₦airaland Forum

sentix:
actually its two 40a battery totalling 80a.
so that means it will take 2 days to get to full charge

I just need something to put charge on the battery during the day.

Okay then, that's should work fine if u don't use more than 50% of d batteries daily.

sentix:
Hi,

Can a single 80watts solar with pwm charger charge my 80a two battery solution
Ikeja Electric has refused to cooperate. I want to use a combination generator and solar to charge my solution.

Once fully charged it actually works fine but I cant keep using generator only.

Also do fairly used solar panals work?

gurus ideas?

It will take probably 4 days or more for an 80w panels to charge 2 80ah batteries from low state to full charge.

sentix:
two batteries 12v more than 2 then 24v
abi

The common (200ah, 100ah) deep cycle batteries usually come as 12v oh

sentix:
gurus simple question abeg

12 Volts or 24 volts

any advantage or disadvantage

The higher the voltage, the lesser the resistance over long distance... So for large battery banks, higher voltage configuration is always preferred.

TRAVEL101:
@timifakay can you please help us to Snap to take a pictu or pictures of your solar power setup.
Thanks

It's here: www.nairaland.com/2428983/how-create-locally-made-inverter/46#44649028

mrhello:
Well done guys.
1. Pls does any1 what is d watt rating of 'I pass my neighbour' generator? As in what max watt does it make available.
2. Using it as DC source, can it charge a 200ah battery thru any 20A external battery charger?

It should be 950va (so wattage is lesser) or there about and most of those generators come with DC power output.

kayodedavid10:
.on inverters pls see the following :

You didn't indicate average runtime of appliances.

Ayostically:
Pls ceejay and other gurus, I intend to setup something for my basic household:
-a few energy bulbs
-fridge....165w
-LG 21" TV.....85w, decoder & sound system (don't know the watts)
-2 ORL ceiling fans (don't know the watts)
Pls I don't want to go solar yet. what size of batteries, inverter and smart charger is needed, what other things should I get?

You didn't state for how long you want to power your appliances, but because of your fridge I'll recommend a minimum of 2.5kva or 3.5 Kva inverter connected to four 200ah batteries and a 24v 40a or there about smart charger based on how you connect the batteries.

vivaciousvivi:
That's the picture. As I mentioned, it's very rudimentary and you could start small. After installing may solar panels + charge controller to this, I will add another battery (if I can afford it ). For now, my 2.5kva Firman generator set charges the battery back fully in about 7/8 hours (but I make sure never to deplete it more than about 70%) which I spread over 2 days + if there is zero Phcn. Else, it charges for less time to 100% full charge.

*thumbs up* I guess you bought that size of inverter because it's the size you have in mind for the final set up. That's an economical trick.
Please put an insulator between battery and inverter (very dry wooden board would do) I get scared when I see people just placing the inverter directly on battery, here's what comes to mind: over time the inverter is shifted (as people pass by it or things gently tap it, could take as long as years) till it bridges both terminals of the battery which causes a short circuit...

moski5:
I guess yu suggested d power bank cos of lower solar panel wattage anyways how much is it d power bank thanks

Less than 20k I think.

wstinga:
The search is still on

pickpin:
I'm looking for one too.. Anybody around the south with information on how or where I can get one should please email me...
I want to make this my first car..
100k with a working engine and I'm game

If still in need, a friend has one in good working condition for sale. Location is Ibadan.

charlesbailey:
please i need a honest reply, can a 1.5kva power 2 lcd tvs, 2 desktop computers and fan with 2 energy saving bulbs?

It would power them, check the Watt rating on each of the devices and add up.

As long as Kainji dam remains and uncompleted project and never gets an upgrade, I'll never believe Nigeria is remotely ready to produce enough power. Also our upbringing in Nigeria is that "it's better to invest little to start up a venture and pay continuously throughout the lifetime of the venture than to invest a lot to start up and pay little or nothing as maintenance of such project" this to me is the reason we prefer to buy gen (cheap, which forever needs fuel than to set up solar array or windmill and only change batteries at the interval of years). Not forgetting our terrible maintenance culture which directly has an adverse effect on the practice.
As regards nuclear power plants, we are not matured enough to maintain such, we cannot even maintain state Secretariat and roads leading to them (which governors use daily) adequately. Darn Kainji has never seen a complete maintenance overhaul since 1968! Imagine it's a nuclear power plant.
Then lack of professionalism coupled with the trial and error of self decorated engineers/ cheap service seeking population results in people having nasty experiences because their hopes and expectations are far beyond the capability of their installation... Amongst other things

olorunda68:
tanx for the info sir

You are very welcome, let me know whenever you visit the place.

Here's an analogy: You cannot buy a Nissan Micra, and expect the output of a Toyota Tundra. Perhaps it gives the output of a Tundra for sometime it would never last as long as a Tundra.
Using a 200ah battery where you are meant to have 400ah, would definitely short live the battery.
The depth of discharge is not suppose to exceed 50% else you are calling for trouble, so when your daily need is 200ah, install a minimum of 400ah.
Please note: Amount of devices to be powered determine size of the inverter (total watts).
Duration of time to power these devices (total wh), i.e. total consumption of power determines size of battery bank and solar panel rating.
The solar panels have to be connected to the batteries at all times.
The solar panels have different outputs, so if you have 4 pieces of 80watts solar panel, that gives a total of 320watts, just a little above 1 piece of a 300watts solar panel. Don't just accept a large number of panels, find out their ratings/ capacity. People use multiple pieces of the low output panels to make the array appear big.
Compressors, motors and other rotary equipments need as much as 3 times or more of their usually running current to start, therefore your inverter rating should be in excess of the starting current of such devices to be powered.

olorunda68:
tanx for the information sir, I will contact them when I visit ibadan next month. please how do I get to Oke padre from Iwo road ( I live in ondo township of ondo state the sunshine state)

Board a taxi to Mokola round about fro Iwo road, then another to Oke Padre from Mokola round about. Show The light is before the final bus stop, just ask for show the light, Beside Salvation Army, and N. Olalekan Batteries too is popular, ask the market people for directions.

HajimeSaito:
Ole boy that solar thing is so expensive. I was told that to install solar panels and inverters that can power television set and energy saving bulbs it would cost me N450,000 for a 1.5 kva inverter and two batteries plus solar panels. Somebody should think of subsidising these things to bring it within the reach of the average man.

Here's a very rough breakdown

1,500w inverter (taking pf as 0.8, 1500÷ 0.8= 1.875kva) (without inbuilt charger)= 10k
2 pieces of 200ah batteries at 70k= 140k
2 pieces of 250w solar panels at 50k= 100k
20a-60a charge controller 40k
Cables 1k per yard
Racks and other miscellaneous = 20k
Total= 310k

I have a setup that cost 120k, tho runtime time is short

DMerciful:
@op, if you want to go solar, u need at least a solar panel combination that can out 1000W. If can't go off the grid with 200W and trust me I have experience in solar installation. You need to take into cognistance of the amount of sunlight per day and the varying angles of the overhead sun so that the maximum you can get from the panels is 50% so you plan for twice your daily consumption at least.

Daily DOD is much less than 100ah, therefore with 4.5 hours of peak sunlight I get 900w from the panels...

olorunda68:
tanx for the info sir, please can you post the solar power equipment seller shop location in ibadan and his phone number for enquiries?

Here are the numbers of the sellers on their receipts:
Show The light... Salvation Army area, Oke Padre. (solar panels, CC, cables, batteries) 08033545426, Lagos- 08187173135. I didn't buy my battery here
N. Olalekan Trading Stores Ifeleye, Oke Padre- 08052666158

olorunda68:
I belief I have part of the items I would need in my journey ( with your guidance ) to off grid living sir.

It's poly 200watts I have, they told me 250watts poly is 45k where I got it.
My charge controller is MPPT but doesn't have display, only indicators of different colors. A pic of inverter, charge controller and battery is attached

olorunda68:
@op how much did it cost you for your own set up sir? I have exactly the same issues with phcn

Cost analysis: 200ah Leap Power Battery- 45,000
200w Solar panel- 40,000
12v 30a Charge Controller 17,500
1000w Inverter- 8,500
10 Yards 2-core cable- 6,000
Cable clips- 100
Taxi charter- 1,500
Tips- 200
Transportation to the market- 190
Carpenter- 1000
Total-119,990

Infinitikoncept:
What's the break down cost of the solar panels and batteries. I have an inverter already of 2.5KVA. I'm thinking of going off grid as well cox dix useless light and useless bills go make me beat up NEPA one day or else they stop giving me bills

Minimum of four 200watts (800watts solar) panels- 160k
Automatic Charge controller (12v/ 24v/ 48v by 20a/30a/40a/60a)- 40k
Four 200ah batteries (in 12v 800ah or 24v 400ah setting) bank- 200k
6mm double core cable 6h per yard
Nah very rough estimate oh, just plan about 450k total by the time you buy rack, clips, change over and price fluctuations depending on manufacturer of the items you buy...

bobojoshua:
Bros, the circuit breaker is very important as it prevents against high voltage/voltage fluctuation.

That's a purpose the charge controller serves.

igbsam:
Is this the right way to install solar power ? I stumbled on it somewhere online

Inverter goes into the battery, the DC out of charge controller is quite low... It's something like the image below. You can ignore circuit breaker as its an image I found online too.

grayht:
hi, pls how many watts solar panel would I need for a 400ah battery with a 1.5kvA inverter

two pieces of 200 watts or 250watts with a 40a or higher charge controller if running a parallel connection will be enough... Considering daily DOD to be 50% or less.

I assemble a 200w solar panel, with a 12v/24v 10a to 60a automatic MPPT charge controller, to a 200ah battery connected to a 1000w inverter. The parts were connected using 6mm cable because I plan to expand as time goes on.
By the way all parts were sourced for in Ibadan.

For those in rented apartment who don't wanna install on roof, just fabricate stand in a place where shade won't affect if there's space in the compound, that's gonna be easy to move when leaving and minimal risk to d structure of the house.

My family got disconnected from the National electricity grid in August 2015, three years after paying for a consumption meter but couldn’t get it for a truckload of reasons. This isn’t even the annoying part, the annoying part is that we kept on getting monthly estimated consumption bills (which surpassed the cost of running a petrol generator for the same number of hours we got monthly power supply) for the next 4 months and the monthly rate was on the rise!!! I got angry since the disconnection, because the amount of money, time and effort wasted trying to track the meter was enough to power generator for a few days. This therefore brought my Engineer instincts to fore and drove me to look into efficient, off grid, zero maintenance power generation systems and I settled for solar, I researched for a long time and came up with an assembly that’s been worth every resource that was put in (total cost for a 1000w setup running for 4 hours daily is slightly higher than estimated bill debt and amount paid for meter considering neither the amount paid to PHCN in those years nor the amount spent on generators). I consulted friends, researched on the internet and all before making this installation and really it’s advisable for everyone to consider this option for the peace and reliability it offers. Therefore if interested in taking this path to freedom I am very much at your service on here or via 08077631013- Calls, SMS and Whatsapp.

Im2Busy2Bother:
https://www.test-meter.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/700x700/040ec09b1e35df139433887a97daa66f/d/i/dilog-dl6402.jpg

Bros abeg where I fit get this voltmeter and how much?
Thanks.

puffynana:
My brother from what u said, do u mean that the current from one solar panel will not be able to charge d battery and power the inverter /ups at the same time?
If so will doubling the panel solve the problem

My theory is that to make sure the rate of charge is higher than rate of discharge during the day you have to deliver more power to the battery, which will mean you should increase charge controller capacity as you increase the solar panels array.
About using power directly my charge controller was shutting down each time I disconnected the battery so it's impossible to use power from mine directly without a battery.

Valto:
from the picture of urs, it should be cheaper than 8k i bought mine cos it doesn't have any screen to monitor solar charge, battery state of charge% charging ah temperature, battery low, low and high voltage settings, e.t. c

attached is the picture of mine.

Saw this your own for 9k I think, it's PWM 10a right? Mine is MPPT.
No, my CC qdoesn't have a screen, just LED indicators, seller said the MPPT with screen is 29k. The RHS indicator has different colors for battery level. Red for low, yellow for normal, green for average, middle is always green to show load connection, LHS is red when charging and goes off when not charging at night.

puffynana:
About the battery I only need to power my laptop so I believe that shud do.

Also can't solar be used without battery i.e connect the solar to inverter /ups directly during the day till the sun goes down.

Also sir the cost of the items above are from my head can u give me a break down of how many panels I need for an 100ah battery or less and the size and price of the charger controller

130watts panel about 25-30k
100ah batt about 30k
Charge controller about 9k
UPS or inverter about 1k5 or 8k
Cable 4h per yard
The output current of the CC is not high enough for the inverter if connected and battery.
Only the UPS in d above estimate ain't brand new.
I suggest you get one of those laptop power banks if there's gen to charge at night (I don't own one so can't really talk on the charge rate using gen or output) instead of setting up solar panel that won't serve you well and give you a nasty experience...