₦airaland Forum

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?[/quote]Now you are seeing things for yourself. You sre right in your calculations.

Why you dont have 100% is the nigerian factor. You cslculated efficiency at 80%(why you multiplied by 1.2 and not 1). The panels you bought that says 150 watts may actually be 100 watts or even less becsuse it is chinko and not genuine; for example, highest i have ever recorded from my 4×150 panels is 23 amps when i should have nothing less than 32amps(8×4). Same msy be happening to your setup. Which is why i sm adding two more panels even though i have almost exhausted the theoretical capacity of my cc. Totsl is 780 and i am at 600. But actual readings says otherwise.

In your csse, wire size, wire lenght, panel tilt/position, panel actual cspacity(ss against declared), system efficiency etc may be a factor. So you will have less thsn the 300 watts. If i were you, i will still add one more panel.
But then i am someone who has very good shock absorber o. I mske error, push it aside and move on: lesson learnt, life must go on, even if it takes months to recover. I take calculated risks. I look at worst case scenarios, then damn the consequences. Yet my take home is under 100k monthly. Ali express and alaba sre my friends not the sellers here. Do you have that kind of mindset?

Haven said all, i am a novice and know nothing o. Let the gurus here give their opinion when they have time.

Gurus, pls help a desperate brother before he makes mistake o, money no easy to come by.

tonididdy:
One question please, do you really think (according to my CC details and setup) that I can add extra 300w panel to this setup?

And what is the capacity of your cc, 10,20,30,40,50,60+ amps?
Post the reading of your cc when at solar panel and when at battery so we can see your harvest first.

@tonididdy. I suhhest you go to the beginning of this thread ie 1 and read till 10. It will answer most if not all your questions. Best of luck

PS: endeavour to remove the inverter from on top of the battery ASAPas advised. Your installer is not a nice fellow(forgive my use of the language). Did he forget these things heat up?

tonididdy:
Hello sir. Good evening. Thanks for taking time to reply me, I do understand replies are based on time factor.

My setup is just one 220AH battery, 12v system... The installer said it's a setup for mostly night usage and I have to compliment it with NEPA and Gen. I believe a full charge on the CC will be 50v (forgive my ignorance).

At night we use between 13.1v to 12.2v at night by dawn according to the CC readings.

Am not an electrical guy, it's hard for me to understand these terms and usage.

I will take your advice and add a 150w panel. I hope it doesn't blow up my battery.

I stand to be corrected. Max that your cc can take is 50v. The draws(power being used) from your BATTERY is what you are seeing as indicated on your cc as 13.1 to 12.2(thats why it is reducing). You will see the shape of battery when that reading is indicated. It is different from your panel load(which is indicated when you see shape/logo of panel on the cc screen. Your cc will accomodate that. On attached pix, you see 8. +and 32.+ but it may instead of 8.+ not show more than 4.+ . My panels that is 4×150 watts panel to total 600 watts in reality gives me max of 23+v and 17+a.

Valto:
from what u wrote up here. there no need hiding the identity of such a dubious fellow that have already cut off communication with you. u should name him, so we will take note

)

You have stated your case; expose him and let him defend himself here for all to hear his side too. Then the issue will be resolved.

Valto:
lolz

Abi ke. If you no ger money you go get sense

Valto:
my 2pcs 200w flames panels bought from callmenuel have stickers too.

Let me stick to my chinko panels with low yield than buy same rebranded/misbranded chinko panels at premium price. When i dont know about a thing, i search the net for info on it. Then utilise the info gathered. Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim(global fleet oil) was reqruiting managers, he taught them the essence of information. I learnt a lot from the session.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
I bought and installed over 100units of Flames 300w Mono panels before I moved to strictly Tier 1s like Canadian Solar.

All the Flames panels I ever saw had their sticker specifying ratings and all - however, a sticker is not a badge of authenticity - Alaba folks are able to produce any sticker and slap it on any generic panel.

You are usually better off buying direct from a genuine source vs. a middleman. A google search would have unveiled at least two Flames dealerships within Lagos who are willing to sell to you and support you after sale.

My advise would be to pursue peaceful avenues of resolution with the person you bought from - no need for the relationship to degenerate to the extent that he cuts off contact with you.

If you already have Flames panels you had bought earlier, then let him explain/justify why this new set have a worse performance.

Have you eliminated other causes e.g time of day, shading, battery State of Charge, simultaenous charging with PHCN or Gen that may drive low yield?

Have you tested the panels over more than one day to see how they hold up?

If someone refuses to pick my calls again, i see no reason why i should hide his/her identity.
There is a seller on this platform whose after sales service is minus zero. I learnt he will even insult you if you disturb him too much. I read about him on another forun on nairaland. His name is promininent on this platform as well. Only thing is you have been transacting business with him for years without problem. What now happened?

tonididdy:
Pleae is there a solar group I can ask my questions and get Swift answer?

Sir there are no fulltime members here. People only respond when they have the time.
Yoir cc says your max pv input is 390 watts and you already have 300. Meaning you have space for only 90watts. But given efficiency factor in the system yield. I think you can still add one or the two panels so far as the total voltage does not exceed voltage of 50v and current of 30amps that is the maximum of your cc capacity.

Suggestion is: wtrire down the presenrt yield. add one more panel, see the result, write down the total voltage and current. Remove the new panel, add the second new panel, write down the combined voltage and current. Thus you have known the individual yield of the two new panels. If you now add all together( old yield and new yield) if they are not above 50v and 30a, then you are good to go. My take, but i am subject to correction by the gurus in the house.

tonididdy:
Good morning sir.
I wish I can study more about your last sentence. Tye installer installed the change over switch in this setup. He said it's for emergencies or if I wanted to run (on NEPA or gen) heavy devices like the pump machine, iron, microwave.

I'm really very amaturic in all of this. The panel setup I looked is negative- to negative notted together and positives + notted together. I believe if I get new panels I just have to do same (or am I wrong?)

That is what is called parallel connection(+ve to +ve; -ve to -ve). Series is two panels joined(one +ve to another -ve), then one +ve and one -ve from each panel is now taken.

You can do if you want to.

Sir, may i give a piece of advice. This is a DIY forum but you need to study on solar. "Nobody wants to build a house without first counting the cost". Several wrong and partialy right advice is rife here based on point of view and extent of knowledge.

If you dont update yourself, you will br disappointed with this solar thing. Paucity of funds made me go the DIY way and i have not regretted i did. Find time to read up sir.

Awesome01:
My suspicion is that the lady and the cobbler were really dating. Knowing our girls of today, the cobbler would have been investing money on her and her education. now she's a corper she wants to dump him. If truly she gave him 18k, it would be for him to add a larger chunk and buy Samsung or iPhone.

Let the investigation be made without any emotions. Ladies are found of using rape allegations nowadays to punish men they intend to dump.

Moreover, if her clothes were soaked in water, which cloth did she wear to the station? or she went naked?

Thank you jare. We all love sensationalism, we dont read between the lines.

Fourwinds:
Killing rapists gives me joy.... Kill them and throw them into waste bin

Your room still dey vacant for prison.

I do not support crime more so violence against women. And rape? Shows you are an animal.
But is that what really happened? A friend's brother was taken beside his wife, newspapers showed him in handcuffs and with weapons and ended up spending 5 years in prison for armed robbery. But he was not an armed robber. I have been arrested and almost spent the night in police cell because "you sabi grammar abi, na only you go school?" My crime? I went out on election day. The policeman told me there was no movement and I corrected him that "no VEHICULAR movement" if no movement, then how do we go out and vote! And that I was on youth service in the north when voters registration was done so I can't vote since I did not register. Thst is the grammar and book wey i sabi o. I dont like policemen and never will. I have had series of altercations with them over their behaviour. Imagine a policeman telling me "fun mi lowo bi bee ko ma wa esun sie lese o(give me money else I will look for something to rope you)". He flagged me down on way to ibadan from ijebu and arrogantly demanded for money. Black men in black uniform with black heart and black attitude. Take newspaper stories with pinch of salt. Go and read the story of zenith bank robbery in owerri where two policeman on duty were killed that trended online few years ago. Compare police story of what happened and what actually happened.


What is a graduate doing with a shoemaker? Hmnn. Nigeria! Go and read the story of Sir Mobolaji Bank Anthony. I was privileged to meet him as an old student of my school. And Hubert Ogunnde, Obafemi Awolowo, Adeola Odutola, Aliko Dangote, etc. They all were not born in affluence. Majority were into one trade or the other before they made it.

I have a BSc in accounting (2002) and a PGDE. Yet I am a plumber not by choice. And have been practising since 1995. I have a PhD in view friend who is a tailor. And another graduate who is a bricklayer and also sells phone accessories. And I know of several bikemen(olokada) who are graduates. I spent almost ten years looking for a job. The realities of this country(joblessness) pushes you to "look inwards".
I have been to so many sites to work and will hear "but you don't look like a plumber!". Pls, how does a plumber look? I simply don't dress shabbily even while working at the site and allow my education to reflect in my work. I give you an estimate with a schematic drawing of what I intend doing on a letterhead paper! And I am in the process of registering the business name for more authenticity.

My wife read fisheries from LASU and is a teacher.
Do not look down on anyone, you don't know their story. That you are where you are is grace of God, not your doing.

The lady might have been dating him before she went to school, fleece him while in school and then want to dump him. He should just have let go. There is karma.

tonididdy:
I need two units or these panels in Benin city ASAP . Please quote me with a contact.



Thanks

The simplicity of your setup shows you should be able to set it up yourself. Do you know what parallel and series connection is? Can you identify it? If yes, then you are good to go.

The pix of how the panels are JOINED to each other is required in other to advise you.


Incidentally, your set up is not fused. ie no breaker/fuse between the panel and CC and between CC and battery. Look into this ASAP
And I hope you are well aware of demerits of joining mismatched panels(Talking from experience. Lol). Gurus in the house will explain.

Where are your panels mounted, roof or standalone?

simydan:
I'll really be glad to help out especially if you're a DIY person. Just like Olopan said if you get a quote base on on 535w for 20hrs the price will really be scary.

But logically your 535w load will not run simultaneously so, that will make the cost considerable.

I have a system I recently setup for myself even though my estimated load was approximately 250w. currently i hardly run on 180w and mostly run on 80w load and enjoy a 24hrs steady power even though the my system is Dependant on PHCN not solar.

For a 535w load to run 20hrs that will be
535×20=10,700
To get a bank of 10,700w at 50% DOD it would be
10,700×2=21,400
A large solar array will be needed to charge the system.

The cost will be very huge so, you have to reach a compromise to get a reasonable and reliable setup at the end of the day.

As small as my system is if I'm to quote it with solar, it's worth over 300k with me outsourcing and installing it myself.

Don't get discourage, power is not cheap. With proper planning you can start with a system that will give room for upgrade, that way you can upgrade it in future.

For your old system, I believe it's the battery that has reached it's life circle due to 80%-100% DOD (ABUSE)
It's just a coincidence that it started acting up just when you used a soldering iron.

You can reach me for so we can work out something for your new project. 081...3460...8560

Specs of your inverter, battery sir?

Aside from space occupied, what are merits of bigger(250,300,325, etc) panels over small panels(100,150,180etc)

justcallmenuel:
Yeah sir, I’m base in Lagos.

Price sir?

Anyone with 10mm and 16mm dual core cable for sale?

Valto:
the lowest i have seen is 134w(inclusive 28w fridge fan ), am yet to test it for 6 straight hrs. but the performance is encouraging. the sound and operating temperature is now cooler. it blocks pure water in the freezer compartment in 2hrs. i have another BEKO double door fridge, it draws 115w(inclusive 28w fan) it blocks pure water in 1hr30mins.

Contact of this your technician, and where is he based?

olopan:
okay!
with the 6mm cable, you will loss some power along that long stretch of length.

so here lies the Dilemma, 2s2p or 2s3p for the future is the best and most sweet spot you should opt for, but with the cable not being so large coupled with long distance.
BUT
because your cable is 6mm i will suggest a 3s2p so you will not loss much power.

One other thing i notice is that, you will most likely oversize your array by 15% or 115% which is great but with a down size of overcharging your 200Ah battery. .... you don't want your sweet battery to start releasing Hydrogen gas...... No.

if need be that you will really use the PV upgrade, then the 3s2p option will be best advice for reason stated above,
* As it will not allow the current to overshoot too quickly to overcharge your battery.

These are my own POV.

Release hydrogen gas ke? That one is something I don't want o. That battery was "cooperative loan" o.

One thing I have thought of is this:
let things be for now and revert to the pwm cc. Continue using it.


I will as soon as possible change my inverter to 24v. Then buy 16mm cable and two or four 250watts panels. Install it with the 60a mppt cc and new 2×100ah batteries

And the mppt cc can't be logged; by the time I get home, it will be sundown and it would have reverted to zero so I can't record harvest again

olopan:
Is the CC a PWM? Or MPPT
And where are you based at in the country?

4×150watts panels(two more to be added by feb ending) in parallel
25meters×6mm cable
12v 900vac inverter
60a mppt CC
200ah battery

olopan:
Is the CC a PWM? Or MPPT
And where are you based at in the country?

CC is mppt. I am in ijebu, Ogun state.

4×150watts panels(two more to be added by feb ending) in parallel
25meters×6mm cable
12v 900vac inverter
60a mppt CC
200ah battery

Hello house. How good are GBM batteries?

Hotwire:
@George D,
The clarification you made is consistent with your earlier explanation of merits and demerits of my inquiry. Keep the information flag flying.
I heard about an advert (over the radio) on constructing a Fuel-less Generator that is not solar. It produces electricity without smoke or noise. Any ideas?

Back to the basics(beginning of the beginning of this loop). I saw this:
Could this be referring to generators powered by gas? My neighbor uses it. What I don't like about it, aside normal generator noise and cost of gas, is the foul odour from the exhaust.

remizvxcq:
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??

I'm thinking of 2s2p configuration for my panels from the present parallel setup. The CC is 12v/24v and battery 12v. Any comments/suggestions/comments?

This is one of the reasons I'm not too keen on roof work; if I had subscribed to roof work, it means I will look for ladder and maybe an expert o do this 'simple" task.

Topmost11:
This is what you asked for

Specs of the CC(powmr 60a mppt) from the manual.

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iykmon:
I need some clarification on why my batteries i have used for two years now are expanding and releasing Hydrogen gas.. i have two Solar charge controller to the batteries. Reason for the two charge controller was limitation to the rating on the charge controller. 40A and i had no fund to buy higher rating then.
Battery = 4 batteries
Charge controller= 40A each.
8 panels (4 {250w} and 4 {300w} )

1000 watts and 1200 watts respectively. I guess the panels are wired separately. Are the batteries combined or also separated to individual CCs?
What type of batteries are they?

Gurus, over to you.

BetaTechnicians:
Lol... why do you call it stupid? Log storage most likely wasn't added as a feature.

Is there a setting to cut off the output to that load at a certain battery level/voltage?, you said you were gona check the manual.

This is what you asked for

BetaTechnicians:
How has the charge controller been performing?

What voltage comes out of the load interface of the charge controller?
Is there a setting to cut off the output to that load at a certain battery level/voltage?

This is 11;57am 5/1/2020