₦airaland Forum

Nnekaojeah:
Pls guys, I need serious help here. I recently got 2pieces of luminous battery 220ah,60amp charge controller, 2.5kva mopower inverter, 3pieces of 300w panels to power an inverter fridge,
1 55" television, 2 ceiling fans, and some energy saving bulbs. The first day it was installed,the battery showed 94% charged from the manufacture. On putting on the load the battery power drained to 38% immediately the power was. The next day I allowed the battery to charge to 100% before putting on loads, from 100% it came down to 42% immediately and that is how it's has been draining even if the inverter fridge is not on. So I started making some research, I saw how they explained what comes with original luminous battery, that it has 12 digits on a label ontop of the battery, the last 4 digits is the month and year the battery was manufactured but the label on mine is 14digits and the last 4 digits doesn't signify month and year. Here's the attached picture of one of the label.

Check and tell us the bulk, absorb and float voltage settings on the inverter and charge controller

1. Use a multi-meter to get the accurate voltage of each 12v battery. This tells you the stage of charge of the battery. If it is tubular also check the electrolyte levels to make sure it is within gauge.
2. Find out from the data sheet of the batteries the accurate settings for the bulk, absorb and float charging states.
3. Normally, when you get a new battery from a dealer, you are expected to give it a boost charge and top it to 100%. Then allow it to rest a bit in float stage before now adding loads to it. Many people skip this stage and start using a battery in a partial stage of charge thereby leading to such issues.
4. What are the specs for your solar panels (Voc, Vmp, Isc) and are they wired correctly (series/parallel) to deliver the correct charge ?
5. What settings have you put on your inverter for your depth of discharge considering that lead acid batteries should not be discharge lower than 50% of their capacity ?

All the above checklist is moot if ab initio your products (solar panel & battery) are not genuine and therefore will not perform at their rated capacities. Only buy from authorized dealers to avoid issues like these and seek replacement if there is any genuine fault.

gracewealth007:
Please I want to ask, if I want to go off grid and in addition to other normal house hold lightings and TV, I want to use 3 AC (one 2HP and two 1.5 HP) will a 60Kw battery and 12kw solar panel be sufficient? The ac will mostly be used during the day when weather is hot and the two 1.5 hp throughout the night. And all other basic household things like water heater, fridge, freezer, microwave also in the house.

Guys, who will do the needful ?
Should we tell her ?

My people in the Solar Ministry, i hail !!!c

So, i have been doing my diligent reading as a solar enthusiast now for a while but will need the insights of experienced people here about this scenario issue i have been tackling with.

I have been researching this a lot and have gotten the list down to these options:
a. Yiling Solar 450W = N88,000 (Yiling Dearler Abuja)
b. JA Solar Panels 540W (Deep Blue 3.0) = N128,000 https://www.techlandsolar.ng/japanel.php
c. Trina Solar Panels 540W (Vertex) = N127,000 [url]https://www.solarpoweretal.com/stock/169/DE%2019%20550W+%20Ultra-high%20Power%20Trina%20Solar%20Panels[/url]
d. Canadian Solar 545W = N154,375 Gennex Technologies https://shop.gennextechnologies.com/product-category/solar-panels/

However, my choice of panels determines whether i use a Victron 150/100 SmartVE. solar charge controller with a an inverter or i use a hybrid inverter like the Deye 5KW SUN-5K-G Single Phase. I ideally want to wire my panel in 3S4P for 5000W system. I intend to use a PV combiner box i found on AliExpress [url]https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004129462126.html?pdp_npi=2%40dis%21USD%21US%20%24225.00%21US%20%24153.00%21%21%21%21%21%402103255b16521836911908466e585a%21%21sh&spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.productList_47831975.pic_5[/url] to tie the panels together before coming to the charge controller. I am however wary of crossing the 150V limits of the CC. In Abuja, our lowest harmattan last year was 15C and hottest we can even say 40C. So, since the voltage rises with low temperatures and we don't have winter here, can i get away with using a 3S configuration. I used the VE-MPPT excel table by Victron and inputed the values of the solar panels (Voc, Isc, Vmp) to get an idea of whether it will accept it and it did but with low margins 143.9V. If the Victron charge controller will be too stressed with such a high voltage, then maybe a Deye with a 550V MPPT input will be better off as i can add more panels to it. However, i really like the Victron app for the CC and was looking at getting a BMV to pair with it with a budget inverter. What do you guys think ?

ManAdii:
Solar gurus in the house, is this inverter below a good buy?
I'm to this and I want to go through the diy route?
I need your urgent reviews.

Can it charge lithium batteries?

Thanks

@bigrovar is the resident expert on the ipowerplus inverters. He's been rocking his for over 5yrs now i think. So, i think they are okay. I don't know whether they can charge LifeP04 batteries though without some tinkering with the firmware. Just make sure sha that you are buying an original product with warranty.

mctfopt:
Just check for the following

1) Motor size/type ...go for Bafang motor back hub drive ...not really a fan of mid drive motors

2) Battery size...anything above 10AH is good @ 48V

3) Shock type ...Mozo shock rocks

4) Tire size (with time I noticed 26*3.0 tire has the best grip for both offroad and city riding). The four inch tire looks cool especially when riding sandy paths, but sucks when doing city riding

Also ensure it has Paddle Assist as well as a throttle (if you wanna go lazy and go full electric).

Digital displays are awesome. If it's gear type look out for Shimano for that smooth shifting.

I also love my ebike to have a rear carrier...Bought one without one, a pain when you want to carry some stuff . Had to correct that mistake in my next purchase.

Nice looking bike. I am currently in the market to get some bikes and had gone to Simba to check out some of the ones they had on offer. Never knew that the ebike revolution had reached here. My interest has been piqued. Would appreciate any links to resources or guides to purchase one. Thanks

Hello My People !

As i read more and more into the LifeP04 world, i realize the need to have certain equipment and tools around to help you diagnose and generally service your equipment better. One of these tools is a good LifeP04 charger. Since this is a DIY commnuity and many individuals will coupling their packs together, it is good to have a good charger so that you can top balance your batteries before coupling the BMS together. You can then use a multi-meter to verify the voltage. This is good for users who don't have solar to charge their batteries and their inverters are NOT able to charge LifeP04 cells directly. So, let's say you have a 12v LUMINOUS NRGT TUBULAR BATTERY 220AH and you want to chill with the big bois and join the LifeP04 geng. You purchase 4 EVE 280AH LiFePO4 (LFP) 3.2V Cells Battery which is equivalent to 12v. Ideally, you will need to top balance these cells (as they come at 45% capacity) before slapping on a BMS. So, i came across a recommended charger by this guy on Youtube https://youtu.be/P2yKVMoaGsU and found its listing on AliExpress for nairalanders https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000465060713.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.7e332e0eGhorcc. I think its a good equipment to have especially for those with a large battery bank as it can charge consistently at 40Amps. It also comes with a software that you can install on a pc to monitor your charging.

saint2ace:
Good afternoon all, please who has dealt with solar depot before, are they really a biz or individuals with an "I don't care attitude to customers"?

How can I make an order and not get a notification from the seller, not even an email; I called over the weekend and no one took calls nor bothered to return calls on resumption of duty, I still continued to call only to be told item is out of stock and they will issue a refund.
3days later their chat to ask for location that's already in the order form and when asked for update, a supposed "customer service representative" replies that am I asking questions cos she buzzed to ask for location? All these cos I brought biz to an entity?

Please is this their modus operandi or this is just a freak occurrence from the blues.

I await responses........

Sorry to hear about your poor experience with them. Poor customer service training is a recurring issue for the majority of Nigerian businesses with owners always wailing about how employees are killing their businesses for them without putting in the effort to treat paying customers with respect and courtesy. Another major issue also with Nigerian businesses is the issue of availability of stock and current prices. A lot of Nigerian businesses operate e-commerce sites with outdated information. So, an item might be out of stock but you will still see it listed on the site. Or the price has changed and it is when you have payed for an item and expecting delivery that they will start calling you and telling you stories. Personally, i must always call and confirm an order before paying online for a product. Also, always pay into a company account for tracking. Solar Depot appeared to me to be a company that was well put together with a YouTube channel showing their solar installations and not bad looking website. But with this information, i will be more cautious if i have any future dealings with them. I hope your issue gets resolved in a timely manner. You can always escalate the issue to FCCPC if the situation remains unchanged.

obinna37:
Oga valto thank you for the deal,I received it this morning

Oya, we are waiting for your review and unboxing pics

Thank you.

mctfopt:
I think you should buy lifepo4 cells and BMS and run it yourself. It's not that hard. You'd get a better bang for your buck that way. DIY all the way

And risk a kazeem solar installer or the time and energy needed to put together and monitor such a system abi ?

Bro, it's too much work & time for "me". And there are plenty mainstream consumers like me in the market that prefer an alternative to DIY.

Cost & setup was a major barrier for new entrants tempted to switch over from AGM & Tubular Lead Acid batteries to LifeP04. LifeP0 need a BMS, compression (depends on user), different charging profile, etc. Generally, it needed more attention than the regular AGM or Tubular. With a server rack battery, you have an all in one unit ready to go. It comes with a BMS in built, capacitors and wiring harness for the batteries, bus bars, etc. To put things into context, check out this video for the installation of a 16s LifeP0 280ah EVE battery install https://youtu.be/iUuRRhLegrY. Fam, all this na work nah. Why do all that if i can get the SOK Server Rack Battery and install it good to go. Another context to look at is the price too. The SOK 48v 100ah Server Rack Battery is currently on pre-order for $1,739.99. A battle born 48v battery equivalent will cost you $3,196 at $799 per 12v 100ah a piece. That's a huge cost savings and makes it more attractive to buyers. The SOK also comes with a 10year warranty and its serviceable by the user which means you can replace any faulty cell yourself.

GeorgeD1:
we live in quite interesting times indeed. this is what some of us predicted some time ago with lithium technology.
finally it's beginning to go mainstream. soon, we will have more oems coming out with these sort of plug and play
models that require nothing but rudimentary knowledge of positive and negative battery connections and by
then lithium would be a household name.
i think it's the way to go provided price point is reasonable and quality of cells can be guaranteed.

I agree. With mainstream availability comes mass adoption and the market share it commands. DIY while an enthusiastic community has limited market share compared to the main stream. As correctly pointed, as the technology matures, prices comes down and more oem's release products for the market we will see a healthy increase in adoption. Already there is a noticeable drop in demand for battery cells according to Youtuber Will Prowse https://youtu.be/ICPDTq-ePP4 since more companies are releasing complete systems. These server rack batteries can also communicate to your inverters like Victron, Growatt, MPPSolar etc so making it fit into your existing setup. It's a good development for the solar community overall.

I hail fellow house members in the Solar Ministry

As a new convert to the LifeP04 battery geng, i have been doing a lot of research on the different brands and capacities available. Of course, using LifeP04 also means you have to learn about the BMS (Battery Management System) and how it is included in your entire inverter system. Now one of the initial drawbacks of the move to LifeP04 was its high cost and availability. Buying from big name brands will seriously dent your wallet and a lot of people preferred the DIY approach by busing cells directly from China and attaching a BMS to the installation. This greatly reduced costs but now added complexity of installation and needed some technical knowledge. While most users will have preferred the first option many were driven to the latter due to costs and therefore led to a surge in demand for battery cells and installers. There are some new products out now that appears to have a middle ground option.

Server Rack LifeP04 batteries

SOK Battery | 100Ah 48v | Server Rack Battery
https://www.currentconnected.com/product/sk48v100/

EG4 48V 100AH LiFePower4 Battery
https://shop.signaturesolar.us/products/48v-100ah-lifepower4-battery-by-eg4

Now, most LifeP04 cells bought from China from Manufacturers like EVE, CATL, LISHEN are 3.2V. So, if you need to build a 12V, 24V or 48V battery bank, you will need to buy multiples of these cells to build a bank. You will also need to buy a BMS and other necessary accessories to build the battery bank. This entails a lot of research and technical expertise for which many may not have the time nor energy for. With these pre-built LifeP04 Server Racks, its just plug and play. Though right now they are limited to 48V 100ah capacities, i think for the ease of mind and integration they offer at their price points its a good deal. What do you all think ?

bigrovar:
House gurus good to see the flag is still firing. It has been a minute since I last posted here but I do check from time to time.

I do have a question. So moving to a new place in Abuja and the choice where to install panels on the roof poses a dilemma for me.

The house roof is at about 17 degrees inclination on both side.

The problem is one side aligns south east while the other aligns north West. The little I know about solar panel direction is. As much as possible align to the South. If not then south west or west. I always feel directly facing east or north should be avoided. (Unless your panel is flat in which case it don't matter )

In my case the west which would have been ideal faces north and the eastern side of the roof faces south.

What do gurus in the house advise.

There's an app for that.

So i recommend these 3 android apps that you can use to help you with the orientation of the panels.

1. SolarCT - Solar PV Systems Calculator by M.N.N
2. SunCalc org by Torsten Hoffman
3. Compass by muruar

These apps using GPS to get your current location can help you with Azimuth, Solar Orientation etc of your solar panels to get the most bang for buck.

ElRazur:
Thanks for the response and adding the estimated prices. I am looking into AC with inverters, if there's any you recommend, abeg let me know.

The whole set up will take some money initially but from reading around, I will be making massive savings in the long term.

Just a quick insight, recently I was in naija, I was spending 4k every couple of days to buy petrol (25L Jerry can) to power the 5kva gen for 2 AC units and a small deep freezer for minimum of 12 hours daily. I did this for a month. . . . In the long term, the cost is going to be substantial so switching to solar is probably the way to go.

My plan is to get things in phases once I have a finalised list. Perhaps two inverter AC and then the Hybrid inverter and so on and so forth.

As for batteries, can you clarify please if buying them now and keeping them in storage will be ideal? I am aware that some battery packs (like the ones in electric scooters) needed to be charged once every 3 months or there about. Will this be applicable to solar batteries too?

Thanks.

To be sincere with you, your budget will determine a lot on the quality & capacity of the components you will need for your solar installation especially if you insist on having the AC on it. If you had started from the beginning of the thread, you will see that it usually recommended that you start small and grow your system so as to save on cost & gain meaningful experience but everyone's situation is different. So a few tips:
1. For your AC's, get the 1HP Gencool Inverter ACs from FOUANI LG shops. They will easily cut down on the energy consumption.
2. Batteries are the last things you buy in an inverter system due to their chemical nature and degradation when stored for long term without use.
3. LiFeP04 batteries are the new kids on the block and highly recommended. Yes, more expensive initially but will pay for itself in the long run. Some can last 5yrs or more. But buy them last when you have gathered all your components.
4. You will have to do a lot of research & googling to find a reputable seller as there a lot of fakes in the market. You can buy from AliExpress or AliBaba but be prepared for high shipping prices.

Hope this helps.

Dam5reey:
ACs on 4 batteries lead acid is a Capital NO..

At this stage for good return on Investment, Lifepo4 batteries is a must..

5KW panel is not enough,

I would advise @ElRazur to follow @ojeysky as he is currently using similar load.. just contact him personally to give you accurate equipment to get.

For Inverter, you can get Epever Upower Hi series hybrid 48V 5KW with 4KW MPPT for around 350k or Deye Hybrid for around 500K,

Boss, it's like you didn't read to the last of my post now. I mentioned 8 at the bottom as the best option for him to start from. I deliberately didn't even go with the Lithium Battery option not to scare him away
5. For batteries let's assume you get x4 Trojan or Qantas batteries at around N230,000. That's N900,000. And you can run those batteries only to 50% of the rated capacity. To run your AC, you must make it atleast 8 which is N1,800,000. For batteries o.

@ojeysky,

You people no dey try for the guy nah

@samnaija,

Baba, it took me 3 months of reading to reach here o. 1000 pages and going strong no be moi-moi.

@ElRazur,

From the comments from the previous posters, you can see that running AC's especially 1.5HP is not an easy or cost-effective thing to do. Therefore, I recommend that you reduce your demand to 1HP and use an AC with inverter technology like LG or Samsung . This also means that you need a bigger inverter like 5KVA and above to comfortably take up the room and breathing space to spare. A 48v system is ideal and this automatically means 4 batteries for your system. Ratings and capacities will be another variable. To get enough panels for a 5KVA system means you need more than 5000watts in solar panels. Then a good solar charge controller & battery monitoring system. Rough estimate for you from solardepot website:
1. Victron Multiples 48v/5KVA. N920,000
2. Victron Energy SmartSolar 150v 60A N285,000
3. Victron Energy Smart Battery Monitor N100,000
4. Jinko Solar Panels 375w x 14 (to get 5250w) N80,000 (using Kiekie's price) N1,120,000
5. For batteries let's assume you get x4 Trojan or Qantas batteries at around N230,000. That's N900,000. And you can run those batteries only to 50% of the rated capacity. To run your AC, you must make it atleast 8 which is N1,800,000. For batteries o.

You still want to include those AC's ElRazur ?

Valto:
put dont put those inverters in the same league with fangupsun and deye. they are not mates atall. both in quality and price.. let me burst your bubble fangupsun xtm is so highly efficient, that it should be competing with victron, an incredible inverter that consume just 7w to 9w on idle no load mode. deye on the hand is the grand master of the hybrid brand.

Thank you sir. These are just a couple of the brands that I am aware of based on my limited research. Still googling and perussing Alibaba to find out more on these manufactures. Comments and experiences by people like you will greatly help in pushing new customers in the right selection of an inverter brand to choose. Please share more quality brands if you can. What's your opinions on brands like Must, Axpert, etc ? Looking at quality components, good software/firmware update and support from the manufacturer. Thank you.

Good Morning House,

So, I wanted to share some information which I think might be helpful to other newbies like me as regards the choice of inverters to choose from. This might be already covered at the early parts of this thread but I think a refresher is also good. The inverter is basically the heart/engine of your solar installation and is responsible for converting DC power from your batteries into AC power to your house. Now, inverters come in different forms. Some inverters combine a charger inside them. This means that apart from the conversion of DC power to AC, they can also charge your battery bank using AC power. Some inverters also have a built in solar charge controller which means that your solar panels can be connected directly to your inverter to generate power without buying a separate charge controller. I have simplified as much as possible the base information for inverters and will now move to the brands of inverters that you can buy.

Premium Brands:
An inverter is a combination of both hardware and software that has been refined from years of R&. From capacitors, transformers, microcontrollers, Mosfets etc to the software algorithms that fine tune this components to work at high efficiency of 98% or more. Apple is a case in point. The older a company has been in the industry, the more refined its products get. Germany, USA are amongst the pioneer countries that started the solar revolution. And some of the companies manufacturing inverters have been in the game for long. The OG's you might say. Here are a couple of premium inverter brands you can buy:
1. SMA - Germany
2. Magnasine - USA
3. Victron - Netherlands
4. Studer - Switzerland
5. Fronius - Austria

These companies have spent billions of dollars on R& on their products and they perform at the industries most highest efficiency and reliability. With dedicated teams fine tuning their software (usually closed source) to make them easy to operate. Their main caveat is their high price in the market. These brands of inverters command a significant premium in the market and is usually beyond the reach of the average person. Enter the chinese.

Budget Brands:
When China entered the solar energy market, it started off by buying solar technology from the Americans and Europeans. At the time, there was no significant threat posed by China and they sold the best solar photovoltaic equipment to them. With govt subsidies and massively cheap labour, china started to make significant grounds in the solar industry and started crashing prices to compete. By the time the Americans& Europeans woke up to this and started banning the transfer and sale of equipment to China, it was a little too late. China had mastered the technology and was already creating its own new equipment and no longer needed much input from them. With many of these premium brands moving their manufacturing to China, it was inevitable that clones of such products will start to enter the market. Copyright laws are notoriously lax in China. Some of the new Chinese brands I know for now include:
1. Ningbo Deye Inverter
2. XIHE Wenzhou Xihe Electric Co.,LTD (Fangpusun) Makers of Victron, Outback and Studer Clones
3. SRNE Solar Co.
4. Growatt
5. Sungrow

Now these are some of the more reputable Chinese brands that have some quality certifications. There are even lesser known cheaper brands with good quality that you can find on Alibaba or AliExpress. Many of these Chinese brands will have exactly the same or nearly the same components as their American/Europeans counterparts at almost more than half the price. This was a significant game changer in crashing solar and bringing it to the masses. However, the chinese do still lag a bit behind when it comes to software as these are a bit more difficult to copy. Will do another post for solar charge controllers soon. Thanks you all I have attached a YouTube video that I watched containing much of the information posted above.
https://youtu.be/QoCoPmtNRJo

Oshomo12:
The technology is over mature, getting old self! It is just the entering price point for us here in Nigeria, that is the problem.

You can start with Fangpusun, contact JUO for the inverter, I think he still has one for sale.

Yeah, that's true. But the price to benefit ratio is still a bit high for me. But its definitely going to be next on my next upgrade cycle. I have been seeing a lot of LiFeP04 battery bundles and DIY setups all over the place. However, a common complain is sourcing original Grade A batteries and getting ones with right voltage and capacity. Lithium is still a bit high level for me. Yeah, I have been following @JUO here on the thread and his page on Konga. The Fangpusun XTM inverter looks good but I am still skeptical on its quality and looking for more opinions.

Valto:
i doubt if u will get it at that price now or when u are eventually ready.



why not save your self the stress and flow with new reality. get a 5kw deye hybrid inverter. it is cost effective and better than those combinations (especially that less efficient SRNE). and yes u can order a deye 5kw hybrid for around 410 to 450k

Battery Monitor:
1.Fangpusun BSP-500 Battery Condition Monitor with 500A Shunt $80



lead acid is fading out , lithium is the present/future, with atleast 3000 cycles. since u are planning towards the yr end, why not order 16pcs of 230ah lithium cells @ around 430 to 500k (exchange rate dependent) now, and it would have arrived by year end.

Thank you sir for the detailed response. Always glad to learn something new everyday. You know there is this ongoing debate between having an independent solar charge controller (which I am more in favour of) vs having an inverter with a built in charge controller like the Deye. I think the system is better off with a specialised charge controller than risk the issue of failure with a built charger in an inverter. That said, I am on the lookout for a good, quality Chinese inverter that will last me atleast 5 years before I port over to the victrons & outbacks. SRNe, Growatt, Fangpusun etc are amongst the brands I am currently looking at. 5000w 48v preferably. I want to do lead acid for now to enable the lithium technology to mature more before taking the plunge. But we will be getting to that leg of the journey soon too.

Oshomo12:
If you must do Lead-acid battery of higher capacity(500 ah and above, even from 400ah), just use 2v.

I intend to have a 48v setup and was looking at the quanties of batteries needed to reach that. My little research that I did showed that a large number of people recommend 6v batteries as the most ideal instead of 12v which is most common here. I did come across the Full River FSG Solar Gel Batteries in 2v. I saw one FSG 2v 1000ah for N175,000. But I will need 24 of those to build a battery bank to support 48v. I was thinking of going Lithium by the time I reach that point. If I get a good lead acid battery bank now that can last 5years, by the time I am ready to change with the rapid changes going in Lithium, it might be more affordable then and technology more mature. But please enlighten more on why 2v batteries is better going from 400ah and above. Thank you.

HOWEVER,

After fantasizing and dreaming, the drone of your neighbors generator and realities of life hits your wallet and you everyday and your thoughts start coming down to earth gradually. It has always been a great advice on this forum to start the solar journey with small steps and add more equipment as your knowledge and needs progress more. In that spirit, I had made another list of equipment to which I am creating a budget for possibly by end of the year to purchase and start my emancipation from the evil clutches of the Grid.

Current Realities:

Solar Panels:
1. Yingli Solar Panels 380w x 12 = 4,560w N65,000 per panel

Solar Charge Controller:
1. Fangpusun Flexmax MPPT80A $290

Inverter:
1. Fangpusun XTM Inverter 4800W-48V $792
2. SRNE All-in-one solar charge inverter HT4850S80-145 N350,000

Battery Monitor:
1.Fangpusun BSP-500 Battery Condition Monitor with 500A Shunt $80

Battery:
1. Fullriver 12V - DC260 (4pieces) N205,000

I am still tinkering with the list and balancing between quality & price. But we all have to start somewhere.

Having read all the different types of installations & different equipments that our current seniors & elders in the threat have amassed, I have created a wishlist of my own. A dream team that is worthy of being displayed & envied by all. Lol Please feel free to critique. This list is my mere fancy if money wasnt an issue and something to keep me inspired on the solar journey.

Dream Solar Installation:

Solar Panels:
1.Jinko Solar Panels 405w x 12 = 4,860w
2. Canadian Solar 390w x 12 = 4,680
Total Solar Array in 2 strings (24panels) = -+9,720w

Solar Charge Controller:
1.SmartSolar-charge-controller-MPPT-250-100 x2
2. Morningstar - Tristar Metered 60A MPPT Solar Charge Controller, RTS Included x2

Inverter:
1. Victron Energy Phoenix Inverter 48/5000 VE.Bus 48V Sine 4000W 10000W x1

Battery Monitor:
1. Bogart Engineering Battery Monitoring - Trimetric TM-2030 x1 $250

Battery:
1. Fullriver 6V - DC400-6 (8pieces)
2. Crown Battery 6V - 330Ah (8pieces)
3. Battle Born 12V - 100 Ah LiFePO4 (4pieces)
4. BYD B-Box Pro 7.5kWh 48V Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Pack

This list is not exhaustive and I might have missed something in it. In certain sections I have put two products that can be make the cut depending on which brand is the better product. But a man can dream sha.

Good Morning House,

I recently decided to start my solar journey after the incessant grid collapses, rising cost of fuel & intermittent power supply across the country. I have always been the kind of person to research any new area of interest extensively before comitting my hard earned money to it. So, I had been googling around solar forums & different manufacturers website before finally stumbling across this extensive thread. Brethren, I started this thread from page 1 a month ago and to God be the glory I have now caught up . I hope to be a contributing member of the thread and share my solar journey with you all. With that said, I will be buying my equipment small and hope to build my solar system to a relatively stable status.Thank you all for your wonderful contributions so far.

holysaint1:
Perhaps, this is in their T&C. But as usual, we don't normally read long write ups.

No, it isn't.

This is not a Fair Usage Policy throttle.

If not, it will affect the entire bundle. Why limit it to the free data window where you you agreed to make things unlimited ? Maybe the network is getting saturated and they are doing this to control the bandwidth. But this is at 1am, the time when most networks are idle till 7am when user activity picks up. So, why throttle the users without informing them ? Just trying to get feedback from other Spectranet users if this a more widespread issue or just user related.

See Speedtests showing before and after speed throttle.

Hello Everyone,

I had been having this nagging suspicion over the past couple of days. Since the lockdown started, like all users I have resorted to relying a lot more on my internet. I use Spectranet 25GB N10,235 Plan. Now, Spectranet has always been generous and offers regular promos in which they grant you double data bonus when you renew your subscription before the end of the current one. However, recently, the last 2 renewals that I have done. They didn't grant me the double bonus data even though I had renewed before the end of the current sub. This happened twice. No bonus data. It didnt disturb me much as I use it mainly for the free data period included with the plan which is between 1am to 7am where every download is free and doesn't count towards your overall downloads. For the past 3 days now, it seems Spectranet has been slowing our data speeds from the average 28-30mbps in my area to less than 1mbps. As in, the thing barely crawls. I thought it was a network issue the first day, then the second day. The third day, I was annoyed and decided to get to the root of the matter. Everything seemed to be okay with full network bars on full 4G LTE so I knew it wasn't a network issue. The speeds also reverted back to normal during the day when your data count starts but seemed to slow down exactly by 1am. I did a speedtest yesterday by 12am and after 7am and my suspicions where confirmed. It seems everything will be going at full speed until 1am. The time for the free data period. They then slow it down to 1mbps till 7am when they know the data period has finished and then restore the speeds back to normal. Has anybody experience this?! Just checking to see if anybody is experiencing this because Spectranet should have contacted and informed it's customers about this policy before implementing. Appreciate any feedback on this. Thanks

Let me drop this here.

Glo LTE.

Location: Gombe, Gombe State

Builderman:
OF all the chief executives of the Nigerian Customs Service to date, none has been more powerful than Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Alli (retd.), the sixty-four year old post graduate criminologist, from Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

On November 21, 1994, General Sani Abacha, GCFR, appointed him along with Justice Ibrahim Nadhi Auta, a Federal High Court Judge in Lagos and Justice Etowa Enyong Arikpo, a Judge in the Cross Rivers state High Court to try Ken Saro-Wiwa, Ledun Mitee, Barinom Kiobel, John Kpaniene and Baribor Berai in the aftermath of the Ogoni crisis in Rivers State. On August 22, 1996, the same General Abacha appointed him as the Military Governor of Kaduna State. He served as governor untill August 1998 following General Abacha’s death.



On August 27, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, appointed Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Alli, as the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service.

His predecessors from the colonial era till now: Mr.T.A. Wall, Mr. Nicol, Mr. E.P.C. Langdon, Mr. S.G. Quinton, Mr. Ayodele Diyan, Mr. Henry Etim Duke, Alhaji Shehu Musa, Mr. Oyebode Oyeleye, Alhaji Abubakar Musa, Dr. Bello Haliru Muhammed, Major General S.O.G. Ango, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Mustapha, Mr. David Akintayo Ogungbemile (acting), Jacob Gyang Buba, Bello Hamman, Dr. Bernard-Shaw Nwadialo and Dikko Inde Abdullahi, never had the kind of power and influence that Colonel Hammeed Alli, now has.



To prove the extent of his power, I refer to the circular dated November 6, 2019 and signed by Chidi A. (Deputy Comptroller-General) for Comptroller-General of Customs, titled “Suspension of Petroleum Products Supply to Filling Stations Within 20 Kilometres to all Borders”. It reads: “The Comptroller-General of Customs has directed that henceforth no petroleum product no matter the tank size is permitted to be discharged in any filling station within 20 kilometres to the border. Consequently, you are all to ensure strict and immediate compliance, please.”

In government, there is what we call schedule of responsibilities. I want to believe that Nigeria has not graduated to a fictitious country adapted by Henry William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) called banana republic. Obeying the law is one way of ensuring stability in the society.

Have you ever wondered what would happen in our society if there were no rules and regulations? Anyone could just get up and do anything but you cannot complain because there is no defined behaviour for people in the society to follow.

It is interesting how we are socialised to believe a particular way is the best way of doing something and we insist that things be done that way.

Sometimes we do not even know the reason(s) we are told things should be done this way or that way.

If we were taught as we were growing up that it is best to greet people with our left hand, I am very sure we would have been emphasising on that and felt insulted anytime someone greeted us with the right hand. Or if we were brought up to understand that slapping each other was the best way to say hello, we would have guarded this value jealously.

Ironically, what is acceptable in one society may not be unacceptable in another because different societies across the world have varying beliefs, values, rules and regulations. The reason that rules and regulations are made in our society is to help maintain peace and order.

The directive in that circular should have been issued by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, who is also the Minister of Petroleum or the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva or the Minister of Finance, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed or the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ogbeni Adesoji Rauf Aregbesola or the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha or the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari or the Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Mordecal Ladan.

The sale of Petroleum products either within or outside the borders is not part of the schedule of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service. As of today, the Minister of Finance is still the Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Customs Service while the Comptroller General of Customs is the vice chairman of the board.

At present the Nigeria Customs Service is run by the comptroller-general who oversees the work of six deputy comptroller generals in the following departments: Corporate Support Services; Tariff and Trade; Enforcement, Investigation, and Inspection; Modernization, Research and Economic Relations; Excise, Industrial Incentives and Free Trade Zone; and Human Resource Development.

The circular is talking about the sale of Petroleum products along the border. The circular is not talking about the closure of border, an issue that must have been discussed at the Federal Executive Council presided over by the President and I am sure the President must have seen the merits and demerits on the need to close our borders. Even if the President gave such a directive to Colonel Hameed Alli, to execute, we all know how he is extremely close to the President for he is among the UNTOUCHABLES around now, the circular did not say so and there is nothing negative in the circular saying so. I am aware that the UNTOUCHABLES in Nigeria of today get away with anything and nothing will happen to them.

A pronouncement in the circular that Colonel Hameed Alli was carrying out the directive of the President could have given the circular more weight. We are discussing about the powers of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs. The sale of Petroleum products is still under the NNPC and no law has taken that responsibility from the NNPC. According to the Nigerian constitution, all minerals, gas, and oil the country possesses are legally the property of the Nigerian federal government. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is the Oil Corporation through which the federal government of Nigeria regulates and participates in the country’s petroleum industry.

The Nigeria Customs Service was formerly under the Ministry of Finance before 1985. General Ibrahim Babangida, GCFR, placed it directly under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and that lasted from 1985 till 1992. He later transferred the Customs back to the Ministry of Finance in 1992 and that arrangement is still on till date.

I have read and reread the decrees of the Nigeria Customs Service especially the post of the Comptroller General, I never came across in the decrees where the Comptroller General of Customs will execute the directive in that circular. I am equally not undermining the success of Colonel Hameed Alli since he became the Comptroller-General of Customs, for example, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has generated about N1.002 trillion from January to September. The service recorded the highest revenue of N123.6 billion in July, followed by N118.6 billion in May.

Let’s take a look at the legal framework of the Nigeria Customs Service. The Customs & Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap 45, Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 vests Legal Authority in the Nigeria Customs Service to act on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria in all Customs matters. This is supported by various supplementary legislation including:

Customs and Excise (Special Panel and other Provisions) Cap 45, Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004; Customs Duties (Dumped and Subsidized Goods) Act Cap 87 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria; Nigeria Pre-shipment Inspection Decree No. 36 of November, 1979 further amended by Decree No. 11 of 19th April, 1996; Decree No. 45 of 1st June, 1992 as amended by Decree No, 77 of 29th August, 1993; Customs and Excise Management (Amendment) Act No. 20 of 2003; Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The law relating to Customs Agents is contained in the Customs & Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap 45, Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and the Customs and Excise Agents (Licensing) Regulations 1968 (Legal Notice 95/1968 as amended). Nowhere did I come across the power of the Comptroller-General to execute the November 6th circular.

By virtue of delegated authority, the Comptroller-General is authorized to issue guidelines and prescribe internal instructions to Customs personnels in accordance with the governments’ rules and regulations as they affect the statutory functions of the Customs Service.

Executive usurpation of powers because one is close to the President is very dangerous. An enlightened and civilized society is guided by rules and regulations.

It was decree 7 of 1970 that gave additional powers to the board of the Nigeria Customs. On August 29, 1975, the Chairman of the Border of Customs and Excise, Mr. Henry Duke was retired by General Murtala Mohammed, GCFR, along with his two deputies, Mr. E. U. Emoren and Alhaji I. Halidu, the Preventive Commander. General Murtala Mohammed then posted the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Alhaji Shehu Ahmadu Musa (1935-2008), the late Makama Nupe, as Director of Customs with a Mandate to reorganise the organization. Expectedly the late Makama Nupe brought his civil service experience into the organisation. The reforms he carried out formed the foundation of the Nigeria Customs Service till date. Before then the Customs was operating as two parallel services—Revenue (Technical) and Preventive (Enforcement). This parallel method of running the two services created serious conflicts and immense administrative problems. This seriously affected the overall efficiency and attitude of officers and men with the attendant negative impact on the image of the Department.

On November 7, 1985, General Ibrahim Babangida, GCFR, constituted a committee under Alhaji Yahaya Gusau (1916-2008), the late Shettima Sokoto, to probe the high level of smuggling on Nigerian borders. As a result of government acceptance of the report, thus, the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Services Board (CIPB) were created with the promulgation of Decree No. 14 of 11th January 1986. This decree abolished the Board of Customs and Excise with this new Board taking over it’s functions and in addition absorbed the functions of the Federal Public Service Commission with regard to appointment, promotion and disciplinary control over staff of the Department.

On November 27, 1993, General Sani Abacha, GCFR, set up the Major-General Paul Tarfa Panel to probe the activities of the Nigeria Customs Service. The Panel was given one year to conduct the probe and in the meantime a Sole Administrator in the person of Brigadier – General (later Major–General) Samuel Omiago Ango was appointed. However, he was in charge of the Nigeria Customs Service until 4th Feb. 1999 when General Abdusalam Abubakar, GCFR, appointed Ahmed Aliyu Mustapha (OFR) a career Customs officer as the substantive Comptroller-General of Customs. From that time till now, Comptroller-Generals have headed the Nigeria Customs Service. They included Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Mustapha, late David Akintayo Ogungbemile (acting), Jacob Gyang Buba, the present the Gbong Gwom Jos and chairman of Plateau Council of Chiefs, Hamman Bello Ahmed, Dr. Benard Shaw Nwadialo and Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi. None of them exercised the kind of power that Colonel Hameed Alli is now exercising.

In 2003, President Olusegun Obasanjo set up a Reform Committee headed by the Minister of state for finance, Mrs. Nenadi Esther Usman. The Committee recommended a fundamental re-structure of the Service to re-position it to meet increasing challenges. The late David Akintayo Ogungbemile, a Deputy Comptroller-General acted as Controller- General of Customs during that period. Other members of the panel were Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Alhaji Waziri Muhammed, Chairman Nigeria Railway Corporation, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, Minister of Justice, Mr. Adekunle O. Adedayo, retired Assistant Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service and Alhaji Kabir A. Muhammed, State House Counsel.

I have read vital reports and decrees that relate to the Nigeria Customs Service and nowhere in the reports that have I read where such power were conferred on the Comptroller General of the Customs as contained in that circular. In every organization, there must be rules and regulations. That is what we called Social Rule System Theory. Social rule system theory is an attempt to formally approach different kinds of social rule systems in a unified manner. Social rules systems include institutions such as norms, laws, regulations, taboos, customs, and a variety of related concepts and are important in the social sciences and humanities. Social rule system theory is fundamentally an institutionalist approach to the social sciences, both in its placing primacy on institutions and in its use of sets of rules to define concepts in social theory.

Social rule system theory notes that most human social activity is organized and regulated by socially produced and reproduced systems of rules. These rules have a tangible existence in societies – in language, customs and codes of conduct, norms and laws, and in social institutions such as family, community, market, business enterprises, and government agencies. Thus, this theory posits that the making, interpretation, and implementation of social rules are universal in human society, as are their reformulation and transformation.

Rules and laws are commandments under which a society is governed. Those rules must be adhered to at all times and in all manners. The growth of any society depends on strict adherence to rules and regulations.

Vanguard

Potatoe, Potata !!!

Whether the Minister of Finance wrote the circular, Chief of Staff Abba Kyari or whoever in the Presidency all that matters is whether the President/Cabal sanctioned it which I am sure you know they did. So, what's the long epistle?!

@Benekruku is making a lot of sense. Approach the matter with logic and not sentiments. A valid point to be made here also is the co constitutional rights of all citizens to live anywhere in the federation regardless of state of origin. If an Urhobo man decides to relocate and buy land in Kebbi to start a fishery business, he is legally entitled to. Same thing for a Kanuri man that wants to go to Ekiti and start a perfume shop. Both are Nigerians and can buy land and settle in any state. Once, you start chasing or driving away a certain ethnic group because of one issue or the other, it almost always attracts a reciprocal response.

Halogenonimisi:
Despite my Love for PMB, I don't know why he prefers appointing old or retired people instead of Young, innovative, creative and positive goal driving men to bring a reasonable development to his government.
Service Chief's retired men.
Custom Oga retired.
NNPC retired.
CBN old man
Chief of staff na our Ancestor.
Etc.

It is because the young men when giving the chance will start finding avenues to upgrade themselves and chop life as the hunger wey dey their body don plenty. An older more experienced person is more likely to bring stability to the organisation. Imagine giving an under 40 person the chairman of NNPC ?! They will more than likely embezzled as much money as they can looking the rhetoric and comments of young people on social media nowadays. Gov Yahaya Bello of Kogi is a classic example.

Stanley08:
Why testing with NY server? And yes. 5MB/s - 7MB/s very possible depending on where you stay

I find that testing with a server based in the US gives a true reflection of the distance that a packet needs to travel in order to test the speed and latency. Using a locally based server in Abuja or Lagos is not gonna be accurate in my opinion as there is no major webserver based here that your connection will be downloading/uploading to. The screenshot is the speed I consistently get in my area. I guess the base station must have a fibre hardline to it.

@stanley08

Bro, Spectranet don upgrade since o. This my steady speed all day and night.

And this is how it ends.

Brandon Stark the broken becomes the king and sits on the Iron Throne.

The North becomes an independent nation with Sansa as its Queen.

Arya travels off to the west of westoros to uncharted lands.

Grey worm carries all the unsullied to the Island of Narth.

Tyrion Lannister becomes the hand of the king.

Jon Snow along with Ghost and Tormund carry the remaining free folk and they go over the wall back to their lands.

Truly, the finale of got season 8 can best be described as mediocre. This is poor writing at its best. We can all glaringly see that without George RR Martin source material to rely on, the writers of the show cannot bring any new original ideas to the show. They had to resort to snatching scenes from Lord of the Rings to fill in the gaps. The comparisons can be found all over YouTube.
The thing that pains most fans is that, after building up all the characters, we at least expected a spectacular exit and not some poorly written excuse to kill of their characters. Missandei decapitated, Daenarys stabbed in the heart, cersei crying and crushed under rubble with jaime etc

Mstcheeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.