Saipro:


On that, you could trust Frank. Prompt business is his specialty. If any flaw, it's he's too prompt.

Thanks Sir !

hrguru13:
Just came across ur thread. I hv a question similar to some other posts. My husband just installed a solar electricity generation setup but we are experiencing challenges. So far we have not been able to use it. Below are some of the details (mind you, I'm not a techie smiley).
3 280w solar panels(mono crystalline)
8mm cables
1.5kva inverter (pure sine wave)
2 12v 200ah batteries
24v 30a charge controller
Load is just TV, lights and fans.
The issue is dt the batteries charge extremely slowly such that if any load is put on d inverter it quickly discharges. The batteries also discharge even when no load is on d inverter. As such, my husband had to disconnect the solar setup because we were better off using the generator to charge the inverter.
We suspect there is something not quite right with the whole setup. Can you help identify it? Or kindly design the ideal setup for the items I listed above so we can try another installer.
I should also point out that we only allowed about 4 hrs of charge before loading the inverter.
It's all so frustrating because he has spent almost 400k on this project without success. Can you also suggest an experienced installer within Gbagada axis?

Hmmmn Gbagada axis! Deeper life area u mean or Bariga side ? Seeing is believing! Holla for specialised services 08135031951 ..... Thanks !

Harvest has been good since my upgrade. I have 2 settups: 6 X 255W (1.53KaW total ) solarworld Mono panels connected 3X2 to a 60amp MPPT CC to an 800amp 24v battery bank that generated 7.7kWh/day and another 6 X 180 W Poly (1.08kw) connected 1X6 through a 30amp MPPT CC generating only about half of the bigger system. The Inverter inbuilt 50amp PWM CC is now redundant but available as backup any time. Wants to dabble into thin film panels as soon as I have chance, I have a friend who keeps swearing on them!
. My connections are untidy, hope to get better with time.

kiekie1:


Hmmmn Gbagada axis! Deeper life area u mean or Bariga side ? Seeing is believing! Holla for specialised services 08135031951 ..... Thanks !

Are you very good?

bigass:
can you use both Solar and electricity to charge inverter battery bank at the same time?

nope, though most inverters are intelligent...ie if solar and nepa are hooked up...it usually uses solar to charge, but disconnects solar when phcn/gen comes

hrguru13:
To answer the qsns posed:

Load is minimal, just 1 TV, 3 fans and about 7-8 energy saving bulbs
Panels connected in series, 24v
I need to verify if d charge controller is pwm or mppt. Will revert.
Sorry, cnt give u d display pic at d moment because it has been disconnected
When it was on however, the voltage fluctuated between 24.4 and 25.7 on an averagely sunny day
Current was between 54 and 56 amps
D panels are well positioned and get hit maximally by d suns rays during the day. Will post a pic of d controller later.

i think there is an error somewhere..u got it mixed up.
ur charge controller is 30amp....n u say current flunctuates btw 54 n 56 amps.....also 3 panels of 280w 24v cannont generate upto 54amps...not possible

2ndly for the panels to be hooked up in series, being 24v panels = 72volts minimum
....that implies ur charge controller is likely mppt

3rdly i think u mixed up ur current and voltage values.....its likely the other way round .its likely voltage is 54 - 56v and current 24.4 - 25.7amps

such a system cannot run 24hrs............though i doubt u watch tv 24hrs...nor the 3 fans run 24/7
confirm the wattage of ur tv though...cos plasma flat screen tv consume up to 300w while thier led counterpats is about 140w for a 42 - 46 inch tv .

there are too many variables/unknown in ur case.its best u get a professional to come look at it....or a forum member in lag cud stob by n give u guys a hand

shithapuns:


i think there is an error somewhere..u got it mixed up.
ur charge controller is 30amp....n u say current flunctuates btw 54 n 56 amps.....also 3 panels of 280w 24v cannont generate upto 54amps...not possible

2ndly for the panels to be hooked up in series, being 24v panels = 72volts minimum
....that implies ur charge controller is likely mppt

3rdly i think u mixed up ur current and voltage values.....its likely the other way round .its likely voltage is 54 - 56v and current 24.4 - 25.7amps

such a system cannot run 24hrs............though i doubt u watch tv 24hrs...nor the 3 fans run 24/7
confirm the wattage of ur tv though...cos plasma flat screen tv consume up to 300w while thier led counterpats is about 140w for a 42 - 46 inch tv .

there are too many variables/unknown in ur case.its best u get a professional to come look at it....or a forum member in lag cud stob by n give u guys a hand

I think you are right. If the system is producing between 24-26amps the performance is not bad for a 800w setup. The lady is not telling us everything. The TV maybe plasma and there maybe fridge on this system. Madam please show us pictures and list all the load on the inverter

durodee:
Harvest has been good since my upgrade. I have 2 settups: 6 X 255W (1.53KaW total ) solarworld Mono panels connected 3X2 to a 60amp MPPT CC to an 800amp 24v battery bank that generated 7.7kWh/day and another 6 X 180 W Poly (1.08kw) connected 1X6 through a 30amp MPPT CC generating only about half of the bigger system. The Inverter inbuilt 50amp PWM CC is now redundant but available as backup any time. Wants to dabble into thin film panels as soon as I have chance, I have a friend who keeps swearing on them!
. My connections are untidy, hope to get better with time.

Nice ! I can see you are really enjoying the EP SOLAR 60a MPPT CC ... Cheers!

Boss13:


Are you very good?

Hmmn

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Sorry, been really busy.
My husband has corrected me on a few points (he's not on naira land).
The panels are in parallel, the controller is pwm, my TV is 73w( 32 inch Sony Bravia).
I saw the figures myself ie the voltage and current figures on the controller when it was on. I hv attached pics of d controller, it is off at d moment though as it has been disconnected . also hv a pic of d inverter (cyberpower).
Tanks guys for d responses.

Things are a bit clearer now. Apparently, there's little (if anything) wrong with your system. I think we have an I/O mismatch (Input/Output) on our hands. It's not just the load on the system that matters but for how long the load is on and how the load varies with time (daytime load vs nighttime load) and other seemingly minor details which can bedevil a perfectly good RE system.

@Frank (kiekie1): It's nice you've changed the name on your EP Solar CC as it's truly "iTracer" and not "eTracer". By the way, they're almost identical if not for the load output which boosts the iTracer's specs.

Saipro:
Things are a bit clearer now. Apparently, there's little (if anything) wrong with your system. I think we have an I/O mismatch (Input/Output) on our hands. It's not just the load on the system that matters but for how long the load is on and how the load varies with time (daytime load vs nighttime load) and other seemingly minor details which can bedevil a perfectly good RE system.

@Frank (kiekie1): It's nice you've changed the name on your EP Solar CC as it's truly "iTracer" and not "eTracer". By the way, they're almost identical if not for the load output which boosts the iTracer's specs.

Well noted Sir !

hrguru13:
Sorry, been really busy.
My husband has corrected me on a few points (he's not on naira land).
The panels are in parallel, the controller is pwm, my TV is 73w( 32 inch Sony Bravia).
I saw the figures myself ie the voltage and current figures on the controller when it was on. I hv attached pics of d controller, it is off at d moment though as it has been disconnected . also hv a pic of d inverter (cyberpower).
Tanks guys for d responses.

to be frank with you 3 280w in parallel on mppt cannot produce 600w not to talk of pwm. I think the problem here is the cc because I have had similar problem with pwm, initially I was thinking my panels were bad. Imagine charging battery for a whole day and at the end you get 0.2v, is annoying. I was using 3 130w in parallel with a 30amps pwm cc this thing can't power my 80w fridge. I was surprised when I got 20amp mppt this was the result

Contact kiekie or Richmond for a good cc and change the connection . Presently I have similar setup and I get 4kwh sometimes

6300W Solar installation in Ibadan

12 x 275 Solarworld panels
12 x 250 Renogy Panels
2 x Xantrex xw mppt 60
1 x Xantrex xw6048
1 x Xantrex SCP
1 x Xantrex PDP
8 x Trojan IND17-6V

More pics to follow

The Solar Depot Nigeria
www.solardepotng.com

JUO:
to be frank with you 3 280w in parallel on mppt cannot produce 600w not to talk of pwm. I think the problem here is the cc because I have had similar problem with pwm, initially I was thinking my panels were bad. Imagine charging battery for a whole day and at the end you get 0.2v, is annoying. I was using 3 130w in parallel with a 30amps pwm cc this thing can't power my 80w fridge. I was surprised when I got 20amp mppt this was the result

Thanks @JUO. Frm ur answer and other comments on d thread, I agree that an mppt cc will b a better option than wat we hv nw. Do u think dt's d only problem?

c0ogumo:
6300W Solar installation in Ibadan

12 x 275 Solarworld panels
12 x 250 Renogy Panels
2 x Xantrex xw mppt 60
1 x Xantrex xw6048
1 x Xantrex SCP
1 x Xantrex PDP
8 x Trojan IND17-6V

More pics to follow

The Solar Depot Nigeria
www.solardepotng.com

Nice one Bro! You are good to go , remember safety 1st..Also include AC & DC surge protectors ok? keep it up

Thanks in advance.
Please I want to know how much it will costs to setup a solar Inverter system to power the following
1. My television and dvd/home theatre
2. About 8 bulbs.
3. 3 standing fans for night use.
4. Charging laptops and phones.
This fuel scarcity chai...

c0ogumo:
6300W Solar installation in Ibadan

12 x 275 Solarworld panels
12 x 250 Renogy Panels
2 x Xantrex xw mppt 60
1 x Xantrex xw6048
1 x Xantrex SCP
1 x Xantrex PDP
8 x Trojan IND17-6V

More pics to follow

The Solar Depot Nigeria
www.solardepotng.com

Simply awesome. How I wish I had your batteries!
..... even if just four of them. The wonders I'd be capable of ......

JUO:
to be frank with you 3 280w in parallel on mppt cannot produce 600w not to talk of pwm. I think the problem here is the cc because I have had similar problem with pwm, initially I was thinking my panels were bad. Imagine charging battery for a whole day and at the end you get 0.2v, is annoying. I was using 3 130w in parallel with a 30amps pwm cc this thing can't power my 80w fridge. I was surprised when I got 20amp mppt this was the result

Didn't say the system is optimal or perfect. Merely sufficiently set up to be functional. There's always room for improvement. Who knows the orientation of her PV panels. Or the wiring set up (Ac side or DC side or both could be less than optimal). A lot of factors. What I meant is, with her equipment, things could be rearranged to work.

However, in RE systems, the rule of thumb: work out your working load => size your battery bank to match your needs (if you require a bank, that is) => have PV array capable of recharging your battery bank (as a minimum requirement).

c0ogumo:
6300W Solar installation in Ibadan

12 x 275 Solarworld panels
12 x 250 Renogy Panels
2 x Xantrex xw mppt 60
1 x Xantrex xw6048
1 x Xantrex SCP
1 x Xantrex PDP
8 x Trojan IND17-6V

More pics to follow

The Solar Depot Nigeria
www.solardepotng.com

As much as I admire your setup, upon closer inspection, there appears a fundamental flaw (pretty common in RE): your PV array is somewhatinadequate for maintaing your bank - unless you plan to sparingly draw energy from the battery bank. Even then, you'd have to take an entire day or two to charge back if you somehow draw up to 50% DoD.

A given however, is the fact that your array is capable of supplying enough charge current to keep your batteries "happy". I'm quite curious as to the application to which this setup would be attending to. You could PM me if you'd prefer to keep things discrete.

PS: Pardon my overly enthusiastic and unsolicited comments but my inferences are based on the fact that your setup looks like something meant to power equipment with either high-surge starting current or equipment with steady but high power consumption.

Saipro:


As much as I admire your setup, upon closer inspection, there appears a fundamental flaw (pretty common in RE): your PV array is somewhatinadequate for maintaing your bank - unless you plan to sparingly draw energy from the battery bank. Even then, you'd have to take an entire day or two to charge back if you somehow draw up to 50% DoD.

A given however, is the fact that your array is capable of supplying enough charge current to keep your batteries "happy". I'm quite curious as to the application to which this setup would be attending to. You could PM me if you'd prefer to keep things discrete.

PS: Pardon my overly enthusiastic and unsolicited comments but my inferences are based on the fact that your setup looks like something meant to power equipment with either high-surge starting current or equipment with steady but high power consumption.

Why do you say that because it is not monocrystalline Panels?

shithapuns:


nope, though most inverters are intelligent...ie if solar and nepa are hooked up...it usually uses solar to charge, but disconnects solar when phcn/gen comes

Do you still have to pass the wires from the Solar panels through the inverter? Or just directly from the CC to the battery bank.

bigass:


Do you still have to pass the wires from the Solar panels through the inverter? Or just directly from the CC to the battery bank.

see how it goes

solar panel -- charge controller -- inverter
then connect ur inverter normally, with the positive n negative leads on the battery, same place you terminated the wires from the charge controller

note: the charge controller and inverter must have same operating voltage -- 12v/24v/48v , if its an mppt charge controller, even better, as you can have upto 150v dc coming in from the panels, but once u programm ur cc to the inverter voltage...then u r still good

RipVanWink:



see how it goes

solar panel -- charge controller -- inverter
then connect ur inverter normally, with the positive n negative leads on the battery, same place you terminated the wires from the charge controller


note: the charge controller and inverter must have same operating voltage -- 12v/24v/48v , if its an mppt charge controller, even better, as you can have upto 150v dc coming in from the panels, but once u programm ur cc to the inverter voltage...then u r still good

The bolded part is confusing. You said wire from CC ends in inverter then you said on battery where the wires from CC ends.

From your explanation the wire from CC ends in the inverter. Where on the inverter.
The only input source I see on my inverter is for direct electricity from PHCN or GEN. Then the wires to the battery. I thought that the charge controller send the power to the battery. From your explanation, it means you can not use both sun and phcn to charge

Sorry ooo Please we want to add solar panels to our inverter. But I am more confused about how these things work. We use 1.5 Luminous inverters with 2 200AH batteries.
How many solar panels would I need.
How do i know if my inverter can work with solar panels.
Aside panels what else would I need.
How do you prevent over charging with solar.
Can solar and PHCN work together in charging battery bank.
How do you run the wires from the solar panel to the battery alongside with ones from phcn?

bigass:
Sorry ooo Please we want to add solar panels to our inverter. But I am more confused about how these things work. We use 1.5 Luminous inverters with 2 200AH batteries.
How many solar panels would I need.
How do i know if my inverter can work with solar panels.
Aside panels what else would I need.
How do you prevent over charging with solar.
Can solar and PHCN work together in charging battery bank.
How do you run the wires from the solar panel to the battery alongside with ones from phcn?

You need to tell us what equipment that you have in your home

bigass:
Sorry ooo Please we want to add solar panels to our inverter. But I am more confused about how these things work. We use 1.5 Luminous inverters with 2 200AH batteries.
How many solar panels would I need.
How do i know if my inverter can work with solar panels.
Aside panels what else would I need.
How do you prevent over charging with solar.
Can solar and PHCN work together in charging battery bank.
How do you run the wires from the solar panel to the battery alongside with ones from phcn?

Or at least give an estimate of your average (slight overestimation though) of your daily power load. That way, your battery bank can be deemed adequate or not and your panels can be matched to replenish the power drawn from your bank. But that's the oversimplified version