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Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 2:21pm On May 12, 2017

kiekie1:
... Mank, you very funny .. You don't need to criticise the marketer as the post isnt really complete without asking the poster how much he negotiated et al.. Let's kindly stop derailing the interactive forum/thread !

You sent me an unsolicited message offering me the batteries at N50k each.

I did not negotiate any price with you because I felt it was immoral and exploitative for you to ask for N50k each on those batteries.

14 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 11:30pm On May 11, 2017

dezo:
ALL SOLD!!!
Hello yall. 40 nos Fullriver 12v 200ah batteries for sale . Note they are not new and currently being used by me. Price is 20k. Discounts available for bulk purchase.
Thanks.
07065316182

ALL SOLD!!!!. THANK YOU

Reprobate:
I suspect 1 of the marketers on this thread, he will add 10k or more and resell at a neat profit

True to it, the marketer turned around and offered me the batteries at N50K each! Of course, I declined and drew his attention to the fact that he purchased at N20k each. This is how middlemen cause inflation and damage the economy.

14 Likes 1 Share

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 10:11pm On Apr 16, 2017

ValarDoharis:
Banned by anti bot spam. Here is DMerciful

continuation

Anyways it has 16 cells of 3.7v each connected in series-parallel of 4 x 4 to give 14.8V and a BMS to ensure over discharging is avoided. It has a display with a push button to know the voltage. I connected the display permanently (bypassed the switch internally) to see the voltage at a glance from afar.

If the nominal voltage of each cell is 3.7v, then the cells are not LiFePO4. They are likely Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO2) or Lithium Manganese Oxide (LiMn2O4). LiFePO4 cells have nominal voltage of 3.2v.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 6:43pm On Apr 14, 2017

babaegun:
Hello guys,

Been thinking of the best and most efficient 4 Battery setup. Can you guys assist me in choosing a good connection out of the 2 options and the reason. Thanks.

Option 1 is the way to go.

In option 1, equal amount of current pass through all for batteries during charge or discharge. The batteries should stay balanced without costly battery balancer

Option on run at a lower current and higher voltage than option 2, this allow you to use smaller gauge cable, lower amperage circuit breaker

Cable loss is smaller with option 1

Option 1 is simply simple, straight forward and easy

1 Like

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 10:53am On Mar 12, 2017

pdozie:
I don't have any settings for it. The inverter beeps once the voltage drops to 41v and below

Allowing your 48V battery bank deplete to 41V which represent 100% DOD before cutoff will send your batteries to an early grave.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 4:40pm On Mar 11, 2017

pdozie:
Am not sure if Morningstar displays incoming and outgoing values.
The figures I quoted are what is displayed, it doesn't indicate if it's IN or OUT.
Presently this is what the CC reads

1134W
3760WH
52V
21.2A

So, the figures are for the output of the CC.

If you have never seen above 25A output from the CC going into your 48V battery from 2,340W (9*260w) array, then something is not optimal.

Either there is an issue with the panel installation/cabling or your overnight usage is so small that your CC is throttling down in order not to overcharge the batteries.

2 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 12:18pm On Mar 11, 2017

JUO:
please note, he has never seen 25a on the said 260w*9 on 48v system

It depends on where he is looking.

On the input side, based of his 3x3 arrangement, he will never see 25A. The highest he will probably see is about 20A.

But on the output side, at peak periods, he will see values above 40A.

2 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 10:38am On Mar 11, 2017

pdozie:
Meanwhile, I have 9 * 260W panels connected to my 45A Morningstar CC. I never saw current of over 25A on the CC. The panels are rated 8.1A.
Connection is 3 in series then 3 strings paralleled. My thoughts were that with the 3 strings in parallel, the max current would be 24A (8.1*3).
Which means i can still comfortably add additional string of 3 panels to make it 4 strings in parallel (12 panels in all. which is 32A).

I made the connection, but the moment i plugged in the fuses, the CC sparked and smoked!!! I had unplug the fuse with speed of light. I cross checked the connections, measured the voltage from the new stings and polarities and it looked all OK.
I then went to the CC manual then noticed the max power for 45A is 2500W. Hmmm....
With my 9 panels I obviously had 9 * 260W = 2340W. But with the 12 panels, its 3120W. I was convinced the CC is maxed out.
Luckily the CC operated fine after the smoking (that's after I disconnect the new panels)

But I was sharing this with someone and he thought the CC can accommodate my additional 3 panels as they all combined has not reached the 45A Maximum rating. He thought I may have had a wrong connection (I doubt though).

Can the profs in the house help me analyze please. All panels are poly

Your CC has two sections, the input and the output sections.

The input section is that part that you connected to the solar panel while the output section is the part connected to the battery.

You are looking at the maximum current on the input section which is usually lower than the current in the output section. A MPPT controller will step down the voltage from the panel to match the battery and increase the current proportionally in accordance to the laws of conservation of energy.

In your case, maximum power available is 9*260W=2340W

The MPPT voltage of your panel is 260/8.1=32V

3 panels in series will then give 32.1*3=96.3V

3 panels in parallel will give 8.1*3=24.3A

So, in the input section the MPPT parameters are: 96.3V, 24.3A, 2340W

Now lets look at the output section.

If you have a 12V battery setup, the in-coming 96.3V gets stepped down to 12V and the 24.3A current will be increased proportionally. So the output current will be 24.3*96.3/12=195A. So require a CC that can handle 200A

If you have a 24V battery setup the in-coming 96.3V gets stepped down to 24V and the 24.3A current will be increased proportionally. So the output current will be 24.3*96.3/24=97.5A So require a CC that can handle 100A

If you have a 48V battery setup the in-coming 96.3V gets stepped down to 48V and the 24.3A current will be increased proportionally. So the output current will be 24.3*96.3/48=48.8A So require a CC that can handle 50A.

Adding another string of 3*260w panels to the setup will increase the power to 3,120W, hereby pushing up the CC requirement by 33%. This will exceed the capacity of a 45A CC even at 48V nominal battery. Hence the smoke.

The CC did not smoke earlier because of inherent power losses and conversion inefficiency that will not allow the panels and CC to operate at 100% efficiency.

10 Likes 1 Share

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 8:19am On Mar 06, 2017*

harveyspec:
thanks man, your explanation is crystal clear

but it appears my elementary maths is rusty, why is everyone assuming 5:1 is same as 1:5?

I thought 1:5=0.2

5:1=5

Is it that the manual made a mistake or I'm the one getting it all wrong

Again the manual says 1:5

pls does your above explanation still hold?

Like I said earlier, the minimum permissible crest factor is 1.0 or 1:1 which is the crest factor of DC current. Crest factor cannot be lower than 1.

The manual erred by stating it as 1:5. There are two ways we can try to interpret that error:

1. Take it that the manual meant 1.5. In this case, the surge factor will be 1.06 (1.5/1.414) ==> Cannot handle high surges

2. Take it that the manual meant 5:1. In this case, the surge factor will be 3.5 (5/1.414) ==> Can handle high surges

Considering that it is also stated in the manual that the Inverter is not for heavy appliances, I will choose interpretation 1 above.

Irrespective of whichever interpretation you choose, a 1190W Inverter will power a 120W fridge comfortably.

5 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 10:43pm On Mar 05, 2017

harveyspec:
Pls what I wrote was 1:5 not 1.5

the inverter spec sheet says it's crest factor is 1:5 (1.7kva, 1190w)

my main concern is whether this inverter can power a fridge of 120w.

the manual says it's not for heavy appliances & fridge was listed as one of such appliances

meanwhile some folks says it can power fridges & even freezers

CC
chris81964
dapsyra

Crest Factor can be stated in decimal (x.y) or ratio (x:y). The minimum permissible crest factor is 1.0 or 1:1 which is the crest factor of DC current. The crest factor for pure AC current is 1.414 or 1.414:1

To determine the surge handling capability of an Inverter, you have to divide the stated Crest factor by 1.414

In your case, the Inverter Crest factor is stated as 5:1, so it can handle surge up to 3.5 (5/1.414) times it's capacity.

The Inverter is rated 1190W, so the maximum surge it can handle is 4,165W (1190x3.5) for a very short time that would be stated in the datasheet.

Your fridge is rated 120W, but the startup surge can be 3 times higher than the rated power. So, we expect a power surge of 360W. This is well within the capability of the Inverter.

My conclusion: Based on the data you provided in this thread, the Inverter can power your fridge comfortably.

2 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 3:59pm On Mar 05, 2017

bigrovar:
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)

The Crest factor of a sinusoidal current waveform is 1.414.

An Inverter with crest factor of 1.5 cannot handle 5 times its rated power. It can only handle 1.06 (1.5/1.414) times its rated power for a very short period specified by the manufacturer in the datasheet.

3 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 10:59pm On Feb 27, 2017

chris81964:
Is it in the market today?

Yes, it is in the Nigerian market already. You can buy it at the LG shop. My wife bought one recently for her office. It sells for N210,000.00 each in Abuja.

1 Like

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 7:26pm On Feb 27, 2017

tundebabzy:
Please, I don't need a 40' TV. 32 us good enough for me. Can you direct me to where I can get the kind of energy saving one you mentioned?

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

Most 32' LED TV consumes less than 25w.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 11:47pm On Feb 25, 2017

harveyspec:
Pls this whole KWH is confusing to me, I know it's load in Watts X run time but when I have such an info above

20KWH battery & 7KWH consumption, how do I get to know what the load was & how long it lasted ?

Install a DC battery energy monitor between your battery and inverter, it will do all the hard work for you.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 11:41pm On Feb 25, 2017

efuro:
hummmmmmmmmmmm

am speechless!

NEPA will really hate you !

and may soon bribe you with 'Ghana Must Come' bags to stop opening peoples eye to free sun energy.

imagine, see your 15.9 KwH x Nepa rate = (thousands of naira/day) x months or (years of going green) - (initial expenses)=

nice one & good savings!

me i still dey 3.4KWH/day Sha!

The NEPA people have been to my house three times in the last one year to investigate me. They thought I bypassed the meter.

The big savings of using solar energy is not from not using NEPA. Rather, it comes from not using generator. Imagine what the cost of having power 24/7 will be if you are using generator(s) to augment NEPA.

2 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 12:44am On Feb 24, 2017

Barezzi:
Excellent! Very similar to mine... only difference is that my fridge/freezer also reverts to grid from 3pm.

How much power do you draw overnight?

What is your battery voltage and SOC by 7am?

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 9:50pm On Feb 23, 2017

DMerciful:
To have this harvest daily means you consume this much power daily. How so?

I have a lot of opportunist loads that I run during the day like Water Heaters, Water Pump, Fridge, Freezer, Induction Cooker, Iron and Aircon.

My entire house is 100% off grid between 8am and 4pm. After 4pm, the Aircon, Iron and Induction cooker revert to grid power while the Water Heaters and Water Pump remain on Inverter power but are switched off. Fridge and Freezer remain ON on a two hours alternating cycle till 8am

I have a 20KWH battery bank from which I draw not more than 7KWH overnight.

8 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 6:57pm On Feb 23, 2017

Harvest is good cheesy

15.9KWH today

15.5KWH yesterday

http://pvoutput.org/list.jsp?userid=46221

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 7:16pm On Feb 20, 2017

I have one Prag 4KVA Pure Sinewave Inverter for sale. It was used for less than one week before swapping it out due to upgrade.

Price is N220k.

Call 08055356495 if interested.

1 Like

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 1:00pm On Feb 17, 2017

anidat77:
@dapsyra & bigrovar : Can I also use same battery equalizer for my 4 batteries , 24 v setup? or are there other devices for 24v setup since it clearly states the device you recommended is for 48v setup.

The equalizer can be used for 24v. It will balance any four 2.4v-12v batteries irrespective of how they are arranged.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 6:04pm 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

Before replacing the batteries, experiment with a good battery balancer first. If the batteries does not improve, the balancer will still be useful on your new battery bank.

You need a balancer that is active during both charging and discharging cycles.

Here is the one I use:

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

1 Like

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 5:21pm On Feb 14, 2017

DMerciful:
From experience it is better to avoid series-parallel configuration for batteries. better to go with series and if higher capacity is required, go with higher capacity batteries. the complexities of current flow in series-parallel battery networks especially when it exceed 24v makes the arrangement susceptible to early failure

I agree with you intoto. It is the recommended option if you are buying afresh.

For those of us that already have batteries, we have to make do with what we have.

2 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 8:56am On Feb 14, 2017

bigrovar:
Name of the battery equaliser that you use.

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

1 Like

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 11:54pm On Feb 13, 2017

pdozie:
Hello dapsyra,
If you have 8 batteries in 48v setup whereby 2 strings of 4 batteries in series are paralleled, how would you connect the battery equalizer? Would you buy two of the equalizer or can you use one to connect all?

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,

3 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 11:24pm On Feb 12, 2017

harveyspec:
Saw this on coscharis website, they are the licensed distributor of mercury product

does it mean the the mercury tubular battery is of 2 variant? Acid & Non Acid type

does it also imply that the tubular without Acid is Maintenance free?

CC

Dmerciful
kiekie1
GeorgeD1
bigrovar
JUO
efuro

The Mercury Tubular batteries are Flooded Lead Acid batteries. The batteries are shipped from the factory without acid and the distributors sell them with or without acid. The ones sold without acid is cheaper than the ones sold with acid but you are required to buy the required acid to flood the battery before use.

1 Like

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

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

Dakwo District

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 10:28am On Feb 12, 2017

bigrovar:
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.

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.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 6:32pm On Feb 11, 2017

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.

6 Likes

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 8:34am On Jan 19, 2017

tivta:
I disagree, iron Edison batteries are very rugged and approved to be charged by all current charge controllers, the only thing is that they are super expensive but last a life time...

Iron Edison batteries are not Lithium batteries. They both represent very different technologies with corresponding advantages and disadvantages.

GeorgeD1 is right about Lithium batteries inability to tolerate overcharging. They are irreversibly damaged by overcharging.

Tivta is also right about Iron Edison batteries high tolerance for abuse. They are very rugged, can be overcharged, undercharged and deep discharged to 0% SOC.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 9:37pm On Jan 11, 2017

Barezzi:
Chai! I'm "green" with envy... lol
What's the brand? Is it something one can purchase off konga/jumia??

The brand is Kavido. It is now over six years since I bought mine so that particular brand might not be available.

Just search for induction cooker in Konga or Jumia.

Don't forget to also buy the pots.

Satellite TV Technology › Re: Solar Energy, A Complement To FTA by dapsyra(m): 1:21pm On Jan 11, 2017

JohnKester:
I am interested in your experience with the INDUCTION COOKER. I am thinking towards acquiring one but I needed someone who had used it to share his experience.

Many thanks for sharing.

Cheers

I have an induction cooker which I have used for over six years.

Induction cookers are far more energy efficient than hotplates. They also cook faster than hotplates while consuming less energy.

The Induction Cooker does not get hot during use since heat transfer between it and the pot is not by convection. The cooker rather induce metal base of the pot to generate heat. Heat loss is greatly reduced because the heat is generated inside the pot.

The down side of an Induction Cooker is that it does not work with your regular aluminium or steel pots. You require "Induction Pots" to use it. These pots are a bit pricey.

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