pranil:
somebody posted about ipower error 52 ( low bus voltage) i cannot find the thread. But normally the errors with bus voltage low or high are due to failed capacitors or signs of impending failure.

If the machine is pre-March 2017 then more the reason. Voltonics started using better capacitors after March 2017 and now allow up to 61 V on 48 V model and equalization

If the model is not with equalization setting then it is the old one

Unfortunately, the only solution is to replace the main board ( 70 to 130 K)

Was the setting on CC or other chargers in the system set above 58 V DC then most likely high DC voltage is the culprit - The old capacitors have a 2000 Cycle life and wear out faster at higher voltages

It was me. Thanks for the insight. We got the inverters as a donation from a government agency sometimes in 2016. The error made me lose confidence in the durability of the ipower / axpert inverters.

olagunju2000:
Good day house. Please i need your help to help review my setup as I am getting not up 60% of my installation capacity

I have the following

1) 15 pcs 300W mono solar panel (3 in series and 5 parallel)
2) Panel Spec:- VOC = 44.3, Isc = 8.93A, Vmp = 36V, Imp = 8.33A.
3) Based on the connection, Total V= 132V and I= 44.65A(Voc and Isc used in the computation).
4) I have a Master Charge Controller: Max 150V and 80A (48V system)
5) Battery setup: 24pcs of 2V 600A batteries connected in series to produce 48V.
6) The setup was installed 2 months ago.
7) The highest generation seen has been 6.1Kw/day on a sunny day.
I leave at Ajah area of Lagos
9) My Depth of discharge has been around 65% until last week when I was advised to use more to see if it will boost the production. I increase DOD to 45 - 50%
10) in Real time, the maximum that I have seen is 2400W.
11) Installation was carried out by a professional.
12) I check for loses, I am only losing average of 100W (comparing power from solar output measured under the solar shed and Controller output)

QUESTIONS:
1) my total installation capacity is 4500W (solar panel), out of which I am getting max of 2400W. Is this normal
2) Is there anything wrong with my installation.
3) The power generated has not been sufficient to charge my batteries. Is there a way to improve this

Please help

Everyone has said their piece. All pretty informative. While my 3kW array has given up to 16kW/day on a number of occassions, I typically get between 5kW and 8.2kW these days with occasional peak spurts exceeding nameplate rating. I have premium grade panels, batteries, CC (with Wizbang Jr. shunt) , inverter and cabling. So we ask, what has gone wrong? Nothing!

I significantly cut back on opportunistic loads. Your batteries have a limit they can take! Your daily charge represent prior consumption + a little extra (consumption including those of the CC, inverter and transmission/conversion losses). You really can't force it and when you do, you ruin your bank by boiling it to death. The whole idea in massively oversized PV arrays is in being able to run opportunistic loads during the day as well as having a lot of reserve for cloudy days.

I rarely exceed 1,200W steady production these days. Toggle a few switches and it jumps to 1,900. Considering the heat, dust (haze) and 77% NOC yield, everything is intact. In fact, I'm more than impressed. (Makavele, Pranil and Bigrovar seem satisfied too).

Abunafiu and I, living in close proximity and having similar setups, have often compared data and they match. CCs at times report slightly different values but when in doubt, whip out your trusty (translated as quality) digital readout equipment and verify the data. I hope you're aware that panel performance degrades gradually with the greatest drop occuring within the first year (seen up to 8% for JoySolar panels, 2-3% for good/premium brands).

Lots of other variables to consider. We can all allude to different causes and ask for all kinds of data but a site inspection would be ideal. The very least (as Pranil and NiyiOmoIyunade suggested) is checking both the individual panels and the conections between them. Your professional didn't do a professional job; cable connections/termination is a big issue in elctronics (cost considerations?).

On the choice of charge controller, I'm with Abunafiu on that one - Midnite Classic all the way!

My two kobo.

olagunju2000:


Thanks Niyi and everyone. My installer saw the discussions and he is reviewing all points made. To be fair to him, I bought both the Inverter and the Charge controller myself directly from China before meeting him. He had his concerns with the cc right from time but since it was already purchased, nothing could be done. He plans to bring in different controllers to check and validate what could be wrong.

I will provide update once he is done. Thanks

Good man! I'm loving your installer already

NiyiOmoIyunade:
As far as I know Outback is right up there in thesame class of premium controllers as MorningStar, Midnite, Magnum e.t.c. I don't recall anything negative at all about the Outback brand.

In fact Midnite Solar is a breakout from Outback and was founded by the same guys that worked on the Outback if I recall correctly

@Saipro, Pranil please help provide perspective - I think you guys have done the most research on the technicals for all these charge controllers.

Thanks for the reference. Been a bit busy lately so I'm somewhat irregular on the forum. I'll be popping in once or twice a week.

There's really nothing wrong with the OutBack. Splendid equipment worth every dollar. Possible downside is fan failure. The Classics for all intents and purposes are OutBack FMs built with a future perspective and a host of other enhancements. Let's just say the Classic is the one edging its predecessor out.

The Magnum is great but a bit pricey. It came straight from the lab thus each production batch seems to have an edge over the previous one. Solid firmware support (according to the company) and 100A @ 48V is no joke. You could roast an whale with such currents.

Dam5reey:


I disagree with that... 220 Panels 140 + 80 has produced 201 watt peak going to the battery..CC is PWM In July... So he should get close to 100% on bench test

PWM excel under the conditions you've given. He's referring to an MPPT (with conversion losses). More isn't always better. I am sorry I revisited this but my conscience kept pricking me.

Saipro:

PWM excel under the conditions you've given. He's referring to an MPPT (with conversion losses). More isn't always better. I am sorry I revisited this but my conscience kept pricking me.

Conversion loss, should be negligible in such an array set-up..
also note he was asking about 1 panel not the whole setup

pranil:


is the inverter being used as a generator with changeover switch on output then it looks right but right way is to connect input to nepa also to allow battery charging

Multimeter can give false reading - use test lamp ( should not light up in phase -N or N-E)

Thanks pranil. I do appreciate. I notice also that without the input wire in the inverter. if you read the input of the inverter it reads on the multimeter. I was thinking aloud could that be the reason the inverter fails to automatically switch to inverter mode when there is a cut in power from the mains?

pranil:


Is the 20 Amp 12/24 with USB output also. Kindly give model no.
is it the same as this - https:///roysolar-solar-charge-controller-12-24v-20a-pwm-with-usb-2740214

Sir no usb o. Pic below

bigrovar:


It was me. Thanks for the insight. We got the inverters as a donation from a government agency sometimes in 2016. The error made me lose confidence in the durability of the ipower / axpert inverters.

Older ipower are 3 years max wht do you expecet 1/6 of the price of similar sized brand name invetter +CC plus display combo

the newer model is more robust but PV has to be Grid panels in series atleast 11 of 250 Watt

https://www.mppsolar.com/v3/pip-ge-series-high-pv-volt/

Dam5reey:


Conversion loss, should be negligible in such an array set-up..
also note he was asking about 1 panel not the whole setup

I do not quite understand what you mean by the words in bold.

Saipro:


I do not quite understand what you mean by the words in bold.

pranil:


Older ipower are 3 years max wht do you expecet 1/6 of the price of similar sized brand name invetter +CC plus display combo

the newer model is more robust but PV has to be Grid panels in series atleast 11 of 250 Watt

https://www.mppsolar.com/v3/pip-ge-series-high-pv-volt/

So the newer Ipowerplus are same as newer models coming from. Axpert / mpp solar?

And damn.. How do this people do it. I would keep my fingers crossed and see how well the new models perform over a period. Chinese Taiwanese are known for cutting corners which might end up affecting durability.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Yes you can safely use the MorningStar! With a 3 panels in series string VmP 36volts × 3panels = 108volts. MorningStar will only start derating after 115VmP.

In practice you will likely not even see the rated VmP except on a very cool/cold day or in the morning - there is an inverse relationship between panel VmP and temperature so your location in tropical Nigeria is ideal to keep you under 110VmP.

Without speaking too much English MorningStar is perfect for this your config but the problem is that it is capped at 60A so you need two units to get max amps out of your array.

In naira terms one MorningStar 60A landed price is ~250k while the Midnite Classic 80A may be ~280k. By paying 30k extra from the start you could potentially squeeze out an extra 15 to 20amps out of your array with Midnite but if you go with Morningstar you will need to purchase another CC - a smaller sized 30A to 45A MorningStar is 160k to 200k - in the long run splitting duty across two CCs will serve you best e.g 3kw on the 60A MorningStar and 1.5kw on another 30AMorningstar but there is a clear price and short run advantage with one 80A Midnite Classic - how long the Midnite fan will last before it gives way under stress and how long the whole Midnite CC itself will last at max duty and max thermal duress I will leave as an open question for the Midnite fans to answer.

PS: People on this thread predominantly favor the Midnite I think so get ready for the deluge of responses

I would go with the Morningstar too. Apart from the already stated reasons, in the event that you want to expand your array, the second CC will make that possible without the need for a second CC as would be the case if Midnite were used. Since the Midnite is already maxed out, you will need to get another controller for future expansion.

Cheers

I have a few units of a GSM controlled programmable(by text) switch rated up to 30Amps AC.

It also gives feedback on status of power.

Includes timers and can accept input from multiple numbers.

You may find a use for it.

https://www.nairaland.com/3650081/remote-gsm-switch-access-controller.

Thanks

Good morning house, Gennex have added online ups to our range of products, please find attached specifications,

contact 08145463278 for purchase

JohnKester:


I would go with the Morningstar too. Apart from the already stated reasons, in the event that you want to expand your array, the second CC will make that possible without the need for a second CC as would be the case if Midnite were used. Since the Midnite is already maxed out, you will need to get another controller for future expansion.

Cheers

Well, at the end of the day, it's still 2 CCs in both scenarios.
Whether he buys the extra today or in future...

Dapsyra, Do you still enter your production data to pvoutput.org manually or you've found a way to automate the process?

I am still searching for a way to automate the process.

The classic 150 automatically upload the data to MyMidnite website every five minutes, I then download the CSV and upload to pvoutput website after sunset.

Let me know if you find a way around.

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bigrovar:

So the newer Ipowerplus are same as newer models coming from. Axpert / mpp solar?

And damn.. How do this people do it. I would keep my fingers crossed and see how well the new models perform over a period. Chinese Taiwanese are known for cutting corners which might end up affecting durability.

I am using 2 in parallel and kept one in stock in spare and cost me 750 K for 10 KVA/8KW( with one spare) against victron 10 KW 2 million . + 2 charge controller 500 K . + BMV 70 K + CCGX 200 K ( almost 3 million ) I would rather change every 3 years then invest that kind of money

of course the main house runs on Victron

dapsyra:
I am still searching for a way to automate the process.

The classic 150 automatically upload the data to MyMidnite website every five minutes, I then download the CSV and upload to pvoutput website after sunset.

Let me know if you find a way around.

use the android app- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.farrelltonsolar.classic&hl=en ( use either a cheap or spare phone) or use Blustack on windows to run android app


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbjlrrsU8T4&feature=youtu.be

Barezzi:
Dapsyra, Do you still enter your production data to pvoutput.org manually or you've found a way to automate the process?

Get a $30 raspberry pi if you have knowledge of Linux you can attach it to a USB dongle and have it upload the csv or relay the data real time. There are lots of python scripts online that can do this using pvoutput.org API. Nothing too hard if you set your mind to it.

pranil:


use the android app- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.farrelltonsolar.classic&hl=en ( use either a cheap or spare phone) or use Blustack on windows to run android app


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbjlrrsU8T4&feature=youtu.be

I have that app already. It only upload daily summary not 5 minutes average data.

bigrovar:


Get a $30 raspberry pi if you have knowledge of Linux you can attach it to a USB dongle and have it upload the csv or relay the data real time. There are lots of python scripts online that can do this using pvoutput.org API. Nothing too hard if you set your mind to it.

I intend to go this way when I am less busy.

Thanks for the suggestion.

bigrovar:


Get a $30 raspberry pi if you have knowledge of Linux you can attach it to a USB dongle and have it upload the csv or relay the data real time. There are lots of python scripts online that can do this using pvoutput.org API. Nothing too hard if you set your mind to it.

dapsyra:

I intend to go this way when I am less busy. Thanks for the suggestion.

@dapsyra

If you can extract the api´s from the midnight classic website, then it is a piece of cake cause thats exactly how i upload to pvoutput.org. I pick the api´s from emoncms and upload to pvoutput.org

You´ll need a raspberry pi, install php on it, internet connection, schedule it on crontab and voila, you are up an running with your live data.

babaegun:




@dapsyra

If you can extract the api´s from the midnight classic website, then it is a piece of cake cause thats exactly how i upload to pvoutput.org. I pick the api´s from emoncms and upload to pvoutput.org

You´ll need a raspberry pi, install php on it, internet connection, schedule it on crontab and voila, you are up an running with your live data.

the cheap Ipower does it directely with ICC on USB using a pi both PVout and emoncms local and remote ( .org)

That moment when Bigrovar steps in with his IT lectures.
We can't help but to take back sit and learn how it goes.
Abeg make una explain Wetin be raspberry and co to laymen oooo.

pranil:


the cheap Ipower does it directely with ICC on USB using a pi both PVout and emoncms local and remote ( .org)

Fantastic

abunafiu:
That moment when Bigrovar steps in with his IT lectures.
We can't help but to take back sit and learn how it goes.
Abeg make una explain Wetin be raspberry and co to laymen oooo.

The Raspberry Pi is a tiny and affordable computer that you can use to learn programming through fun, practical projects. it is just $35. Bought mine (2 pieces) on Aliexpress. One permanently connected to my Fangpusun CC to get the solar data which is automatically uploaded to emoncms. The second one I use as my desktop computer at home. It uses less power and wonderful for a solar setup.

https://www.raspberrypi.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi

pranil:


the cheap Ipower does it directely with ICC on USB using a pi both PVout and emoncms local and remote ( .org)

Does it also capture data from Midnite Classics?

babaegun:




@dapsyra

If you can extract the api´s from the midnight classic website, then it is a piece of cake cause thats exactly how i upload to pvoutput.org. I pick the api´s from emoncms and upload to pvoutput.org

You´ll need a raspberry pi, install php on it, internet connection, schedule it on crontab and voila, you are up an running with your live data.

I can actually capture the data directly from the Midnite Classic CC via Modbus using Raspberry Pi without recourse to the Midnite website. I have not just gotten around to doing it.