drop power every interval, though but takes longer to heat but it works.

At 400W, it consumes 800watts continuously and does not drop power at interval, I prefer this.! But there is no way to make it permanently on 400W you always have to set it just 3 clicks..

600w - 1000 watts is where I set when there is grid power.. it's faster

Got mine around 30k before Naira collapse

Thanks a lot for taking time to elaborate. Very helpful info.
Wow, 30k...now it is astronomical.

ojeysky:
If it's not significantly more expensive than the normal ones I will suggest you get it

Thanks! I will buy.

ceaser:
1. Tedious yes, but the pros outweighs that con. The tediousness is what guarantees the tight and waterproof connection.

2. The male-female configuration ensures there is always a tight slide-in fit. It is always a tight fit which te installer can further confirm with his meter if in doubt.

3. The solar panel is rated for 25 yrs, so also are the components that come with it. I've seen MC4s that has been in service for 6 yrs still maintain their tight and waterproof fit, not weather smitten or smouldered save a little fading of the black colour of the plastic to know that it can still go for another 10 yrs or so.

In contrast, use of plain wires that I did for small panels that didn't come with MC4s has shown me the unreliability of that method. With alternating exposure to rain and sun, the insulating tapes over time slowly lose their adhesion and unwraps thereby exposing the conductors which then turn green with corrosion and smoulders with exposure to the elements. Before you know it, you'll be climbing the roof every 2 or 3 years to maintain contacts. Although I noticed that hiding such taped connections behind/under the panel away from the elements tend to delay failure by as much as 2 years.

4. That taping fails much later from the explanation in 3.

5. Quality panels will come with quality components, the MC4 included. Even 2nd tier panels don't do bad in MC4s, though the wires may not be as thick gauge as their first tier counterparts.

Nigerian handymen need to drop this belief that they need to make modifications when such is not scientifically backed up. It is similar to they telling you that you will need to "permanent" the radiator fan of your imported tokunbo vehichle because according to them, the weather here is hotter. I experimented on that notion 12 yrs ago. Two vehicles, same type and model, bought at the same type. Against their recommendation to permanent the fans on both vehicle, I decided to do only one. Within 5 years of use, I've had to change the radiator fans of the modified one twice while the one with
the on-off cycle preserved is still going strong 12 yrs after according to reports from the new users.

It's due to intellectual lazyness and not questioning ideas.

Thanks for the elaborate and enlightening response but can you do a large connection without joining wires? E. G an array of 3S5P panels of 370W.

One installer said "I have to peal the insulator so as to join the series and parallel connections.Its just pealing the insulator to join the wires, I won't be cutting them off. ".
Not sure how true this is because this was after i insisted that the MC4 should not be cut off.

Hello Gurus in the house,

What do you think of the LG inverter microwave? Is it really worth it? If output is about 1250W, what is inverter about ?


https://www./lg-25ltrs-smart-inverter-neochef-solo-microwave-ms2535gis-45494770.html

Oshomo12:
Partial contact over time, exposure to the elements, wires can short out with time, how? village people! my brother, we are talking of fire at the end of the day.

come to think of it, Why must u chop it off in the first place self?

I asked an installer who said he always chops it off because :
1. Plugging them is tedious
2. Plugging them will prevent you from knowing if there is actual contact or not.
3.weather elements may affect the mc4 and they lose contact in future.
4. Tapping them properly after cutting gives him that reaasurance that all is in contact.
5. That is the most practicable way as one cannot be sure of the quality of the MC4.

MisterGrace:
I don't feel like.

Too many hypocrites in the church.

Too many corrupt pastors and politicians in the church.

The only girl I ever loved in my life was snatched by a pastor who was supposed to be our counselor.

Too many wicked people in the church maltreating their house help or their husband relations.

I no dey do again.

Anything church just dey vex me.

I am a Christian, but I no dey eye service poo.

This is especially to the members of churches that insist on tieing ur head, no trousers and no ear rings. So dissappointing.

ANEB:
My Journey into Renewable Energy.

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. 


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.

Hello Gurus,
Please how many full sunlight hours per day region does abuja fall into?

ojeysky:
It all depends on your load and what's the capacity of the panels?

Oga , you have been very loyal to this thread and very willing to help (online and offline). No question is too small or irrelevant. I just hope you have been receiving credit alerts commiserate with the efforts. All in all, God bless u.

Miracle1991:
so? Is that a guarantee for him to steal?

please read and understand the reason for my comment before quoting me. I responded to someone's ascertion of delta state lacking infrastructure and not supporting whether it was good for Ibori to steal.

ojeysky:
If you have 8 3.2v 280AH cells it will be 280AH 25.6v, when you connect in series you are increasing voltage but when you connect in parallel that is when you are increasing AH

Thanks

ojeysky:
There is nothing like a single 280AH 24V lithium, when you open it you will find that it contains series of 3.2v cells

Okay sir. So the series connection does not make the capacity 8x280ah=2240ah.

eleojo23:
Wait fes...
Let's buy enough masks and hand sanitizers for the thread before anyone can reply you.

I am fully kitted while quoting you right now.

You (Covid19) ain't no joke !

Gurus,
Please which is better?Buying a single 24V 280ah lithium battery as against buying 8 of 3.2 volt 280ah lithium batteries? Which is better for longer capacity in carrying load? Pardon me o o, I am complete novice in these matters.

drololaaof:
Deltand hail Ibori yet they are under developed in terms of roads and infrastructure. Who is to be blamed?

Stop assuming and making assertions based on false info. It is clear u have never been to delta state or villages in delta state. Ibori did a lot in terms of infrastructure. It is those roads and infrastructure that are still in place. There is a wide gap between delta and surrounding states. Edo is still trying to meet up despite delta having those things years ago.

earthrealm:
Nope the cc s i wrote also have equalization capability.
Epsolar itracer 60amps, cc and the others

Thanks

ojeysky:
Yeah must power is the manufacturer of must products, I do have one of their hybrids installed at a location it's a good alternative to felicity

Baba, thanks a lot. I was skeptical about their CC before now.

earthrealm:
The bolded are all hybrid inverters, what you posted is a CC, i dont know if that cc has equalization settings.
The old mustpower is no longer in the market, and i dont know if they changed their name to Must.
The sellers here would have been in a good position to clarify which device has what, but unfortunately most of them dont know/or are not interested in answering ...

Thanks a lot, it makes sense now. The inverters arw what can actually equalise the batteries.
I am grateful for your response.

earthrealm:
Epsolar 60amps mppt
Morningstar mppt.
Victron mppt.

Fangpusun wch is a chinese victron clone has that capability, but you need a special usb cable to unlock it.
Another option is buy an inverter with equalization option.
Mustpower,sorotec, phocos all have these.

Note these are just the models i can remember now
There are other models with similar capability out there

The bolder indicates that MUSTPOWER has this capability. Does that mean I do not need to use equalizer on the batteries again? Again, is MUSTPOWER different from MUST ?

JUO:
this na substation or house?

ojeysky:
This is a little significant set-up. I will try to summarize but I strongly recommend you get a techie to work with you on this.

1. Okay your inverter will need to support parallel option so that the output from the 2 inverters can be literally combined else you will need to separate the loads across both inverters

2. You could just get 2 hybrids and be done with but if you prefer standalone, need 2 CC with at least 80A, I suggest the 250v/100A victron or any other spec close to that.

3. Your wire guage is not sufficient, you should be fine with a 10mm guage (preferably 16mm) assuming you get the higher voltage CC such as the one recommended above

4. You will need to wire the CC in 2 arrays. How you then connect an array will all depend on the kind of Panels you are getting with regards to the max VOC of the panel

5. Each cc output wire will then need to go on the terminals of each of the 2 groups of 48v batteries as well.

Kindly note that the above is just summarised to give you an idea, there is more details to it than this but that should get you started.
All the best.

Wow, thanks for the elaborate response.

1. My inverter is Sukam. I doubt it supports parallel output. Not sure though but we are separating loads.
2. The Victron 250/100 is almost 450k . Can the hybrid do same job? I understand the Victron can help you monitor your loads and even switch some off.
3. I will have to change the wires. What a waste. I will go for the 16mm so I can harness as much as possible.
4. Is understood.
5. Is understood.
Thank you so much.

NairaBaba:
PLC , programmable logic controllers, are not "analogue method" as you stated. PLCs generally handle analog( discrete) such your solar panel voltage and current, battery voltages and digital values such freezer/pump on, 0ff.

For anyone with basic programming skill, a glance into the ladder logic I uploaded will give the ideal of the almost endless configuration/ control that you achieve with PLC.

In the ladder logic I uploaded, I preferentially start and stop the freezers and pump based on solar power being produced. Battery voltage also can start and stop the loads, freezers and pump, . Built into the ladder logic I uploaded are number of timers; on-delay, off-delays, weekly and yearly timers, astronomical clocks, counter , resets, trip signals etc to ensure Safe and optimal performance.

I opted for PLC because I want to run my loads, start and stop freezers/pump, based on the available solar power production optimally without deeping into the battery.

With PLC , remote monitoring and datalogging can easily be achieved.

This is very good for someone that is off grid. Is this PLC different from the solar charge controller or does it also do the work of the solar charge controller. If not, how does it come-in in the wiring?is before the cc or after the cc or after the inverter?

ojeysky:
You didn't state the capacity of the battery, why do you also need 2 inverters, is it due to your load?
That said, note this for a start, If your battery is in 48v then your CC must be 48v compatible not 98v

wilmaria14:
Will say u use 2 CC for it to work well 48v as it is in d inverter and battery

Thanks a lot.
The Batteries are 12 V 200ah to be connected in series to make the 48 V (4 batteries in series). Yes, I need the 2 inverters because of the load as I initially planned using 10kva 180 volt inverter which I was strongly advised not to use.
So, that said, it means I will use two 48v CC of say 100A?
Another question that comes to kind now is how to get power to the two CC. Should I give them different panels? I plan to buy about 32panels, should I wire it in such a way that 16 panels are charging one whilst another 16 is charging another? Or is there a device that can split the charging into the CC or is it by simply connecting power from the wire that comes from the panel and splitting it into the two CCs? I am a novice so don’t mind my rudimentary questions.
Because we needed to cast compound, we made provision for the DC wire that will come from the roof. We used two 4mm wire for a height of about 12 metres. Is the 4mm sufficient to carry the current from 32 panels of 320 watts?
Your responses will be highly appreciated.

Hello gurus,
Based on guidance from this platform,I plan to have two 5kva 48v inverters (4 batteries in parallel for each totaling 16 tubular batteries). Can I use a single Solar mmpt CC to charge the batteries? If so, will it be a 96 v CC?