₦airaland Forum

JUO:
is a general statement or you balance your load to 150w/200ah max per battery or 300w max for 24v system assuming you have 200ah batteries otherwise be ready to replace your batteries yearly

Don't scare them off bro. Give 'em 18 months (assuming regular VRLA types).

Obimind1:
That has been my fears too after my batteries failed me under 8 months. Though my set up is a 24v system, I used to turn on my fridge by 8:00am and turn off by 4:30pm. After getting another new sets of batteries just one week ago, I decided not to run my fridge on batteries even though my PV strength is a 1,200 watts. The highest load I use on my batteries presently is my washing machine, and I do that when the sun is at its peak.

I try to switch of my refrigrator after 5pm on most days (on some days, I just let it be). Freezers definitely go off by 4pm. They all stay frozen for at least 24 hours and the fridge remain chilled for 96 hours (freezer compartment stays rock solid frozen for 3 days) hence no real need to keep them lit up overnight. My batteries'll live longer for it (true they cycle less when always on but they still do cycle at night). Seems we run similar loads but I have a 3kW PV array at the backend.

Running the fridge on batteries (during the daytime) won't kill your batteries, if your PV array is appropriately sized to both charge your batteries and handle other daytime loads (some of us have almost twice the required PV array, to forestall poor weather). New batteries failing within 8 months sounds like undercharging/overcharging issues or discharging rates above C/8. Possibly low cycle life/thin plate batteries or a bad batch but that's less likely.

Do a retrospective analysis of what went wrong and you might be able to avoid a repetition occuring. I recommend installing a shunt (with a monitor display).

Barezzi:
Breaking news!!
The first off-grid Solar house in Lagos

http://punchng.com/off-grid-solar-house-launched-in-lagos/

Sarcastic or not, it's a commendable/laudable feat (the publicity I mean ). The energy generation? Even little moi has similar installations under me belt. The energy production is nothing. The energy pipelines and storage are everything (of course, conservation first). I want to see the energy devices they're using for storing >=130kWh (assuming 30% DoD max). The calculation assumes of the daily generation, 40% storage and 50% consumption during the day; the rest acceptable oversizing losses.

That'd be one heck of a bank to behold!

pranil:
PRAG 48 - V ( grren color) 5 KW inverter user manual

Need user manual or at least battery charging Voltage selection page /table urgently where the pot positions explained.

I am replacing the office batteries and cannot find the manual anywhere !

Prag seems to have stopped supplying this inverter and replaced with a Hybrid MPPT

http://www.prag.cc/index.php?module=product&event=viewdetail&pid=227&cid=79

Perhaps a look at an analogous MustPower/PowerStar inverter would help?

olagunju2000:
Please has anyone used Yingli mono solar panel in the house? how is it?

The true Yingli panels work like a charm. I have a few and I can attest to the fact that they currently outperform my other JoySolar (mono and poly) and a few other brands at the moment. It's true you might be hard pressed to find quality ones right now. Likely you'd meet rebranded panels with the Yingli tag. There are a few out there though. Few people stock them (marginally pricey for a Chinese brand).

I know a such a guy, should you need directions.

DMerciful:
it doesnt have a charging system though since i charge with the big inverter or solar.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/inverter-24v-220v-500W-inverter-pure-sine-wave-input-24-v-output-220-v-inverter/32799481550.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.CnGRzR

Thanks. Once got a similar (but obviously similar brand). Very nifty and efficient. Sadly, mine wasn't the pure sine waveform it claimed to be. Fans would hum like drones and some LED lights simply would not power on.

Would give yours a spin

DMerciful:
@ Dunka,

if his reason for wanting to discard the mustpower inverter is high idle consumption, mind telling us the idle consumption of the premium brands you recommended?

I use mustpower but i also have a small inverter i use for light loads(lights & electronics) that consumes about 10w idle power. I only use the mustpower during the day or when powering refrigerator n microwave/iron

Kindly state the brand, model and capacity for the smaller inverter. Might need one for villa setup.

earthrealm:
So had a chance to pop into villa .
The setup up there aint doing too well.
After the last watering ops 3months ago..1 of the cells in my 220ah mecury fla batt did not go down.others went down.its still at max while others are already below halfway...any idea how to sol e this?

2ndly the batt voltage jumps too rapidly.
It was 22.4v by dawn..even tripped off b4 day break..but as soon as sunlight came up as little as 2amps from the cc..it rapidly jumped to 25.7v within 10mins..and less than 2hrs later its already 27v.

Am suspecting the rise in voltage is due to the cc setting.cos boost is at 29.4v..while float is 27.6v

Sounds like you've gotten a few sulphated cells on your hands (loss of capacity is responsible for the voltage jump). The one with high electrolyte levels is probably already dead hence not using up water.

And GeorgeD1 is right, the FLA option is a bit more taxing than one might have expected.

pranil:
I can second the Prag solution. I have a Prag 5 KW /6.5 KVA running for 4 years now without being switched off except Xmas in office

Handels the LED lights ( 1 .5 KW) laser printers, Photocopiers and one AC without any issue. My earlier SUKAM used to make loud fan noise on the same load and I chose PRAG as the FAN comes on only when boost charging.

The only model I know in market which is rated at 3 times rated surge power

Also, Has a power saving mode so You can throw it in Power saving when not using to allow it to charge batteries when NEPA is available without depleting batteries

But it is also climbed in price now that I checked on Konga 550 K

https:///prag-48v-v-series-pure-sine-wave-inverter-2787585

Same goes for the PowerStar series. Dimensions, capabilities, features, whitesheet et al are so similar, I often wonder if they really aren't different flavours coming out of the same factory in China.

bodeface:
There is currently a very thin gap between the Poly and Mono PV panels nowadays, gone are the days when the mono used to be the king, with more research and improvement in production process of the Poly Panels, the gap between the two - efficiency of conversion which boils down to the area required to generate the same energy (e.g. 300W) has been closed up and very soon, Poly will become the king when the gap is fully closed and the wining advantage for the Poly will be the cheaper production cost compared to Mono.

For an example, lets me use the SUNTECH PV Panels to show you what I am talking about, Mono-crystalline 325W and Poly-crystalline 345W, these two panels has same dimension, the same wattage, their difference currently is just that the efficiency of conversion of Mono-crystalline is 17.7% while the poly-crystalline is 16.7% and if you do the calculation just 1% efficient than the Poly-crystalline, apart from the efficiency everything is same. Please see the links (copy it as a whole into your browser)

http://shangde.fanyacdn.com/imglibs/files/iec_stp325_vfw(mc4_325_320_315).pdf
http://shangde.fanyacdn.com/imglibs/files/stp345s_vfw(mc4_345_340_335).pdf

Currently, I use SUNTECH Poly-crystalline PV Panel and the performance has been extremely satisfactory, my advice though is know what you are buying, in Nigeria most vendor over rate the panel they are selling for you, 250W are re-branded as 300W and so on, so be careful, but there is little or no difference in Mono and Poly PV Panels performance.

Very true. In fact, those quoted percentages are lab things. Real life application and harvest lowers the difference further as neither is usually maxed during NOC. In my limited experience, there's no real difference (size or otherwise for the same panel ratings). Labels can be misleading though. Bear in mind, some manufacturers actually understate their yield (a weird paradox) in order to oust the competition with "equivalent" products.

And my low-light yield is high is higher for my polys (once again, not to be mistaken for multicrsytalline panels). Undisputably though, mono has a longer lifespan. That has remained a fact. Yield deterioration with aging (let's call it diminishing returns) is also lower for mono.

Result? Poly might start faster and better but mono will on the long run not only catch up (2 - 3 years down the line) but outlive and outshine poly. Literally. Or so my enthusiast friends have proven.

DUNKA:
my unsolicited advise is sell the China invertes and go for the premium brands. Thank me later

The problem is the cost. Once again, cost:benefit evaluation comes into play. Nothing black or white here. It's true when you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. At the same time, one must be shrewd.

I have two flavours of MustPower PowerStar inverters. Both 3kW (24V and 48V). Yes, they both have an idle consumption of about 100W (which curiously reduces as you load them). Both are remarkable performers and have taken everything I've thrown at them. Believe me, I've taken them to the limits and beyond. I did a little splurging on panels and batteries to compensate for the idle consumption difference (and still had money left over, had I gone with the option of a premium inverter). A win-win if you ask me. Sadly, I have no more than 2.5 years worth of experience. As the years tick by, I'll volunteer more info.

zeestone99:
Mr JUO man of the year, God bless you brother, keep up the good work.

As for the controller war, are we saying the classic beats the Tristar,cos according to oga George's review Tristar lost the fight. Can we rank controllers according to brand. Of course we ll need more reviews, over to the house pls.

Who ll give us review on the schineider controller.

Pretty good controller. Sturdy. I have one. I will volunteer just three comments:

1. Pretty dependable but somehow tend to give issues shortly after expiration of warranty (typically 5 years). Customer service support is fair.
2. Performance-wise, it's just about another option out there. Nothing really outstanding asides coming in different flavours.
3. Pretty pricey. Not sure the cost justifies the performance. For roughly the same price, I'd rather you go for an Outback or preferably a Midnite. One would need a cost:benefit evaluation.

By and large, if your array is 1kW or less, generic brands are okay (marginal difference in power conversion; longevity is a different matter). If 600W or less, you could save money by getting a PWM controller instead (Midnite brat is quite versatile but has DIP switches - a minus of sorts for me).

To JUO, I have this to say:

You are gradually stepping up in all spheres. Your name has been spoken in the open and behind closed doors. You've proven a business principle - trade volume trumps margin. The one thing which trumps them both is quality of service, something which many can testify you have in no short quantity.

Do you know there are 3 heavenly bodies capable of casting a shadow (meaning they shine through even in overcast skies)? The sun, the moon and a particular star (actually the planet Venus but it's the "star" sea voyagers and desert sojourners keep their orientation by). Others might soon have to use your service standards as a yardstick. Keep up the good works and your star will shine even brighter.

kiekie1:
Welcome on board .. Nice you finally got the midnite order tru James ! My only dislike about midnite classic is the thermostatic fans which kicks in almost every time (2 underneath & 1 on top) & must be serviced when they get weak to avoid internal temp rise . Secondly it comes with real small 16mm ports for solar - battery cables , if you were using 25mm cables above on morningstar, you will find it a bit difficult to fix on midnite . . overall , its a nice mppt ! I also await users of the magnum mppt to attest -give a review on its ruggedness

Actually, you can easily fit 25mm cables into it. It's a technique thing. Good thing I spoke with their "support team" before installing mine.
And the fans don't fail as often as speculated (Outback, yes; Midnite, no) though not having moving parts is usually an advantage.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Finally, the much promised review from somone here in Nigeria. A man of experience who thoroughly knows his onions.

So it appears the Midnite Classic won over the MorningStar overall - though I find the setup complexity issue relative having setup quite a few MorningStar CCs - I don't even think about it these days - there is something comfortingly solid & reliable about flipping dip switches.

There are quite a number of Classics out there. If DIP switches are your thing, there's a Classic just for you - the Classic Lite. There's always the option of a MNGP, should you want visual monitoring of your CC's performance.

Chuckdee:
Lovely unbiased review indeed. Thanks GeorgeD. The Midnight Classic 150 is an excellent CC, and I have no regrets ever buying one. @ bolded above and just as dapsyra has rightly pointed out, it take take more than 4300W, I have a 4500 setup and it han2 fans kick in to always to cool down the CC when needed however, the top fan you mentioned is the Turbo Fan which seldom kicks in, infact I have had mine running for over 5 months and it has not for one day been activated. Its a no brainer that your CC should be installed in a well ventilated area to also aid in air-flow and cooling. The fans are very reliable too and I know people that have used classic 150 for over 5 years w/out a fan failure...

Note that the "no fan" units (Tristar for example) generally can not handle as much powelassic 150, and require much larger heat sinks to manage what they do. It would be interesting to test the actual operating temperatures of two comparable units and see how the cooling difference affects longevity. If the non-fan type really runs even a bit warmer it will have shorter life, all else being equal.

I think its a great feat to achieve upto 96V in such a small form factor like that of the 150.

I know guys who load Classics with twice the array power upper limit. The primary disadvantage is the power loss in good weather (plus cost inefficiency). In poor weather (which is common in areas guys often practice such), they win. On sunny days, the Classic simply unloads the excess power by throttling back on output. Same as you and I would have when attempting to charge a full bank on a sunny day.

On nominal 48V systems, The fans hardly ever kick in and when they do, it's at low RPMs. On 24V systems, moderate fan spins. On 12V systems, fans run almost all day on mine, buzzing like a dynamo (I use the same 3kW array each time). It appears the higher the current output, the hotter it runs (not really a total power thing). Also, the higher the hower thing). Also, the higher the headroom MPPT voltage difference, the sooner the fans kick in. (I'm sure you saw the transformer while installing it; no small feat using that small thing for tl feat using that small thing for that power). That's my observation from fiddling with the Classic 150.

Regards longevity, the grapevine states Classics are really hard to kill, even when you try to.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
MorningStar MPPT setting #6 is for flooded batteries at 14.7volts absorb voltage per 12v battery - in my experience this voltage setting only works if you cycle your batteries very shallowly, you are able to get a full charge after each discharge cycle and your battery electrolyte SG is say 1.260max. Most L16s come in between 1.275 to 1.300 SG and require a higher charge voltage otherwise you begin to see the electrolyte in some cells become 'slow' and the cells go weak.

15.4volts absorb appears high to most people but in reality is a good place to be - at that kind of voltage you ensure that the electrolyte is agitated/mixed properly all through the cell and avoid acid stratification - worst consequence is that you may water your batteries more frequently - but frequent watering is a common issue with Trojans neways.

Oh lest I forget, it is necessary at these high voltages to engage your BTS Battery Temperature Sensor so that the controller can deliver a proper temperature compensated charge, throttling back the absorb voltage as battery/ambient temperature rises - if you can't be bothered with BTS then bury your batteries below ground or use any other mechanism to keep them cool at around 25° C. - BTS at around $30 + shipping comes in cheaper I would wager than any other option.

Most batteries die an early death due to undercharging - flooded batteries especially those under severe duty cycles should be charged at higher voltages than would otherwise appear normal.

I have the MorningStar TS MPPT 60 on my US Battery L16 bank - I use setting #8 (custom settings) and set my absorb voltage at 15.2v per 12v battery with an absorption charge length of 2 hours 30 mins - I ramped up gradually from 14.8v based on my observations on performance - you can easily use a crossover network cable to make an Ethernet connection to the controller and then perform any custom settings you choose through their free to download MSView software - I even monitor the system directly over Ethernet though I have the TS-M-2 display meter - I hate that dim yellow screen

By and by I recommend you dial up your voltage above 14.7volts except your electrolyte SG at full charge is below 1.275 and you don't go below 30% DoD - you don't have to go as high as 15.4volts, 15.1v or 15.2volts is a good place although as you noted 15.4v is recommended for the older generation L16s - I think the SGs on the newer L16s are lower so they may not need as high as 15.4v to keep them happy.

Some of what I said are not supported by manufacturer recommendations but based on experience and field testing - if you research the foreign online forums you will see a lot of people in support of higher voltages just as others will warn you to stay within manufacturer limits.

In the end you will have to decide whether or not to take the plunge after doing your research.

You're quite right. The less time you have to charge up your batteries, the higher the voltage you'll need. Up to a certain limit. Your neck of the woods is notorious for having overcast skies. Even if we had perpetually clear skies, the cost:benefit ratio forces most people to have RE setups that just can't charge fully in the given hours of sunlight at the recommended voltages (the recommeded settings seem to assume infinite time and unlimited access to recharge power when you need it). The problem isn't with the sizing of the system or the equipment; there just aren't enough hours of sunlight.

You don't wanna be too hard on your batteries either. Luckily, the Midnite has something most others don't - temperature compensated equalisation.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Something tells me MorningStar MPPT will win based on solar yield/charging/power output performance but the Midnite will win based on customizability and flexibility and the various bells and whistles amd configuration options available on it.

Waiting anxiously for the final outcome ...

I doubt it.

The MorningStar Tristar has one of the best DC-to-DC conversion efficiency stats in the business (something to be really proud of). There's more to energy harvest than conversion especially when you have fickle cloud cover which changes ever so often. I have one or two write-ups on this forum to that effect. The Midnite usually trumps the others on algorithm and frequency of scanning. If you use a battery capacity monitor and shunt, you'd see for yourself. I don't really trust the display on any of the CCs as many (notably the Chinese clones) overstate their stats.

I'll sign off at this point and let GeorgeD1 do the talking.

Can anyone supply me with this 10 units of this (at a good price)? It's a 20A 12/24V PWM charge controller.

I need this specific make.

GeorgeD1:
all,
i spent the past two weeks testing out my new midnite solar classic 150 cc and now
i'm ready to give the lowdown. while i was at it, i also put the midnite head to head
with the morningstar. a few surprises and not a few mehs as you would expect.
watch out for my review.

I've tried many and currently have 3 MPPT. I have to admit I'm partial to Midnite. I even have their Kid and Brat charge controllers coming in next week (needed for a DIY project).

JohnKester:
@Gurus in the house and users of Trojan L16 batteries.
I have 16 pieces of Trojan L16 batteries, which I have been using for almost two years. I am completely offgrid. I am little concerned that the setpoint (#6 Settings) I am using to charge the batteries using Morningstar 150V 60A controller, may not be charging the batteries adequately. Although this matches the settings recommended by Trojan, but I have my reservations about that and I wonder if the setpoint (#7 Settings) which is designed by Morningstar for specifically for L16 batteries may be more suitable.

What is your take on this? Kindly share your experiences with the batteries generally, and the settings you have found that charge the batteries most adequately.

Cheers

Flexibility is a good reason to choose Midnite. Not just voltages but numerous other parameters. It has programmable logic ouput (AUX1 and AUX2) ports too. If you have the WizBang Jr. module, you're in RE-heaven I'll let GeorgeD1 do the honours.

GeorgeD1:
hello bigrovar,
you're very much on point. the july-august rain belt is proving to be an especially hard one to swallow most especially
with the weather pattern this year. some days even with my over 7kw solar array i'm barely able to generate 5kwhr
total production. i'm only now beginning to realize that i actually need more panels to tide me through the dark days.
but again, like you said, oversizing has its limits.
i was talking to someone early this afternoon and i said putting out more panels on a dark cloudy day with zero sun is
akin to lining up empty plastic buckets to fetch rain water. even if you have 1000 buckets lined up, if there is no drop of
rain you realize nothing at the end of the day. same thing goes with solar. a million panels stretched out on your roof
with zero sunshine will yield zero kilowatt-hours!

We're luckier in Ilorin. The sky was overcast throughout yesterday as it rained/drizzled from the previous night all the way to yesterday night giving me just 3.1kW. Still got My least sunny day this year has yielded about 2.9kW (3kW of panels). I've had as low as 1.3kW on some days (paradoxically very sunny days) due to minimal use, not lack of sunshine.

My polycrystalline (not to be confused with the older but now distinct multicrystalline) PV modules seemingly now outperform my monocrystalline modules in low light conditions. Replicated the results over the past year.

bigrovar:
I don't know anyone who has come here seeking knowledge and has left empty handed. Its just that of late we have seen less DIY people and more of people who just want their system to just "work" without putting in the needed time to make it work. DIY is not for everyone and it is not easy, if it were everyone would be doing it. It takes time patience and lots of learning which most are not ready to do. What people do here nowadays is problem dump. Dump their solar problems here and expect people to fix them often time they provide very little information. Its hard enough trouble shooting a problem from post from a forum. whats worse is trouble shooting without little to work with. In most cases the best thing for some persons is to seek professional assistance. If you are not ready to read and learn and get your hands dirty. DIY is not for you.

You know, I'd say you're on to something. Perhaps it's time to stop encouraging complacency and mediocrity. Help would still be rendered if the request is sincere with showing of committment but if all you're after is to patch up an existing system, I'd go with bigrovar and suggest you get a professional. No more free lunch. Well, there's free lunch at the table but you first have to make your way to the table.

We're talking high current systems here. People could really get hurt. Or worse.

efuro:
Truly You have been away for long to know the thread is not what it use to be. "No free knowledge again" so I hear. Anyway sha! some of us know & appreciate passionate ones like you.
More blessings!

Hmm. And here I am thinking we finally have a DIY thread. No worries, the thread lives on as a compendium of information and as a resource centre!

NiyiOmoIyunade:
... my current bank of 8 pieces 6v L16s also showed one weak battery during the rainy months with poor solar yield - I used a cheapo manual charger to boil/equalize the guy and it has since come back to life with SG & voltage similar to others though slightly lower - I do believe the key to battery recovery is to isolate the faulty battery/ies & charge/equalize it/them individually with SG & voltage measurements and then load tests to assess recovery - of course you have to detect the problem early for best results.

Yeah, boiling was done in clusters where possible (the 48V bank) and individually for 2 of them (one had 3 cells down and the other had two cells going down; difficult to equalize with others). Modified a cheap manual charger to become a battery killer and and boiled under supervision.

Before I disappear for another week or two, let me share an experience with you guys:

I installed and maintain 3 personal installations in 3 houses (my dad's, a cousin's and mine). We all live within a 1km radius so I just walk from one to the other. Enough about that. I boarded the batteries in mine recently and will soon do a private sale of my dad's batteries (mostly kept on float as he spends half or less of the year in the country).

I went against my initial logic of 6V being ideal for RE (had to consider the cost of available 6V batteries) and used 12V batteries (FLA). No sooner had I began using them than I noticed a wide (wild) variation in the cell states. I did a thorough second check and realised the batteries weren't all I had hoped for. No use crying over spilt milk.

By serial SG measurents in every cell of every battery and keeping tabs on internal resistance and battery voltage, I was able to group them into good, fair and manageable. The problem? I had only one good one and 3 fair ones. The others were manageable. In a 48V system, it's impossible to keep a balanced charge with such variation in cells. I broke the two strings up and split them into a 48V string (the good and fair ones) and 24V x 2 strings. Brought out my spare Xantrex controller and split the PV array in two. I broke out my new backup 24V inverter too (I had always sought an excuse to give it a test run). I ended up with the same power generation and the same battery bank size but at the cost of extra cabling, an extra controller and an extra inverter. My inverters are both PowerStar 3kW (a 24V and a 48W) so paralleling them was easy (held my breathe for a risk-all-lose-all-or-win-all moment when duplexing the output).

Still not satisfied, I gave it some thought for a whole afternoon and evening then came up with an idea which might work. I had spoken with Chris81964 earlier in the day and his home installation gave me an idea - go 24V all the way! I grouped the batteries (which had undergone alternate day equalisation for 10 days; pretty hard on them as I was literally boiling them) into roughly matching pairs in performance and ended up with 4 strings. Drew up an unusual cable path to achieve perfect balance and spent an evening cutting and crimping them into matching lengths (GeorgeD1's equal-link-cable variant would have worked just as well but I'd need lots more 50mm cable or really long and thick copper busbars). Also changed the inverter and CC cables to shorter, thicker cables as I'd be running twice the current thus risking roughly 4x the heating and 4x the voltage drop for high current draws.

The logic? The individual pairs are balance-matched and paralleled with other balance-matched pairs. Each string has equal current draw with the others. The strongest one determines the voltage and keeps the weaker ones from lagging behind. In heavy draw, the strongest takes a bit of a harder hit (but that's why it's the leader). In series, the weakest ones would have given all they had first and subsequently become power pockets or holes in the bank. They'd simply die off after a few cycles and become fast-charging and fast-discharging cells thereafter (having lost capacity) and force the others to gradually become like them. Or become them.

I have posted this to feed the body of knowledge as well as welcome contributions from other members in the house.

PS: The reason I have a 24V inverter as a backup is, if a battery or two were to fail (and they eventually will at the end of their service life), a 24V system is the natural devolution of a 48V system. That would buy enough time to replace whatever needs replacing. And, should the main inverter fail instead, I'd still have an inverter to use.

aweso:
I have new batteries in Stock From the US

Crown CR430, 6V Flooded L16 Battery

6VDC 430Ah
Flooded Lead Acid

Manufacturer Warranty : 3 Years

Didn't know I'd live to see the day Crown batteries are marketed locally. This is a big step up in the variety of premium batteries we get. I have lots of info on them (from a few friends out there who love them) and will shed more light later. Kindly publish your price list.

abunafiu:
It's a blessing in disguise.
Early this morning, I woke up to see that my overhead water tank stand fell destroying my 2 tanks. It rained heavily yesterday night. The rain was accompanied by heavy wind. Though the concrete stand was not properly constructed and am paying heavily for this. Anyway.. .thats gone
Now I consider this an opportunity to do it better especially when I didn't plan solar water heater in the initial overhead tank stand
I still intend to use concrete with enhanced reinforCement to avert future occurrence.
Now I don't want to rely on what I know basically, I need design ideas from Members.

I am not happy at all as cost of building materials are still not pocket friendly.

Pls keep them coming, sketches and pictures.

See Before and after pictures

A blessing in disguise? Maybe. A terrible loss? Definitely! God will replenish your pocket and move you to greater heights (we Yoruba say, "aafin oba to jo'na, ewa lo bu kun" )

DUNKA:
Abu Goodday please how are your Trojans doing now?

He has been off the forums for a while now but I saw him 3 days back. His batteries are kicking strong once more.

JUO:
I own 2pcs one 500w that operates at 400w and one 100w that operates at 35w. Works very well for me

Here you are puncturing neat holes in my elegant speculation. Nice one. In final defence, I would claim those seem to be traveler type irons, renown for portability and low energy consumption.

kiekie1:
Hello powerstar / voltron series dosnt have 72v(6 units 12v) dc input systems .. He might be confusing 72v inverter with 2×2×2 battery bank systems.. Cheers !

It would seem you are right. Just had a discussion with their sales manager and he confirmed your assertion. And he said Rubitec does not have/market their own branded inverters.

jazzman2:
Oga Pranil, after all your previous rantings about the supposed "Ilegality" of using grid-tie inverters in an off-grid system, you are now dreaming of implementing an AC-coupled system using the same grid-tie inverter (in this case microinverters hard-coupled to PV panels)?
You are trying to implement a variation of an off-grid, AC-Coupled system with grid-tie inverters called a "GRID-FREE" system, yet you argue that grid-tie inverters must inject into the national grid. Please explain to the forum how you plan to stabilize the national grid and also show us all the NEC / NERC code compliance certificates and permits that must be issued to you by our beloved NEPA ...sorry Eko Disco....

I thought we let this go a while back.
The hazards of a self-contained micro-grid cannot be over-emphasized but is beautiful when properly setup. If you follow SMA installations, you'd discover it's the preferred mode of using Sunny Boys in an off-grid setup (backed by a Sunny Island master). Chris on this forum seems to have installed quite a few units and I vividly remember seeing pictures of a Sunny Boy/Sunny Island combo setup by his company on this forum. He could lend us his practical experience rather than us drawing abstractions.

pranil:
I have a Victron Bidirectional Quattro( multi) so I am planning to try using a small Grid tie Inverter with solar panels and a current sensor - See atttached PDF -





The sensor can be similar to this -https://www.ev-power.eu/Measure-Test-Tools-1-1/Current-Monitoring-Relay-PRI-52-AC-0-5A-25A-CE.html#tab2

A soladin or APS grid inverter will be ideal choice ( 1 KW to 2 KW) -

http://www.mastervolt.com/products/solar-inverters/soladin-1000-web/

APS- http://www.apsmicroinverter.nl/

The idea is that whenever the current sensor senses the Current flowing from PV panels to Multi or from Multi to PV panels the sensor after 1 min will switch off the Powercontactor feeding the water heater/Boiler - The contractor timer waits for 10-20 min and resets if there is no current flow then the water heater remains connected till the current sensor switches it off

the idea being that in daytime the solar PV inverter will directly feed power to water heater. After midday when the heater gets thermal cutoff there is no power draw from heater the excess energy is fed back through multi to loads and battery

You can set timers( time of Day) and even a bypass switch to feed the heater directly from Multi in winter or night if some top up heat is required.

Alternatively, a time of the day timer can be fitted to disconnect heater in the evenings /night to prevent draw from batteries ( in case your inverter is not passing the grid to the heater)



Since the grid tie inverters have efficiencies between 95-97 % you are using the full yield and compared to the DC heating element you can locate your panels anywhere and heater anywhere in the house as long as they are connected at AC side

Also, the solar panels can be smaller say 500 watts ( set current control higher than the difference of Panel average yield and heating load) OR

They can be much larger ( set current control or a lower value say 1 to 2 amps)



In my case I am planning to use a similar setup but instead of heater use it for running an air conditioner - The one advantage I have is that the AC is inverter type. so it ramps up the load from 100 Watt to 900 watts in linear fashion giving ample time to the contractor to act and disconnect if it is a cloudy day without much tick toc effect

You really are into life hacks!

pranil:
Yes but in my particular case I have 5.6 Kwp installed with house load of just 500 watt during normal school days except washing machine for one hour. Since I am in rented House it is easier for me to relocate the PV panels and Gyserwise than to rearrange plumbing.

Also Gyserwise fits with my main design principle. When the grid is available to use the grid as far as possible. At current 24 NGN /Unit Grid power is still cheapest per unit of energy in Nigeria. if the situation changes we shall see

The other option I was thinking of was to use PVT panels ( hybrid panels) where solar PV is combined with EV tubes
Uptil now I did not find them in Nigeria market.

http://www.staffordarea.saveyourenergy.org.uk/what/solar/Solar%20PVT%20hybrid%20panels

http://www.eesy.uk.com/services/micro_03_PVT/index.htm

https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/pvt-hybrid-solar-panel.html

Nice going! I'd been dreaming of such panels. Didn't know they actually exist already. Let's hope they make their way into our market soon.

The numbers seem fantastic though

SolnergyPower:
Okay. I just found 12V DC iron listed at https://lagos-mainland./hand-and-power-tools/solar-12v-dc-pressing-iron-3957404.html

You can find another at.... https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Anbo-Solar-energy-saving-12v-DC_60657096828.html

Those are DC irons