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Science/Technology › Re: How Efficient Are Solar Electricity Power Systems? by SolnergyPower: 10:24pm On Dec 12, 2016

This simply means, they use Direct Current(DC) voltage. They're are rated as 12VDC, 24VDC etc.

So when you've your solar panels to charge the battery or batteries, they will then power your appliances.

See a solar fridge below... please take note of the deep cycle battery beside it.

otokx:
Which one is solar refrigerator, solar iron, solar deep freezer etc, etc, etc

1 Like

Science/Technology › Re: How Efficient Are Solar Electricity Power Systems? by SolnergyPower: 10:13pm On Dec 12, 2016

From experience, the so called inefficiency happens when any or a combination of the below holds.

1. Load-Battery Ratio
The battery bank comprises of your batteries and each battery has a specified backup time. Some appliances like AC, water pumping machine drains the batteries faster than TV, fridge, lighting point.

You'll certainly have a loss of backup time if the load-battery ratio isn't properly matched.

2. Inverter size
Each inverter has its own maximum specified load. While proposing an inverter, the load should be at about 50% of the size of the inverter.

3. Bad or Weak or Refurbished Battery
There are a lot of refurbished batteries in the market. If you are sold a refurbished one, you won't draw up to 40% from the battery.

One or more bad batteries in a battery bank can affect the outcome of the system.

4. Load Separation
If an inverter isn't meant to power the whole house, the load of the house should be properly separated such that the inverter carries only what is meant for it.

5. Installation
The installer should be well grounded in some basic knowledge of the products he's installing. Also he should properly calculate the load in regards to the battery bank and advise the client on the estimated time of discharge.

6. Clients abuse.
Some clients strain their batteries and inverter. You can't use an electric pressing iron in a 1.5KVA inverter, it'll damage it. Clients behave very funny and more often than not, they don't own up to the installer.

ndcide:
In Nigeria, Sola electricity is inefficient Period!!!!

If you like waste your money. All efficient street lights in Nigeria including Aso rock is powered by generator. As I type, There are 8 solar panel wasting away outside. we thought cleaning them would make thinks better, but no show. Na generator win for now.

who wan sell solar panel give you. him dey use am foe him house ?

2 Likes

Science/Technology › Re: Solar Panel And Charge Controller Installation Tutorial by SolnergyPower(op): 7:22pm On Dec 07, 2016

Batteries Charge Current
The charge current of a battery is determined by the size of the battery.

For the sake of this tutorial, we shall use a 200Ah battery.

There has been conflicting advise on the percentage of the amperage(Ah) of the battery that should be the charge current of the battery.

The charging current of a battery should be in-between 7% and 30% of the battery Ah.

An ampere hour(Ah) is the amount of energy charge in a battery that will allow one ampere of current to flow for one hour.

For this tutorial, we shall take 10% as our charge current.

So the charging current of a 200Ah battery is

200Ah x (10/100) = 20A.

Battery Charging Time
The simple formula to determine the charge time of a battery goes thus

Charging time of Battery = Battery Ah/Charging Current

ie

T=Ah/A.

The charging current of our 200Ah battery we calculated then was 20A. But due to losses, we can take 22A to 24A. So let's take 23A.

Therefore, the charging time of our battery will be

T=Ah/A

T=200Ah/23A

T= 8.9h (This an ideal situation)

Practically, it's noted that there is about 40% loss while batteries are charging. If we factor in this loss, we shall have...

200Ah x (40/100) = 80Ah,

Therefore the total Ah of our 200Ah battery now becomes

200Ah + 80Ah (losses) = 280Ah.

So the practical charging current of our 200Ah is

Charging time of Battery = Battery Ah/Charging Current

T=Ah/A.

T= 280/23

T=12.18h.

Note: This charge time is based on the fact that the battery was totally drained.

Science/Technology › Re: Solar Panel And Charge Controller Installation Tutorial by SolnergyPower(op): 6:51pm On Dec 07, 2016*

Solar Panels Ratings

For this class, we shall look at the main ratings of the solar panel

Power (W): 200 Watts
Open Circuit Voltage (V): 36.00 Voc
Short Circuit Current (A): 7.42 Isc
Maximum Power Voltage (V): 28.60 Vmp
Maximum Power Current (A): 6.64 Imp

Open Circuit Voltage (Voc). This is the voltage you will see present at the solar panel’s output when it is exposed to full sun and is not loaded.

Short Circuit Current (Isc). This measurement is useful for testing the panels and determining the sizing of your wiring and controller.

Maximum power voltage (Vmp) and amperage (Imp). These levels are very important to consider in selecting panels and components for your solar energy system! In short, please keep the voltage as close to Vmp as possible. The reason for this is that the solar panel has a certain internal impedance, and you will only receive maximum power when the panel output voltage *under load* is allowed to remain near Vmp. If you load the panel down to a lower voltage, it will become severely inefficient.

Science/Technology › Re: Solar Panel And Charge Controller Installation Tutorial by SolnergyPower(op): 6:36pm On Dec 07, 2016

Solar Charge Controller Rating

There are three basic ratings for a Solar Charge Controller

a. The charging current (A). This determines how fast your battery will charge, the higher the amperage in relation to the battery, the quicker the battery will get charged, but there is a limit on how much amperage a bank is supposed to take at a time. We will discuss this later in the tutorial.
b. The rated voltage. This the voltage of the Solar Charge Controller that matches that of the Inverter.
c. Maximum voltage from the solar panels. Because the voltage of the solar panels isn't stable and cannot remain exactly as required, this voltage is usually almost as thrice as the rated voltage of the Solar Charge Controller.

Some ratings of Solar Charge Controllers

a. 12V, 20A
b. 24V, 30A
c. 48V, 60A.

1 Like

Science/Technology › Re: Solar Panel And Charge Controller Installation Tutorial by SolnergyPower(op): 5:49pm On Dec 07, 2016

Selecting Your Solar Panels

To install solar panels, you must first of all know the DC input voltage of your Inverter.

The DC voltage of the Inverter determines the voltage of the Solar Charge Controller that you need to use.

Let's assume that our Inverter is 1KVA, 12V. This will mean that the Solar Charge Controller must be 12V.

Other examples of Inverters and their respective Solar Charge Controller.

Inverter: 2KVA, 24V......>>> Solar Charge Controller: 24V
Inverter: 3.5KVA, 36V......>>> Solar Charge Controller: 36V
Inverter: 5KVA, 48V......>>> Solar Charge Controller: 48V
Inverter: 10KVA, 180V......>>> Solar Charge Controller: 180V

From the foregoing, you will see that the voltage of the voltage of the Solar Charge Controller matches the DC voltage of the Inverter.

Science/Technology › Re: Solar Panel And Charge Controller Installation Tutorial by SolnergyPower(op): 11:01am On Nov 24, 2016

Sure, we'll arrive there, I'm just giving a background work for those you're relatively not familiar with the topic.

pato405:
Interesting!. I'm an enthusiast. What I particularly want to see you do here is to create awareness and understanding of basic calculations that must be grasped for an efficient instalation. e.g the wattage of solar panels required to work with the right amperage of charge controller versus accurate battery size and maximum current that can be delivered over 5-7hrs of sunlight (based on Nigeria's geographic location) to a battery and time to get it fully charged based on what battery size etc - the mathematical considerations so to speak.

1 Like 1 Share

Science/Technology › Re: Solar Panel And Charge Controller Installation Tutorial by SolnergyPower(op): 10:20am On Nov 24, 2016

Cables

What you need here is a type of cable called DC cable. Distinctively, it has multiple strands as shown in the image below. If you can't afford that, you can buy *flex* cable.

I'll recommend at least a 6mm cable, with higher loads set up (you want to use your inverter to power heavy loads like water pumping machine, AC etc) and want to draw current from the panels during sunny period, please use at least 10mm cable.

1 Like 1 Share

Science/Technology › Re: Solar Panel And Charge Controller Installation Tutorial by SolnergyPower(op): 10:06am On Nov 24, 2016

Charge Controller

There are basically two types of solar charge controller, the MPPT and the PWM.

The two types of charge controllers have their unique characteristics. Distinctively, the MPPT works better in cloudy weather or less sunny days while the PWM works better in sunny days.

The MPPT kicks in earlier in the morning before the PWM does. Late in the evening, when the sun is gone, the MPPT can still pick some current from the panels to the battery bank. There's a bit of technicality here that we need not go into.

Overall, the MPPT charge controller is more efficient and more expensive than the PWM charge controller.

The first picture below is MPPT charge controller while the second is PWM.

Science/Technology › Re: Solar Panel And Charge Controller Installation Tutorial by SolnergyPower(op): 9:45am On Nov 24, 2016

Solar Panels

Basically, there are two types of solar panels, the monocrystalline and the polycrystalline.

The monocrystalline is more efficient and more expensive.

Please see the picture below to see their physical different.

1 Like

Science/Technology › Re: Solar Panel And Charge Controller Installation Tutorial by SolnergyPower(op): 9:27am On Nov 24, 2016

So let's forge ahead with the understanding of the basic materials in this setup.

Science/Technology › Solar Panel And Charge Controller Installation Tutorial by SolnergyPower(op): 9:19am On Nov 24, 2016

In this tutorial, I'm going to show you how to select your solar panel(s) and charge controller to match your battery bank and we can then estimate the battery or batteries full charge duration.

Most persons who are *solar power* installers merely know about inverters and batteries installation, installing solar panels and charge controllers requires some level of calculations and technical know-how.

One other very important element in this is, the cable(wire), this can mess up the whole set up...I'll give details later.

I'll make this tutorial as simple as it can be using products we can easily access.

3 Likes

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 8:02pm On Nov 07, 2016

How much?

idsolar:
1. Wellsee charge controller C2430 12/24v 30amp - NEW

2. Emel inverter 1,500va, 24v (used) for sale

call/whatsapp - 08033735359

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 10:13am On Nov 05, 2016

Solar Panels and Charge Controller for a 2.4KVA 24V Inverter.

1. Four pieces of 250W solar panels. If you can have the configuration of a voltage above 30V, it would be better.
2. 24V Solar Charge Controller.

If you want to expand your battery bank, connect the extra two batteries to get 24V and then connect them in PARALLEL to the first get.

PLEASE if you're adding the extra batteries on your own, also get a multimeter to test the voltages of your new connected batteries before adding them to the old connection. You may have to disconnect the batteries from the inverter first before adding the 2nd set.

When you're done, please test the batteries combination voltage before adding the inverter.

Please wrong connection of the batteries can damage your inverter and in extreme cases, you could get hurt if the batteries explode.

Please have an adult companion while you work.

kenocom:
Conversation in this tread is really useful, trust me.

@solnergypwer, please I have a similar question like the person that asked the last question.

I have a 2.4kVA Inverter, running on 2pcs 200AH batteries in series {24v}. Public power supply has really drop drastically in my area, so I now use my gen to charge my batteries almost all the time and as the last person said, I am also not smiling with this new development.

- Please, what Solar panel (Wattage) and Charge Controller rating do i need to effectivly charge my batteries.
- Using my 2.4kva inverter, I will also like to know if I can increase my 200AH batteries to 4pieces still in 24v series.

Thanks

1 Like

Webmasters › Re: Joomla FREE Training On Nairaland Live!!! by SolnergyPower: 8:46pm On Aug 29, 2016

Visit http://JoomlaExtended.com, see the one used there.

barnabas91:
I can install.
What I meant was how to get one
Suggest a link to download any pls

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 8:42pm On Aug 23, 2016

...more

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 8:22pm On Aug 23, 2016

Installation Of A 3.5kva Inverter And Its Corresponding Solar Panels

Configuration.

a. 3.5kva, 24v Inverter
b. 2 * 165Ah Batteries
c. 4 * 130w Solar Panels
d. 24v Charge Controller

The system is to power a farm house. The major load is a 1.5hp water pumping machine.

See images below.

Science/Technology › Re: Installation Of A 3.5kva Inverter And Its Corresponding Solar Panels by SolnergyPower(op): 3:49pm On Aug 21, 2016

This is a bit relative, please get someone who is an expert that you can meet in person to make your first few purchases for you.

Also ensure that you buy products that have manufacturer's warranty.

Tastemoney:
What is the name and the price of the best inverter for installation.

Webmasters › Re: Joomla FREE Training On Nairaland Live!!! by SolnergyPower: 10:39am On Aug 19, 2016

http://joomlaextended.com/en/joomla-3-ebook

richard1994:
actually have been following this topic but it seems am not capturing anything, please sir do you have anything like e-book in pdf format in any place.so that we we can download please

Science/Technology › Re: Installation Of A 3.5kva Inverter And Its Corresponding Solar Panels by SolnergyPower(op): 9:30pm On Aug 18, 2016

Bluegate 3.5kva 24v.

bigtt76:
What inverter brand and model did you install?

Science/Technology › Re: Installation Of A 3.5kva Inverter And Its Corresponding Solar Panels by SolnergyPower(op): 8:10pm On Aug 18, 2016*

More...

Science/Technology › Installation Of A 3.5kva Inverter And Its Corresponding Solar Panels by SolnergyPower(op): 8:09pm On Aug 18, 2016*

Configuration.

a. 3.5kva, 24v Inverter
b. 2 * 165Ah Batteries
c. 4 * 130w Solar Panels
d. 24v Charge Controller

The system is to power a farm house. The major load is a 1.5hp water pumping machine.

See images below.

1 Like 1 Share

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 1:00pm On Apr 28, 2016

I only suggested car batteries to save cost. Deep cycle batteries are the best.

You may ask any car battery seller or driver or a mechanic for the best brand in the market.

eddy4naija:
Op you said car 2 car batteries connected in parallel can also be used. but my question is; how effective are these car batteries?. 2. which name of car battery is d best and how much does it cost?

2 Likes

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 9:14am On Apr 27, 2016

This is the order. Solar Panels >>>Batteries>>>Inverter. So inverters do not depend on solar panels. Rather, batteries do.

Solar Panel Charge Calculation
Power = Current x Voltage. Energy = Power x Time. So your 12V battery of 150Ah needs 1800Wh of energy (12 x 150). So a 25W PV panel would need 72 hours at full output (1800Wh/25W).

For a more accurate answer, you need a lot more information.

The output of the panel at any moment will depend on:

(1) the voltage, (which will be determined by the battery, and will change as the battery charges)

(2) the ambient temperature, and

(3) the amount light hitting the panel. The amount of light hitting the panel will depend on panel tilt, orientation, overshading, weather, altitude, location, time of year, time of day.

oskamboo:
Nice one op, i want to believe that any inverter rating you buy is a function of rating of charge controller and battery connection. My question now is that how does one know or measure the charging rate from solar panel to the charge controller because most solar panel are rated in power. Please i need education about this. Thanks

3 Likes

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 7:50am On Apr 26, 2016

MPPT controllers offer a potential increase in charging efficiency up to 30% and they're more expensive than PWM.

PWM charge controllers have been around for ages and rely on old technology. They work to match the voltage of the panel to battery voltage and pulls down the panel output voltage in doing so.

As you make more power from your existing solar panels you generate more electricity which ultimately translates into savings for you. I recommend that you go for MPPT charge controllers instead of PWM even though they are a little expensive because you will be able to recover the difference in price in no time.

I made reference to you using the PWM because of less cost because your solar set up is also a bit small.

emytech:
Thanks a million......

I was advise to get a MPPT change controller when i went out to source for the panels & controller today. please whats the basic difference bw the PWM and MPPT controllers?

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 12:21pm On Apr 24, 2016

Here is what you need.

1. PWM Solar charge controller (24v, 30 amp)

2. 2 x 250 watts Poly-crystalline solar panels. Mono-crystalline solar panels would have been better though more expensive.

emytech:
Thanks bro for this educative piece, i think i share the same fate like the person that asked the first question.
I currently have a 1500VA Inverter, running on 2pcs 200AH batteries in series {24v}, with less grid power i have to still run my generator to charge my batteries which i no longer find funny...........
Please, whats the required Solar panel (Wattage) and Charge Controller rating do i need to effectivly charge my batteries.

Thanx

1 Like 2 Shares

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 10:33am On Apr 14, 2016

Yes.

Harkindeylee:
. so getting two. 250 - 300W solar panel is not advisable?

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 10:00am On Apr 14, 2016

Yes. But in this configuration, they should 80w to 100w

Harkindeylee:
. getting more than 1 solar panel is it advisable?

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 11:01pm On Apr 13, 2016

Yes sir.

Harkindeylee:
Thanks for this wonderful writeup

My question is that, is it possible to charge the inverter with both solar and electricity source?
Thanks

Science/Technology › How Reliable Are Solar Power Hardwares? by SolnergyPower(op): 9:54pm On Apr 13, 2016

I was discussing with a potential client two days ago when he asked, "how reliable are solar power hardwares?"

In this email, I want to also share with you how you can make the most of your solar hardwares.

Solar hardwares carry fairly long years of warranty if you buy original product. For instance, solar panels carry 25 years warranty while batteries can have up to four years warranty or more.

There are conditions that void the warranty. huh

From experience, the most common issues are the misuse of the product by the user or improper configuration and installation by the solar power system installer. In either case, the hardware tends to take the fall.

I want to bring to your notice as a user, the part that you can play to ensure that you have optimal value for your solar power system at home or in your business premises.

1. Calculate your load in regards to the capacity of your intended solar power system.

This is a very big issue that can damage your solar power system installation if not handled with caution.

If your load isn't properly calculated in regards to the maximum strength of the solar power installation, you are bound to have issues like batteries going bad in no distant time or damage to your inverter or appliances.

Here is a simple calculation of your load. Let's say you have a 16-battery bank and they come in 12v, rated 230A, then using a simple electricity formular; volts times amperes is equal to watts ie V*A=W

Your battery bank therefore is 16 x 12V x 230A = 44,160 Watts.

Then let's assume that your batteries are fully charged and you decided to depend solely on then without charging,

If you run 1 x 1.5Hp Airconditioner for 24 hours you would use up 1,200W X 24 = 28,800W.

The differences can be used by other appliances or gadgets within the range of the remaining wattage ie 15360w.

I can provide more details on this if you wish to know more.

2. Google Quoted Products for customer reviews

When you get a quotation for solar power installation, please on your part, try and Google the products name/specification listed in the quote. This will enable you to have customers review all over the world on such products. You may ask someone you trust to help you with this if you are not familiar with the use of the internet in this regard.

3. Ensure that the installer uses original products from your findings from (2) above.

4. Do not overload your solar power system.

One of the most common damages done to solar system is the overload. The installer advises you to use one AC, 1 deep freezer and lighting but because you need to iron your shirt, you decided to power your pressing iron with the original loads powered,in that case, if your inverter couldn't shut down automatically, you will be in for some damages and expensive repairs or buying of new products.

5. Proper separation of load.

There are instances where certain loads are not included in the configuration of a solar system installation, in cases like that, ensure that the installer or an electrician properly separates the loads meant for the solar system to carry else you will have your solar system overloaded and subsequently damaged.

6. Proper Wiring

Please ensure that the installer use proper wires size to make connections especially those that will feed your house. You may get an independent electrician if you are not convinced of what the installer is doing.

7. Do your part diligently in the products warranty notice.

8. Never do any repairs on your own, get a professional to help you.

Credit: [url]SolnergyPower.com[/url]

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 6:14pm On Apr 12, 2016

a. Inverter (850VA-1KVA).......40-45k
b. One 200-250w Solar Panel.....40-60k
c. One 12V 100AH Deep Cycle Battery....30-40k
d. 12V Charge Controller....10-15k
e. Battery Stand, you may improvise this.

Total: Between 120k and 160k

samuelzion:
Am really learning this. whats the minimum cost to get all these materials?
I need such in my home

thank you

1 Like

Science/Technology › Re: How To Install Solar Panels & Inverter For Home-step By Step Guide by SolnergyPower(op): 12:52pm On Apr 12, 2016

Not really.

pat077:
must one connect the battery to the inverter first before connecting the battery to the chager controller?

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