₦airaland Forum

The way you guys analyse solar energy is heartbreaking to me. 19kw array? Are you running a cold room. Well thanks all so far for sharing. I have learnt a lot as
I started out running my old car battery (75ah)with a 150w panel and just run all lights on dc and sometimes tv via a modified inverter. But now i have upgraded to a 2.2kw array,a 60amp pmw, and a 24v/ 200ah setup. Setup doing really good with 50% dod.I now make cool money with my solar knowledge. Thanks to ceasar, niyi.....mctfop..,ojeysky,earthrealm and all.......you guy ignited the electrical spirit in me. THANK YOU ALL.

ojeysky:
There should be no issues with that unless the charge limit of your battery is reached. If utility is doing 20A and your solar is doing 10A it simply means 30A is going into your battery. So you need to be sure that your battery can accept the charge rate or you modify max charge as you find applicable(if you have that option on your gear).
You need to be sure that your chargers are intelligent enough to stop charging once battery is full.

thanks for the response

I was just thinking, what happens when mains comes on and supplies charge to battery while the pv also does supplies charge. Could there be a conflict atimes.? I have always been totally off-grid and was wondering as i have some installations soon.i will soon do some major upgrades.@ ceaser,niyioluyomade,mftcot and etal.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
I need to clarify that it is not really about tightness of the connection but two factors come before;

1) Sufficient contact area between the cables being joined - i have found your typical near 1 inch of contact insufficient - perhaps 2 inches of contact is ideal and splitting the cables into smaller branches that can be wound/braided together better

2) Ability to weatherproof the connection and keep moisture out as well as withstand heat.

Think of it that the cables with cheap asian panels may be substandard but the use of MC4 is not magically upgrading the cables to a better spec, rather the MC4 ensures minimum viable contact surface area between the panels and keeps moisture out and is able to withstand the heat of the sun.

To reiterate MC4 metal contacts are pretty thin and unable to withstand the arc that comes from making or breaking contact under load, yet if used properly, they manage to create secure connections that last many years.

I encourage anyone to look into the anderson power plugs for DC connections - rated for about 100,000 no load connects/disconnects and over 200 connect/disconnects at full load. Even if you don't use them to connect panels together, a serious DIYer or pro installer will doubtless find many applications for them.

hi mr niyi. You are abosolutely right. I had to learn this when my 600w pv array began behaving like a 450W in practice. Lets forget what the book says cos there are so much sub-standard materials in the market. Mc4 ko mc4 ni. Except you have the premium ones.

ceaser:
Does flames have their accredited company here in Nigeria?

Non
that I know of.

ceaser:
Whoa! Why does your installer need to cut off the easy MC4 plug and play accessories that came with the panels and then joined wires the more difficult way? Or are there downsides to using MC4 that I probably am not aware of?

This is disheartening.

mc4 connectors atimes losses current. You know there are little sparks here and there if the connection ain't thight enough.

tonididdy:
Thanks sire.
From the explanations on the first page but using a calculation of 6hrs sunlight. I need 350w panel to sufficient provide my needed wattage hours. This means I may need an extra 150 or 100w panel.

Insert is my CC details.

that your cc looks familiar. I have a similar one. You can still add another 150w, meanwhile, check your current amp

efuro:
One reason why this thread still enjoys continuous survival is that we have near zero tolerance cheating particularly supplying wrong items not specifically demanded for (usually items beneath price paid for despite paying over bloated prices all the same).

However, I will advice you contact another installer to check your PV. There could be many reasons why your PV is still outputing 2 amps inspite of SunDay. You could even have a full battery sef.

When you have exhausted all your checks and possibly redemption. Nothing STOP YOU from letting the house know the dubious person SO THAT WE CAN OSTENTATIOUSLY ACT and blacklist him before he tarnishes other honest marketers or innocent hobbyist/diy who may fall victim on daily basis to such devilish cheating acts he calls business.

Letz get value for money before Nigerians loose faith in renewable sources due to these act wickedness!

like I posted earlier, the more you look, the less you see. I will prefer to buy direct from company if possible. Alaba guys have all stickers you can imagine. from bottom to top. thinking of making my own panels by my self soon.

tonididdy:
Hi friends thanks so much for your mentions. I really appreciate. I took your advice and studied the first page to know exactly the wattage of panel I would need for my setup.

This is the calculation I came up with according to page 1(i maybe wrong though, forgive my ignorance but I willing to learn and take corrections).

According to page 1,to know the panel or batt3 needed, one needs to know the sum total watts of all appliances expected to be used and hours expected to be used, multiply by 1.2 (this is if we assume to get at least 85% efficency considering no setup is 100%) and then divide that by the number of hours of sunlight got a day... The total is the required wattage of panel needed.

Using this guide, I calculated thus:
TV 60watts X 10hrs usage (5pm to 2am)
Dstv 30w X 10hrs
Fan 30w X 20hrs

Equals 600+300+600
Total 1500wh

1500wh X 1.2 equals 1800wh
To know the panel needed
We divide 1800 by 7hrs (this is the sun uptime, if the sun is best at 10am to 4pm)

1800wh/7= 257w.

This means I need a 257w panels to supply energy at my given time and my setup has 300w panels.

BUT in all of this, why don't I get full charge after 7hrs of sunlight? Does this mean my panels may not be giving 300w supply to the batteries?

your system will likely fail if you use 7hrs to calculate as the sun is never at its peak for seven hours, I personally use 4 hrs of sunlight for my calculations.

tonididdy:
ok this?

I can have a batt3 reading on the CC of 12.9v as at 5pm...because immediately usage kicks in, the reading drops immediately to mostly 12.9v and by morning, I will have 12.1, 12.2 and the batt3 bar would have dropped to 2bars.

It's never emptied overnight before.

from the little I deduce, your system is running very well. dod is around 50-40%, so why do you want to add more panels?.Check you cc manual for the max current.

[quote author=tonididdy post=85775937][/quote]there are limitations to what you can do as you likely have just one tubular battery which shows your system is clearly a 12v system. Why do you want to add more panels? What is the capacity of your battery in AH? Your cc is rated at what amp?
What is your inverter amp rating too.let get this details so the ogas can advice.

Buyers beware, many of the panels,cc and batteries in the market is fake. Alaba boys at it again. They change stickers.e.tc. the quality of solar materials are now so substsndard.
Buyers;Be warned

[quote author=ceaser post=85479231][/quote]wow nice one.

olopan:
If I may.
Connect two of them in series i.e. the positive to the negative of the other
and you do the same for the next two then,
you connect the two positive ends together and the negatives
using a pair of two way MC4 connectors.
And you finish the setup using your existing cables before.
Cheers

I have done that. 2s2p setup. The problem is that the panels arent enough for the 24v inverter.i appears to be drawing much energy on idle state.my battery ends up being depleted. Thanks

Felicity panels in stock o
260w-28k
325w-39k

ceaser:
I actually have one that I have retired. Very good product like that. Used for a year. 12v "BTS" PSW with AC charger with 20% 50% selectable DoD. But it's 750kva so I'm not too sure if it will handle your load. I believe the highest KVA with 12v in that product line up is 1.2kva. Higher KVA come at 24v nominal. It was bought off of Konga. I'll see if I can retrieve the link.

thanks for your response. I have a 1.45kva 24v DSP inverter I bought off an aboki. i tried using it with the fridge,it could not take the surge,but alas this morning,I changed the fuse gauges and it works, but my PV array appears too low for the inverter. hence I just stuck to 12v then.l'll be adding two 300w to my setup then. thanks. but how best can I connect 4 150w/12v to get a 24v output

ceaser:
Olendave has given a likely consumption of your device.

But the other way to be absolutely sure about your device is to have a wattmeter handy. Use it to determine the consumption of this fridge.

Subsequently when you wanna purchase any AC appliance, go to the merchant armed with the meter and have it plugged into the appliance when it's being tested. You can then relay your findings to guys here to help decide before your buy.

hello ceaser, pls help out with recomending a 12v pure sine wave hybrid inverter with adjustable dod that can power a 150w fridge. Thanks

hello house, being a while. need some inputs on this.
I currently have a system that works well for me.
2pcs of 100ah batteries in parallel.
40a pwm cc, 1000w modified 12v inverter and a 600w pv (150x4) in parallel.
inverter runtime is from 7am to 9:30 pm daily with average load of 80w. from 9:30pm to 7am, I run dc loads of about 80w load.
am able to achieve. above 50% dod with this setup. I am now upgrading as I need am adding a 80w AKIA fridge to the setup. the fridge will run during peak sunlight around 11am to 3am.
I would still love working with a 12v inverter because of my Dc loads.
whats your take on the required upgrade.@ceaser,topmost,kiekie,..niyi....ojesky....etal

Reprobate:
abeg, who has transacted with this menuel guy successfully before?
dude dropps outta the sky, with decent prices, somewhat better than what the old regular sellers have been offering.
ayam wondering, if this guy is legit

More better offers will roll in soon. Prices of panels have dropped down in recent times. You know what i mean if you know your way around alaba.

Evening my ogas. I need a little analysis of a system that can take load of about 2.5kva for at least 6hrs.

In my opinion. I am looking at a 24v/3.5kva inverter,4pcs of 200ah, tubular batteries, 6pcs of 250w/24v of pv, 80A pwm. Pls i need you guys input as per best models, and any tweak on the system to work well. The system will be grid tied. Fairly stable electricity.Earthrealm, niyiol..., kiekie.ojeysky,ceaser etal..

Topmost11:
I have a method I drew up for this: I will install a changeover switch between cc and wires separately to both batteries so I can decide which one to charge; it will not be simultaneous, either 200ah or 100ah at any one time.

thumbs up. nice one

Topmost11:
I have a method I drew up for this: I will install a changeover switch between cc and wires separately to both batteries so I can decide which one to charge; it will not be simultaneous, either 200ah or 100ah at any one time.

thumbs up. good one there..

Topmost11:
House what is the implication of replacing a 4.5ah battery with 7ah or 9ah aside longer run time? I have replaced the follow come battery of my new fan with 7ah battery. One of the reasons I opted for the fan make/model is the 12v battery rather than the 6v models.

One other thing, battery gurus and general house. Must a battery be always upside up or I can place it sideways. I ask because if I place the battery sideways, it will enter the battery slot/compartment of the fan and I will be able to replace the cover. See attached pictures.

Pix1 will ensure battery enters the slot and cover replaced but it will stand sideways and not upright. Pix2 is upright but battery will sit outside the battery slot.

Another question.
My bad 5yearold 100ah battery has been idle for months now. Before I stopped using it, it serves during sun hours but lasts 1.5hours after sundown. If I replace the follow come fan battery with it, what is the effect?
I am looking at two options
1: charge it with solar via cc once in maybe 5 days or as need arises.
2: allow fan to charge it during sun hours when inverter is on as the need arises.

Problem I envisage is with option 2. It means I shall be drawing from inverter to charge it thus my main 200ah battery will suffer it as it may not charge fully since the inverter will be pull load to charge the 100ah battery by way of the fan. Hence my resolve to charge only during sun hour. Pls attack the proposal and give suggestions for improvement . Thanks

I would not recommend the above for client installation except diy. and as you mentioned, dry season is a factor. but you might still be able to draw conclusions on your peak current on a really sunny day around 12:30pm to 1:30pm, you get peak current and can factor that in your calculations.

As per your rechargeable fan. lead- acid batteries are called that name because they contain h2so4 electrolyte which is a liquid.so conventionally upside down or sideways is never encouraged. if you change the follow come battery of your fan with the higher ah but same volt(12), not problem should ensue as you will only have to charge for a longer time.

for charging your almost dead battery alongside your working OK batteries, you would eventually kill your new batteries as the older one will try to drop them down to its level. you know solar power is like a sinusoidal wave atimes. I even doubt that your current system charges your batteries effectively. but except you will use a separate PV array and cc for old battery, you should be OK with that.

!

Topmost11:
You mean 6?

yes 6 that's a typo

[quote author=Topmost11 post=84916360]House, for argument /education case. What happens if I exceed the max panel input of the cc? [/quot

for a 150w PV

power = 18v x 8.33A
= 150w panel
ideal situation will give the above. ideal situations exists majorly in the lab. on average I hardly get 5A on each panel
hence I have just p= 18Vx 5A = 90w hence 6 panels will give me 520w total..

this is just my approx figures, panel orientation, wiring size and length of wire from the panel to cc are all important

Topmost11:
House, for argument /education case. What happens if I exceed the max panel input of the cc?

like said earlier, 4 150w should harvest 8x4=32A at peak. but mine never does, just little above 20A at most at peak sunlight.hence I am getting 5A per PV considering distance from PV to my cc. hence adding 2 more panels should work in my case. so with 8 150 panels, i would have little above 30 amps at peak sun array. just saying.

Topmost11:
As you rightly said, we have similar set up. With 600watts panels, your cc should be 60a and not 40a. You can only add one more panel to it.

well I concur. those are values for under ideal situations

from my little personal experience, a 150w PV says it will give 18v and 8A charge. but in real situations, it doesnt. this are max values. the sun is not always max now.my 600w panel should give abt 32A max. but the highest I have seen is 22A but it has constant voltage value of about 16-18v which is OK. so my drift is if max current should be 32A, just work with 16amp on average or a little lower for your calculations. if you intend running an off-grid system, you will have to go high on panels while considering the rate of charge of battery C10/C5, and how much load your panels can take while also being able to reach full charge by sundown.
Also note that a cc rated 40A should take 40A conveniently and slightly above, 40-45A. but I fear this chinko cc's sha o.

hmm

Topmost11:
I just checked and did the calculations. Highest has been 143ah on 8/12/19 and lowest 81ah on 12/12/19. Today is 86ah. Thanks for calling my attention to this. I need to look at the panels for dirt. Total harvest is 1025 in 10 days. But it seems my son did a reset on 7/12/19 or 8/12/19 cos 9/12/19 has no record, but I am not too sure.


The readings were taken from the pwm CC display.

House, I have a question.
Does the cc record havest irrespective of load on it or load affects the reading. My thoughts is that harvest record should not be affected by load as the cc records what passed through it and not what use the yield is put to. If 100ah passes through it and 50ah load is being drawn on the go, battery will suffer it by getting only the 50ah balance. Am I correct?
I ask because from the calculations I did, I noticed drops in yield these few days. But if load affects harvest, then I understand the drop. RCCG is having convention and TV is suffering it.

l use the exact pwm cc u have. from what I see, it records just PV Ah input only. I have 4 12v/150w panel in parallel. I use my system for 24hrs. I mean inverter for 13hrs for charging business and run off Dc loads through the night. my 2 100ah in parallel never drops below 50%dod. my harvest has not been impressive though. I get a least above 50ah on less sunny days and abt 150Ah on very sunny days. Ideally, that for me is too low. I would be adding at least two more panels asap.

I need a fairly used 12v/150 watts panel. watsapp o7o3448863o