₦airaland Forum

This low cost device -MNSPD300 lightning arrestor- Saved the $2500 magnum inverter below from 415V supplied by PHCN on comissioning of a new transformer.

The system below has witnessed two major hits by over voltage. This time around the Lightning Arrestor did a very good job by shutting off the inverter from the excess power supply and in the process gave up the ghost just like Jesus Christ in order to save the Inverter after struggling to cut off the excess voltage for about 45 mins. The client was so happy with the protection and called for immediate replacement of the MNSPD300.

The remains of the MNSPD300 was given a very honourable burial as it has left behind a golden legacy for it's family. May It's Soul rest in Peace.

The story continues...

Application in small system installation.

Meanwhile, here is what the above Solar Panels is installed with;

Magnum MS4348PE Inverter
Magnum ME-RC50 Remote
Outback Flexmax FM80
8x L16RE-B Trojan Lead-Acid Btteries

Complete installation as viewed from the floor

Solar panels locked in place with End clamps and Mid clamps

Complete rails for 12 solar panels attached in place

Rails attached on the L-Foot

L-Foot distributed to hold rails for 12 panels

The components:

The Roof Mount (L-Foot)

Here the L-Foot are securely fastened to the roof with the rubber washer beneath.

here is also one application of the Pro Solar Mounts but this time the Solar Panels are not inclined.

It was designed to support 12 250W Solar Panels

Solar Panels attached using the Mid and End Clamps

With this system you can adjust your solar panels installation to your desired angle even after you have installed all your panels

Rails and joiners attached to Front and Rare Legs for 12 panels in one row.

The Adjustable rare legs mounted

Here are the components:


THE ADJUSTABLE FRONT LEG Installed
The front lag has 2 rubber washers under as shown in the picture below. Those rubbers enables the leg to firmly fasten to the roofing material and also helps to prevent watter from leaking through the installation holes.

This was one very challenging installation because the roof was so steep (56 degrees slop) and almost impossible to climb. Just like walking on a wall but our Adjustable angle Pro Solar Mount sets made it a bit easier and the structure came out solid and satisfactory.

In page 79 of this thread I advertised our Pro Solar Mounts. I'll post some pictures of some of our installations we've done using them and how it has help us accomplish difficult tasks.

schneid:
Please advice before i do something wrong!

48VDC/800AH battery and load of 3000W(extimated) running on inverter.(24hours on weekends and about 12hours on weekdays)


Below is my own configuration:
24pcs of 255W solarworld panel and 2pcs of 80A outback CC.


I intend to install as follows:
12 panels(3-strings and 4 parallel) per 80A outback CC giving me 3060W from my panels at 100%- set A (this should give me about 63A @48v)
12 panels(3-strings and 4 parallel) per 80A outback CC giving me 3060W from my panels at 100%- set B (this should give me about 63A @48v)
Connect both sets A nd B from the Charge Controller through separate breakers to the 800AH/48VDC battery system.

Since my batteries total AH is 800AH, it means i would want to charge at 10%+ rated (i.e 80A charging current) which am sure to get from my 2 charge controllers PLUS extra current for my load during day time.

QUESTIONS (Put into consideration the batteries are fixed, other components can be adjusted)
AM I on the right path?
Is using the 2 charge controllers justifiable?
Are the nos of panels OK for this system?
What is the minimum and maximum configuration i can use in this situation?
Considering cost, if i am to use just one CC, how many panels would you recommend?
If am to totally go off grid, what config would be the best?


Thanks as i await your professional response.

I usually don't like commenting quickly on this kind of design posts for a couple of reasons. I usually allow others to do so first while I read. One of the reasons is that I don't usually comment is the fact that the actual applications from my experiences might differ very well from the theoretical designs.

Like Barezzi and c0ogumo has calculated for you, sometimes you will see that if you want to follow the actual dos and don'ts according to the theories you won't install solar.

As a man in the field, the truth is your configuration is perfectly ok for the real life practical application. You'll be shocked that you will hardly run your battery bank (which is theoretically incomplete) down to 50% as long as you have that amount of solar panels installed. This config will run off-grid without any stress. Reason being that you'll learn and adjust your load as time goes on.

Now for the question of if you have to use one cc. Just like I said before that if you want to do all that the solar theory says you won't install solar. The manufacturers of the CCs calculates the number of panels the cc can carry by the rated current carrying capacity and that is why Barezzi said you can load up to 15 panels. But the solar standards say you should leave a head room of about 30 to 40 percent on the cc current capacity meaning if you are using an 80A cc the max load on it should be in the region of 3kw as in your design.

In actual application, I have loaded 18 255W solar panels on an Outback FM80 charge controller (theoretically wrong) on more than one installation site and it works effectively. Why? The reason is simple, it is only very few minutes in very few days of the year that the power output from the panels will hit 100% and above (as in the case of Solarworld Panels) and in such cases the cc will simply clip the excess current and no harm is done to no one. Those moments are very few that they are insignificant. For the remaining larger part of the day/year the output power will remain within the region of 80% (that's about 76A) peak which is safe for your CC operating level.

In summary, you can install up to 18 panels on FM80 should you want to cut cost as you said.

Also remember to use professional accessories for all the stages to achieve a high efficiency.

Do not also forget to buy our Professional Solar Mounts (page 79 of this thread)

Hope this helps someone

bode4real:
@Richmond74
Thanks for the mounting rails, delivered intact, I wil upload d pics wen installed by month end.

You are welcome and thanks for your business.
waitting for the pictures

kiekie1:
Nice one pal.. We didn't get the make of your cc i.e (60a mppt/pwm e tracer) ? Are your panels mono or poly crystalline pv Thanks

Hmmm @kiekie1

The solar panels photographs he posted looks like 'poly'. Or do you think it could possibly be mono or amorphous?
I think he also mentioned that the cc is 60a mppt but even if he didn't i think you as a dealer should've known from the photograph of the cc.

DUNKA:
Goodday pleade us ds promo still available?

The promo isn't available but the products are still available at great prices

shithapuns:
adding solar panels now isnt an option...., i could always gift away/sell my old inverter..........no biggie
pls recommend inverters or intelligent stand alone chargers i could buy...if its an acceptable option

Magnum MS4124PE will be suitable for your need then. It has a 105A charging current for your batteries.

shithapuns:
@house, am in a dilenma....... i currently have a 1.5kva 24v inverter with 2units of 200amp deep cycle batt,
just tv,lights and fan....problem is i want to increase the run time of my inverter, cos my household has increased, with people watching TV more than 12hrs daily, unlike b4, where we watch it less than 6hrs daily, also the fan runs for 12hrs plus too...and we get nepa for only about 8 to 10hrs daily, so with this usage...if anyday nepa fails to bring light, my system will run down on the 2nd day................since my total instanten ous load is still below 400w, i dont see any sense in buying a bigger 48v inverter to enjoy the 4 batt advantage of longer run time.......

so anyone ever had this challenge and how did they overcome it?
the only thing/idea coming to my head is to buy an external charger and use it to surpport the inverter in charging the batts, cos i know a 1.5kva cant chrge 4 units of 200amp batt even though they will be in 2 strings of 24v each
YOUR INPUT IS HIGHLY WELCOMED

if you add a 1000watt solar panels to ur existing setup you will be amazed at the outcome.
strictly from experience .

Ideally, you need a 1500w solar panels system for effective operation though but for cist purposes 1kw would do.
it doesn't make sense to me going to buy a new inverter.

my opinion though

Barezzi:
... Tunde, you still don't get it...
Cell efficiency and the power rating of a solar panel are two different parameters.
A solar cell at 50% efficiency simply means it can convert 50% of sunlight to electricity
& heat at STC.(In very simplistic terms). The higher the cell efficiency, the more
kwh(energy) of electricity it can produce. In practical terms, its akin to comparing the
screen resolution of a Tecno phone and an iphone 6 of same dimensions . Imagine both
phones are solar panels, and the pixels - solar cells. The Tecno phone with low efficiency
cells, will produce low kwh(energy), whereas the iphone 6 with high efficiency cells will produce high kwh(energy).
The practical implication of this is that for your limited roof space, u want solar panels with high efficiency cells.

Whereas power rating is the amount of dc power the panel can produce at STC.
That the cell efficiency is 50% does not mean that the solar panel performs at 50% of its nameplate power.

The koko of the matter is if its possible for a 250w solarworld panel to deliver 260w, hence producing more than its nameplate rating.

A solar panel technical datasheet contains all the info you need concerning any panel.
There's a parameter called Power Tolerance, see attached datasheets...
Power tolerance is a measure of how much higher or lower the POWER OUTPUT of a
solar panel might deviate from its NAMEPLATE rating.

Power tolerance for a 250w panel from the datasheets attached:
Solarworld panels: +5%/-0%
Sharp Panels: +5%/-0%
Suntech Panels: +5%/0%

The 250-watt Solarworld panel with a +5%/0% power tolerance can actually produce anywhere from 250 watts to 262.5 watts under ideal conditions.

Hahaha

I am just seeing this post now. You fought a good fight and ended the race. I've checked through and I didn't see bodejohn and the rest of the doubters argue anymore.

I was really wondering how they were confusing themselves with solar cell efficiency as compared to power rating efficiency I have been writing about.

For this you deserve a free a free installation from PBASE Solar if you buy our PRO MOUNTS and our SOLARWORLD SW255 SOLAR PANELS.
Note: Terms and conditions apply.

ilenaira:
My brothers, I've been missing in action as this thread rumbles on. I actually carried out my installation in June and had all the intentions of dazzling you all with my handiwork. It was all going well until I plugged my new phone with the pictures into a socket while running a generator before completing the work. As it turned out, the gen was putting out fluctuating voltage and it promptly wrecked my new phone. That was the end of my bright idea of a photo-diary of the installation .

Undeterred, I soldiered on and managed to complete the installation to just over 50% of the design capacity, before I had to get back to work. I'm hoping to add the additional panels soon.

Briefly, the system design is 2 x 3kW arrays for a total of 6kW. To date I've installed 12 panels at 300W (6 per array) for a total of 3.6kW.
Each array has its own charge controller serving a dedicated 48V battery bank. The two banks are then combined in parallel prior the inverter/charger.

A switch-over on the main board allows me to charge the batteries through the inverter/charger from either N.E.P.A (wishful thinking) or generator on consecutive cloudy days. The inverter I'm using can automatically switch between utility (NEPA / GEN) or DC Mode (Batteries) if it detects AC power (or lack of) in about 8 milliseconds. I've sought to protect it from N.E.P.A and crazy generators with a Prag 10kVA servo stabilizer as suggested on this thread. What I could not protect it from was the custodian that was to look after it in my absence, but that is another story for later.

At the same time, I replaced almost all the bulbs in the household with low power led equivalents and used time-limit switches on water heaters and pumps. It was hard work but worth it as there we were, in early June, enjoying steady, unblinking, 'clean' electricity. It was wonderful.

I'll post the pictures that the phone warranty people were able to save later.

Nice job. Congratulations.

RipVanWink:
sorry lemme understand u well........with 390w panel u get a daily harvest of 3kwh?!, i find this hard to believe, the max i hv ever got from my 1kw panel is isbout 4600wh

Your location matters on this. JUO said on a good day which means on that good day his solar panels received sunlight for between 8 to 10 hour and 3kwh is very possible. So if you are restricted to 4600wh it could be as a result of one of the following reasons;

It could be your panels are not generating it's full capacity or that you are limited to 5hrs of sunlight only. It could also be that there is something not properly done in your set up or maybe your nameplate value is defective.

durodee:
On a different issue entirely, when looking at the 2nd picture attached to the quoted post above, it seems the panels were all not all installed with the same elevation. Wouldn't that affect output or it was just looking like that in the picture?

Hi Sir

i'm sorry for the delayed response.
The two sets of panels are not on the same elevation and they don't affect the output because they are both on the sale SS direction without any hindrance to sunlight.

Barezzi:
My thoughts exactly...
I have never seen up to 32A from my 2.1kw array. Max has been 31A+ going to my 200Ah battery bank.
Thanks to Bodejohn, I had to do a reassessment of my energy needs/production.
My daily energy use is in the 15kwh region.
With everyone home this festive season, my consumption will be maxed for the next one month!

For 50% DOD, ignoring system losses, my battery bank capacity should be 30kwh. For a 48v system, this translates
to 625Ah!

My observations:
From my 200Ah, 48V bank @ 50% DOD, I can only access ~5kwh.
Yesterday, I had a record production of 6.5kwh by 4pm! but by 7pm, my inverter tripped!!
If not for good ol PHCN, I would've slept in darkness...

So, if my daytime production of 6.5kwh was exhausted by 7pm, this would imply my night time demand is ~8.5kwh.
Instead of designing my system for 15kwh daily consumption, why not for night time demand of say 9kwh?

9kwh*2/48v = 375Ah!

Doubling my bank to 400Ah instead of 625Ah will solve my current wahala...
Barezzi & Sons Nig Ltd will save over N200k by this intervention!

What are your thoughts??

I hope I understand your calculations well. If so, my question to you is how will you replenish the lost 9kwh of energy in the night since all the generated 7kwh from the solar will be used up in the day?

when installing with inclination

This is what it looks like after installation

PROFESSIONAL SOLAR MOUNTS AND ACCESSORIES!!!

Good news to all Solar Enthusiasts and Commercial installers!

We now have for sale professional solar mounts and accessories which will help your work to have the following characteristics;
- look neat
- have a secure and firm installation
- have a professional feel
- fast and flawless installation
- have proper airflow
- easy inclination of panels between 10 - 60 degrees
- easy dismantling
- etc

They are made up of the following components:

1. Rails
2. L-Foot
3. Mid Clamp
4. End Clamp
5. Rail Joiners
6. Adjustable Front Leg
7. Adjustable Rear Leg

contact us for your supply using the following contacts:
phone/whatsapp: 08023033135, 08182218868
email: contact@pbasesolar.com


view the installation video using this system

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzW5X1ZOL5w


We offer detail assistance on how to use the mounts if you buy one.

The Promo is finally over. Congratulations to all of you that seized the opportunity to own our high efficiency Solar panels.
Please do give us feedback on the performance.

bodejohn:
You once suggested that my panels were not like "Solarworld" and are therefore not.....because of the power I said it delivered..
In my 15yrs of electrical engineering practice, I am yet to see any energy conversion that gives 100% not to talk of 120%.
This however is my personal observation and not meant to mean that it is impossible.

It's such a pity that in your 15yrs of electrical engineering practice you have always been limited to environments where energy conversions from SOLAR PANELS stay within 100%.

But in my 2 months of renewable energy apprenticeship I av installed 12 of 255w solarworld solar panels at Unity road in Lekki in Lagos (a very easy place to locate in case anyone wants to chexk it our) which is by calculation 3060w and the Outback FM80 charge controller records a Maximun Wattage output from it to be 3654w as shown in the pictures below. Or maybe the charge controller is faulty or I can't read the digits very well.

Maybe I need a better explanation to that readout