kogistar:
really? i no know o

that's the point bro. your man in benue capitalized on people's ignorance to make
profit off them. he ought to be in jail.

johnolusetire97:


Do you mean the normal double data for new sims?

yeah, that's correct.

Barezzi:
Hmmm, just when I decided to patronize him George. Na wa o, why are some Nigerians like this?

yeah, bro. the guy is a big fraud.
found out he latched on to the ongoing airtel new sim pack mega data bonanza where subscribers are given 125% of data when they register a new sim. he then collects money from unsuspecting peeps, buys a new sim on their behalf and subscribes for a data package far less than what they pay him for and pockets the remaining cash.
that's why the mega data usually runs out within 3 months.
anybody can do what he's doing provided you buy a new sim. and its not restricted to airtel. glo and mtn have similar bonanza running.
let's all be guided.

yawwilson,
Its good to see you guys busy keeping the thread active. I will update the house soon on my latest endeavours on FTA.
Together we will keep breaking the myth!

dunka,
he started well and I actually got my money's worth in the first and second transaction hence the reason i decided to endorse the thread but the subsequent transaction didn't meet up to expectation.
I guess it's the typical nigerian syndrome. he probably got greedy over time.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
I agree with these broad conclusions but 500 cycles for Quanta would imply end users get less than 2 years life at 50% DoD per day.

To throw in some real life into all these spec sheets;

I have actual field data from at least 100 12v 200Ah batteries I have installed - a good number of them have already passed the 2 year mark and still going strong - this with users who don't even know what DoD means or respect DoD.

I can only conclude that the Quanta manufacturer estimates are overly conservative or the battery capacity is understated.

Oga Dapsyra gave some hard field data for his LTO batteries over a 15month period - I look to similar field data for the BattleBorns instead of just projected lab results.

I do not think it is practical to use a 100% DoD assumption for any battery bank with more than one battery connected in series except the battery capacity was understated.

I would really love a LTO or similar bank to play with but the entry cost is rather steep - sad to say I 'd rather replace my Quanta 3 times over a 10 year period than throw 10 million naira into a Lithium battery bank and hope for a 10 year lifespan without field evidence to back me up.

Nearly 80% of the Lithium reviews I come across tell me people are still trying to gain mastery of this Lithium tech.

well done niyi. I couldn't have said it better.
for a small battery bank of less than 100ah one could take the risk of going lithium but
for peeps like us having an oversized bank, plunking down such a humongous amount of
dough on a technology whose overriding appeal is a promised future performance not yet
proven in real world applications, is a gamble taken too far.

guys please note that I have withdrawn my support for this thread. turns out that the guy in benue state doing the actual mega data thing has turned fraudulent and has started scamming people.
transact with him at your own risk

Im2Busy2Bother:


Thanks a lot. I love the number of solar panels. Thank you for taking out time to list 'em.

the plan to oversize was a deliberate attempt to beat south-south constantly cloudy weather.
thanks to zeestone for helping out with the first half of my array - 24 units solarworld. I was quite impressed with their professionalism.
juo and his team of experts came on board for the second half - 24 units canadian solar which was supplied at wholesale price by gennex early last year.
in all, a great team I was privileged to have crossed path with.

Saipro:

See? Now you've made him declare himself for what he is - a breathing, walking, talking power plant.

lolz bro,
my setup is still small in comparison to some others.
I like to think of it as a work in progress.

Im2Busy2Bother:


Thank you for the reply, as a busy person, can you help list these things for me:

Number of battery and capacity : Eg 20 Nos of 12V 200AH

Your total number of solar panels: Eg 15 Nos of 250W polycrystalline panels.

Your total load: Eg 2kw on average.

Inverter make and capacity: Eg SCHENEIDER 3Kva 24VDC

I'm super impressed with the performance of your battery and I'd love to learn a thing or two from you. Thanks for the anticipated response.

PS: You can just list it without stressing to add more details to it. I'd appreciate all the same. Thank you.

lolz. this is serious work oh. especially on this occasion when I'm at the countryside catching
nature's cool breeze

anyway, I'll attempt to answer some if not all your inquiries. apologies if I'm not detailed
enough.

1. number of batteries: 12 nos, 12v, 260ah, totaling 780ah
2. total nos of panels: 48 nos (24units 315w solarworld, 24units 330w canadian solar)
3. total load: this is a bit tricky but I'll try. btw 2500w to 3500w
4. inverter make and capacity: magnum ms4348pe, 4,300w capacity @48v

NoMoreTrolling:


Wow, 6 years on an AGM battery? That is uber impressive!!

Honestly, with batteries in Naija, solar can sometimes feel like Rocket Science, lol.

The last batteries we got (from JiJi) were babied and put through a C0.1 discharge, but still couldn't get past about a 100 cycles before they began massive degradation. All this while not going past the so called 50% limit on lead acids and fully going through a complete three stage charging regimen every time they were recharged.

So what is your secret with your AGMs? Is your discharge lower than C0.1? Did you oversize your bank? Are you sure that you still have the same capacity you did as day one? or have they degraded, but still possess enough capacity for your needs?

btw, how is your solar system doing? Last time I read your posts, you were generating upwards of 25kwh per day which just blows my f**king mind.

brother, there's no other secret to my agms longevity besides doing the basic things.
coming into renewables over 10yrs ago as a green horn, I had a steep learning curve. using
4 units of 200ah batteries, I went quickly from a locally made inverter that nearly set fire to
the house I was living in, to a chinese made inverter that died on me suddenly one cool
morning, to another chinese inverter before finally deciding that enough is enough.
in all it didn't take me long to realise that the backbone of any solar system is the batteries.
when you size your battery bank properly, give it enough charge to keep it happy everyday,
it will last for a very long time - and that's what I did.
all the learnings I gathered from my first set of batteries, I put them into good use when I
was preparing my replacement battery bank.
proper load audit, a battery bank size to match my expected load and the right solar array
size to give enough juice to make my battery bank happy.
and it has paid off for me several years down the road.

viazi:
@George D, one of my good friend on Lexus group based in Warri is seriously of the opinion that Solar energy batteries are designed to last for only 2yrs. That he actually changes batteries every 2 yrs. After alot of argument, I told him I will beg u for a meeting. Pls he is a responsible citizen. I will like him to call u but yr no. that I have is not available. Kindly find time to lecture him.

hello viazi,
sorry I'm just seeing your post. I've been unavoidably busy.
my zenith agm batteries are 6yrs already and still counting and from their
current stellar performance they would easily cross the magical 7yr mark come
september. like I said in an earlier post, solar power isn't rocket science:
know the basics and apply the principles and you'll keep smiling while others continue battling with self-inflicted issues born out of ignorance.
that said, I'll be happy to meet with your friend one on one and discuss.
send me a pm through nl and i'll avail you my contact details.

coolagent,
i already gave update on this. kindly check link below.
cheers!

https://www.nairaland.com/390522/solar-energy-complement-fta/400#67644483

BENARI:
Oga George still hoping to hear from you o >:

have replied you bro.
check your mailbox

BENARI:


Hello @GeorgeD1

Much respect for your hard work and intelligible post here on NL. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading them; very informative.

I have some urgent concerns to share on the Solar Water Heater matter, but will like to share them privately in order to get your frank advice.

I've sent you a pm.

Waiting for your reply Sir.

hello benari,
i saw your pm and i already replied you. kindly check your mailbox and let's take it from there.
also you could consider a watsapp chat for a more interactive discussion.

samnaija:


u came out of hibernation just for them. that water heater show u no be small.

samnaija,

not exactly, bro
i'm still using the protek brand till date but that doesn't mean i wouldn't speak out to warn
other prospective buyers of their shylock tendencies.

as for being in hibernation, that also is not exactly correct. if you check my profile, i've always
been around but what's the point posting repeated answers to questions already made good
by able members like niyi, chris, bigrovar, saipro, zeestone, pranil, et al?

adrusa:


But, why? Any problem that I should be aware of?

adrusa,

apparently you haven't been following posts here on this thread.
the protek water heater is not exactly what it is advertised to be.
besides being easily susceptible to leaks, there's supposed to be a
3 year warranty on the product which the vendors never have the
intention of honoring.
and, did i mention that it is a white label....?

DUNKA:
whatever you decide do not buy Protek brand

correct! i second that advice!!

this post has been withdrawn. deal with this guy at your own risk

NiyiOmoIyunade:
My Oga,

It appears this inverter has become an 'abiku' as they say in our language "f'oni ku, f'ola nde"

For my own case (randomly starts & stops charging) I am just gathering cash for an upgrade

hello niyi,
why not just get yourself a premium inverter and save yourself all this stress.
i personally went through the whole learning curve starting with a locally made inverter,
then a chinese one and then an indian....until i finally got tired of all the wahala and got
a magnum inverter. since then it's been a hassle-free run for me. no worries about high
idle current draw, no worries about spurious trips, no worries about main boards failing
without notice...i seldom have anything to contribute when I hear of felicity and
mustpower issues because they're strange to me. solar shouldn't be this hard, i think.
join the best-in-class team bro, you know you can!

Namzy:

Thanks your CONTACT number?

i got your pm already. please check your mailbox for
my reply. cheers!

Namzy:
Is their anyone selling used 16mm2 cable for cheap? I'm asking for a friend. Thanks

i have some meters of red and black 16mm cables used in my last installation.
if interested you can pm me. but note however that it's not multi-strand and
the insulation has been scrapped in a few places (will require you applying the
usual black electrical insulation tape to make it good)

zeestone99:


For those that wonder y standalone setup are quite expensive dan hybrid, here is jst one of the answers.
Inverter & cc = 400k, hybrid = 280k, The white man is not stupid .

correct!

a jack of all trade is most often a master of none.

hardywaltz,
i think you have answered the question yourself.
if the location will be unoccupied for the better part of the year, then it's better
to install sealed maintenance free batteries.
flooded batteries are not advisable except you plan going to top them up on a
regular basis or sending someone else to do it for you.
there are provisions for auto water fillers in after market purchases but that is
a different kettle of fish altogether.

bigrovar:


I doubt they are many who dispute the efficiency of battery balancer as a proven technology. The debate has always been with snake oil claim of "desulfators".

hehehe! snake oil or crocodile oil, my battery life saver (bls) works great for me.
i wouldn't run my batteries one day without them.
don't know about others though

all,
here's wishing us all a very merry Christmas.
peace and love to all men (and women) of goodwill.
may all our wishes come true as we look forward to
a prosperous new year 2019.

guys, looks like the xmas sales has begun in earnest
please keep it coming!

Namzy:
Abeg when be the burial of this forum. My black agbada don dey starched up

bro,
nobody here is gonna accompany you to any burial but i'm sure the likes of
carolyn19, brightsolar, solardepot, etc will be happy to join agbada with you.

and to all those who just come here to drop adverts, i ask you "how market
these past few days?" "how does it feel like to shout at an empty hall?"

blexxonmak:
@GeorgeD1. I sight u my brother.

blexxonmak, it's been a while. how ur end?