No.
for a 48volt system, it should be
3 panels in series strings of 4 (12 panels)

fikfik: Dear All,

my panel spec is below.

Output power = 260W
Vmp=34.8V
Imp=7.47amp
Voc=44V
Isc=8.09amp


If I connect 2 panels in series strings of 6 (12 panels) that gives me (please correct where wrong):

Vmax= 68V
Imax= 44amps

I have a:
48v battery bank (2 banks)interconnected with 16mm 9ja wire
45 amps MPPT Charge controller 24m from the PV array
PV array connected to solar charge controller with 6mm Nigeria wire
Three 100VDC circuit breakers connected to positive line from PV array and +ve from battery banks


Is this setup optimum??

Thanks

Thanks,
Does it keep history of records, I need something that can keep records for at list one week

How much does it cost

bodejohn:

I currently have a 100A/100mV shunt connected to it.
The meter by itself can handle up to a 10A current without a shunt.

nice.

with the shunt what is the highest dc current that can pass thru

thanks

bodejohn: My DC power meter final arrives...

this is a copy and paste below, there is more about this on the web.

Mono-, Poly-, Thin Film: What’s the Difference?

When researching solar photovoltaic panels you will probably see references to the materials that make up the wafers. Panels will not only be classified by their rated power output, but also by the wafer or cell material. Silicon is the main element in almost every panel on the market. However, the formation of the silicon determines its characteristics. Most wafers are made from either Monocrystalline or Polycrystalline silicon. Both are made from the element, but their molecular structures are slightly different. Amorphous silicon, commonly known as Thin Film, is a different beast all together and is also common, especially in commercial applications. Hopefully the following lists can help shed some light on the differences, pros and cons of these three materials and help you decide which one should you choose for your application

The newest of the technologies mentioned
Created using a process that makes sheets that can be rolled out like carpeting
Less efficient in the standard testing conditions than mono- or poly- crystalline
The cheapest of all the mentioned technologies, but because of the lower efficiency only cost effective if used for very large projects.
The most heat tolerant of all the mentioned materials. In fact, some studies show that efficiencies for thin film rise in high temperatures.
As this is a newer product, most installations are no more than 10 years old making its longevity and durability unknown.

Monocrystalline:

Oldest of the 3 technologies. The first solar cells ever made were monocrystalline
Molecular structure is formed from a single crystal (patterns throughout the structure will be identical)
Formed in a cylindrical mold and cut like slices off a loaf of bread. These cuts are squared off so wafers are usually squares with rounded corners.
Most expensive of the 3 materials.
The uniformity in the crystalline structure makes this the most efficient of the 3 materials under testing conditions.
Extremely durable technology. Many of the first cells ever made (in the late 1950s and 1960s) are still working today.
The least heat tolerant of the 3 materials. This means that panels made using monocrystalline wafers are subject to greater loss of power output in temperatures above 70 degrees.

Polycrystalline:

Most common for residential application.
Molecular structure built from more than one crystalline material.
Formed in square molds and cut like slices off a loaf of bread
Less expensive than monocrystalline cells but more expensive than thin film
Currently the most cost effective material for residential application
Slightly less efficient that monocrystalline cells, but new technologies are closing this gap.
Extremely durable technology. Many of the modules are still operating after 30 years
More heat tolerant than their monocrystalline counterparts but still have a slight drop in power output in extreme temperatures

Thin film (Amorphous Silicon):

The newest of the technologies mentioned
Created using a process that makes sheets that can be rolled out like carpeting
Less efficient in the standard testing conditions than mono- or poly- crystalline
The cheapest of all the mentioned technologies, but because of the lower efficiency only cost effective if used for very large projects.
The most heat tolerant of all the mentioned materials. In fact, some studies show that efficiencies for thin film rise in high temperatures.
As this is a newer product, most installations are no more than 10 years old making its longevity and durability unknown.

DUNKA: Goodday all being silently following this thread and I must say I am really impressed with the information gleaned. Being a learner please gurus in d house wanted yr thots/advice on ds hybrid installation:
1. 3.5 kva su kam inverter
2.4 12v 260ah Zenith batteries
3. 5 280w Suntech panels
4. Tristar mppt controller 60amps
How best would I get d maximum output from d panels or wld I need 2 increase dm? Also installer is saying dt thin film panels of 90w has a better efficiency dn poly or mono panels and is suggesting dt we go for ten 90w thin film panels? Your advice would be highly appreciated.

hi,
this is strictly my view.
u setup is cool, u just need to add one more panel, i am assuming the 3.5kva is a 48volt system.
for 48volt the "Tristar mppt controller 60amps", u need to connect the panels in multiple of 3's, so u need 6panels, but a total of 12(3x4)panels should fill up your "Tristar mppt controller 60amps" finally before you buy a new one.

i dont share the same view on "thin film panels of 90w has a better efficiency dn poly or mono panels".. but thats just my take.. i would advice you browse the internet and you get your answers on this, not just one installer telling you what someone else probably had told him without backing... hope i dont sound hash.

just that with solar i always advice you start on the correct technical foundation..

DUNKA: Goodday all being silently following this thread and I must say I am really impressed with the information gleaned. Being a learner please gurus in d house wanted yr thots/advice on ds hybrid installation:
1. 3.5 kva su kam inverter
2.4 12v 260ah Zenith batteries
3. 5 280w Suntech panels
4. Tristar mppt controller 60amps
How best would I get d maximum output from d panels or wld I need 2 increase dm? Also installer is saying dt thin film panels of 90w has a better efficiency dn poly or mono panels and is suggesting dt we go for ten 90w thin film panels? Your advice would be highly appreciated.

hi,

no limit, just takes longer to charge.

dimdim001: Hi house, I jst wanna find out whether dere is a limit in battery to what an inverter can take, like what is the limit for a 2KVA inverter (assuming there is a limit)...right now I have 2 batteries wich r 200AH each, finkin' of doubling it, & mayb even doubling that again in d future. Thanks

yes. Correct

pdozie:

@TotalGreen. Thanks. But I really don't get the connection yet. The battery bank has a +ve & a -ve terminal. Should I run one cable each from +ve terminal of the two controllers to the battery bank +ve and do same for the -ve terminal of the bank?

@George, many thanks for the insight on the battery input toggle switch

George_D: totalgreen,

you got mail. kindly reply asap.
thanks!

Replied

Hi,
Just connect it as u would connect one bank.
Make sure that the total peek current is not higher than 1/5 th of the battery capacity. It is advice not to charge a battery faster than 5hrs

Stand to be corrected on this one o, my brothers

pdozie:

Supported. I experienced performance boost after installing PRAG and not otherwise. I just started noticing though that my 3.5kva Sukam inverter will trip off and on when I power it on. Sometimes it trips off 2 or 3 times before it stabilizes. Anyone has that experience yet?

Hope I don't have to disconnect and carry it again for repairs. Maybe its time for replacement?

Meanwhile, I'm searching the posts where connecting 2 solar array controllers to a battery bank was discussed. Please help me with the page number if you recollect -

hi,
i don't use the "in series" setup, i just run each to 5 x 12volts battery.

Akanniade:
But that is like connecting 2 fm60 in series? Their tech support didn't like the idea when I asked them 3yrs ago.

feasy1:




Many thanks bro, only following your footstep. I taught you were completely off grid, but reading your post now guess I can take it slowly and use the grid whenever it is available. I'd probably use less than 50kWh per month which should qualify for the lifeline R1 residential at NGN4 /kWh and zero fixed charge right? anyone in this category for PHCN billing??. Not sure if that work with the prepaid meter billing though.

Got the Prag Stabilizer now, so good to go for Grid input.

BTW, Can see Max Batt Voltage at 68.7V is this for a 48V system?

this controller can handle 5 x 12volts battery, in the past when we needed to charge a 120volt battery for inverter like sukam and others, using 24volts charge controller was a lot, we needed to use like 5 x 24volts controller to do that, then the 24 volts controllers are like 30amps each, if we needed 60amps we needed to do like 10 x 24volt charge controller.

the outback 60 volt controller was a life saver with a high Amp charger. so for 120volt system, 2 x 60volt outback was the solution.

abunafiu:
In addition, kindly refer to morg star website. There is a larger mppt charge controller now available. It can handle larger systems as its target customers are oil companies. May be oga george and other senior members will be interested.

TriStar MPPT 600V ---- interesting, very.
@abunafiu thanks for the update.

my Oga george over to you.

congrats again
very pure harvest

have u considered "Morningstar HUB-1 MeterHub"

George_D: name plate: suntech!

very clean setup, congrats

but why "thin film"

feasy1: Another 3KW installation in town

PV= 3KW = 30* 100W Du Pont thin film
Inverter= 3KW, Charge controller FlexMax 80 (Outback Power)
Battery= 4* 12.5V 210 AH Sec batteries.
Voltage from the grid has been low to charge the inverter, getting pragrl stab soon.
But thanks to the sun, the system has been operating for three weeks without input from the grid not minding the cloudy days.

Pictures below

Ikiriye: hi all
am looking at powering an 800ah battery bank at 48v.i meed to know how many 200w solat panel to charge them in 6-7 hours and cost of the panel preferably sharp panel.kindly reply as urgent to ikiriye@gmail.com thanks

hi,
to jump in straight, in the dry season my 15 x 220watts solar gives me about 271amps maximum a day, i have 450amps 48v, from my records, so if you do the numbers u need about 45 of the same panels.

my "dive in" facts without long story

happy Sunday

George_D: all,
five days and still counting. my system now seems able to deliver much needed power (to critical house loads)
even in the most extreme weather. accomplished without plugging in and without dipping beyond fifty percent
dod! big leap number one achieved!

more details (including pictures) coming soon as earlier promised.

My oga u are wetting appitite, can't wait for the pics

hi,
at 24volts mine would be 900amps 24volts

abunafiu:

oh yes, ur batt is not that small. Infact urs is 150ah higher than mine which is just 300ah @ 24v. This shows that ur marriage to ur gen set is still intact. I pray God provides 4 u and everyone so u can upgrade. God, i hate that Gen noise. Nice weekend. Cheers.

Thanks,

But.the issue with me is the rains, my battery bank is not that small, I have 450amp 48volts, and my batteries are 6volts Trojan, the good part is that my batteries are flooded, so when I equalise it's should get batter, if I had none flooded I would not take this chances, but the controllers will not show when I run my generator, I always run the Gen just to charge the battery
Thanks

abunafiu:

I have not been able 2 download ur harvest but from george's observation i think u need additional batteries-may be double ur current batt bank and then get few panels. Or u should consider cutting off some non essential load. I am concerned abt ur batteries.
I think d newcomers can take a practical clue from ur situation- pls newbees, read up total green's initial post of how he started. Follow his post up till this moment. Pls note- the everyday rains might have contributed to the drastic fall in output.
I hope 2 post mine 2 as soon as possible- i use my phone more these days.

my oga thanks,
u know my condition, i strictly off grid, but hope to put up more panels soon
thanks for the flags

George_D: totalgreen,

well done for taking the pains to publish your solar harvest in response to abunafiu's request.

a few things I noticed though: your battery minimum voltage goes as low as 45, 44, 43v and on one occasion
even dipping to 39.8v. this is really a red flag you should try to avoid especially if you want your
batteries to last long. also try and allow them go into absorb mode at least once a week for more effective
cell rejuvenation. not a bad idea if you could also 'equalise' them once a month too.

I know a lot of this is hard to achieve given your peculiar situation but maybe you should give it a shot.

more

abunafiu: Totalgreen, thanks 4 d upload. But kindly consider myself and many others who usually browse using phones. Pdf seems a lil bit complex for us. Secondly, i want the new comers to av an idea of what energy harvest looks like considering the number of panels and battery bank we use. I want a situation where by when new comers see our harvest, they'll know that we are not even satisfied despite the bulky panels they think we own. May be they may find answers. I hope 2 post mine when i go to an internet cafe.

ok i will convert

sorry

abunafiu: Totalgreen, thanks 4 d upload. But kindly consider myself and many others who usually browse using phones. Pdf seems a lil bit complex for us. Secondly, i want the new comers to av an idea of what energy harvest looks like considering the number of panels and battery bank we use. I want a situation where by when new comers see our harvest, they'll know that we are not even satisfied despite the bulky panels they think we own. May be they may find answers. I hope 2 post mine when i go to an internet cafe.

i would say u need a lot, but advice u readup on old post, that would help you.

purplekayc: How much panels would i need to power the following and how long wil it last?1.21"tv2.home theatre.3.chest size frige.4.laptop.5.pc?

more ..

abunafiu: Its been a while since anyone published his daily or monthly energy harvest. August rain is approaching. True test. My advice for the new comers, solar has its own limitation. You'll understand better when the daily or monthly harvest are being published. Kindly include if possible previous monthhs for ref purpose.

more

abunafiu: Its been a while since anyone published his daily or monthly energy harvest. August rain is approaching. True test. My advice for the new comers, solar has its own limitation. You'll understand better when the daily or monthly harvest are being published. Kindly include if possible previous monthhs for ref purpose.

attached

abunafiu: Its been a while since anyone published his daily or monthly energy harvest. August rain is approaching. True test. My advice for the new comers, solar has its own limitation. You'll understand better when the daily or monthly harvest are being published. Kindly include if possible previous monthhs for ref purpose.

thanks for the correction, i keep thinking everyone is using 48v system

earthrealm: @ total green...welldone for breaking it down to simple components.

I have 2 suggestions...since his amperage needs is 187..u adviced him to get a 200amp battery.....I think he needs a minimum of 400amp batt bank...that way he wudnt be draining the battery more than 50% of its capacity...that way the battery bank would last longer......

also on the solar side I think a 250w 12 v panel would bring more charging current..250/12 = 20amps, though the manufacturer states only abt 8amps for the 12v 250w panels I bought....
but even if we assume the manufacturer is right..he needs only 6 pcs of the panels not 20 panels as u stated..in the link below....that's the exact panels I bought in the usa .and they r enroute naija as we speak

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8M39TI/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


the poster said he has a 24v system??..didn't really see that...is it a 24v inveter or 24v battery?

exxell:

Sorry bro for my ignorance. Its just that am not used to intricacies and stuffs. Thats the major reason I had to paste the question like that without going from the first page. Again, am not good in maths especially waltage calculation. But if you can help me, I wil be happy. The gadgets I have are; 21 inches LG tv, LG Home theater with tall boys, Royal crown fridge, 1 flourescent, 5 20 watts energy bulbs, 1 standing fan, 1 ceiling fan, 1 laptop, 1 sattelite receiver nd 3 phone chargers. Sorry for my ignorance... Thanks.

Brothers pls make i help @exxell, i think the group really would like u to understand what you are getting into thats why "i think or guess" the dont want to make it so easy.

Let me see how i can explain it then recommend to you from your appliance listing.

Imagine you have 1000Litre GP tank, then u have borehole that can pump at 10litres per hour - meaning it will take 100hrs to feel up the tank if no water is going out.

if you then increase you borehole capacity to 50litres per hour, u will then fill up in 20hrs - which is always what we like, the faster the better, but remember it cost money

lets talk of draining the tank, assuming we only have a 10litre per hour borehole - lets say we have 10 family members in the house with different drinking capacity, 4 members @ 10 litres per hr, 6 @ 5 litres per hr.

assuming in one day u can only pump for 10hrs meaning u cant fill up the tank, u would have filled up only 100litres in one day.

if all the members drink for only 1 hr cumulatively, the would have consumed (4x10)+(6*5)= 70 litres great! meaning thats enough for the house we still have 30litres left in the tank - hurray

what if we have really big house members like 4 members @ 50 litres per hr, 6 @ 20 litres per hr. so in one hour they would need (4x50)+(6*20)= 320 litres, our tank has only 100 litres - Problem

so we need to pay for a bigger borehole pumb that can fill up to about 400litres in 10hrs for that day, so we need a 40litres per hr pump.

so in essence your gp tank is battery, you borehole is the solar panels ur members are the appliance in your house.

lets do a rough estimate, pls guys correct me where i stray off


21 inches LG tv- 200w
LG Home theater with tall boys- 100w
Royal crown fridge - 200w
1 flourescent- 40w
5 20 watts energy bulbs- 100w
1 standing fan- 50w
1 ceiling fan- 50w
1 laptop - 50
1 sattelite receiver- 50
3 phone chargers - 20
total about 900w

lets assume u use them 5hrs a day, so you need battery capacity that will drain at 900/24 = 37.5amps per hr(i assume the run at the same time and you said you have a 24volt system)

since you are pulling 37.5 for 5hrs meaning battery required is (37.5x5)=187.5

from the above i can say u need like 2kva inverter with 200amps battery

now for the solar side, assuming 5hrs of sun, since u are draining at 37.5amps per hour, you will need to be charging at 40amps per hour(expensive borehole) u will need aprox 20 x 200watts 24v panels - this is where people run away from solar, thats the nail on the head for u.

but the great part of it is like what the other members have said, start slowly.

Good Morning

earthrealm: THE BATTERY IS MOST probably dead......it appears you hv only 1 battery/ur battery bank is small....all batteries hv a max number of times..u can charge and then drain it completely....so the trick is to have a large battery bank, so that it wudnt be draining to below 50% all the time

very true

fikfik:

Ok, thanks boss. The Morning star MPPT someone offered me 105k for 45A this a good price? and 125k for 60Amp. (no display)

What size of DC circuit breakers should one get? 40A?

i have a spare one 60amps, i can sell for contact me

abunafiu:
boss pls send. Even if ur controller is aba made.....all that matters here is the knowledge shared. As chief george once said, 'so far as its working according to specification, it doesnt matter' . Your experience on these chinesse products will definatly make many of us follow u. Lets keep the green flag flying.

i second that as well...

George_D: monitoring still in progress.

My oga,

I can only say I am envious and more grease
Nice one

earthrealm: hmmm..this cable issue don dey fear me oh.....my system is going to be outputting abt 35-45amps am wondering what type of cable to run from the charge controller to the batteries..a distance of about 20ft. guys help me o.....checked the charts n they recommend about 38mm cables!!..where on earth would i see such cables to buy?....my initial plan was to but the single braided ac cables using in conduit house wiring for heavy duty loads...but it appears that wud be a bad move

dont know your location, but if you check shops that sell high tenssion or phtn transformers, u should get like 50mm flex.