mank1234:
Bigrovar you're a genius. I can't start mentioning how you, dmerciful, earthrealm, niyiomoIyunade and others have contributed to my going RE.

The original Emonpi hardware goes for over 150 pounds and is originally made by them to measure only AC, temperature and humidity. Kudos.

With this your innovation, one can monitor generation and disconnect non-essential loads when generation is poor. Will you be kind enough to acquire, program and probably sell a unit? Or do a step by step procedure and the link to get the required parts.

I just want to be able to monitor pv generation and battery voltage remotely in order to turn OFF power gulping appliances. I already have Sonoff switch for remote ON/OFF.

It is relatively easy to use Raspi running Emoncms and nodered. then you can programme nodered with MQQQT to operate your sonoff.

https://github.com/emoncms/emoncms

https://guide.openenergymonitor.org/integrations/nodered/
https://github.com/arendst/Sonoff-Tasmota/wiki/MQTT-Overview

https://captain-slow.dk/2016/05/22/replacing-the-itead-sonoff-firmware/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLnDVrKmTRM







Nodered is GUI and doesnot need programming knwoledge. The EMONPi image has nodered and MQQT built in

bigrovar:


Bros a 2400w for the stated load of OP don't you think it is quite over the top? especially considering the 700k he just spent? Myself I use 1.84kw panel with grid disconnected and that powers the whole house on a 24/7 basis (Including Fridge, freezer, washing machine, TV, lightning and fan at different set time point).. I think it is important to understand what went wrong with this installation before hitting the buy button. I started my solar journey with 2 240w panels and 2 batteries and even that was able to ensure 4 hours of 175l chest freezer time, and over night light use before I upgraded to 3, then 4, then 6 and now 8 panels with a combined power of 1.84kw. The loads specified by the OP are do not contain any inductive or every equipment like fridge or freezer.

I think it is important to determine what went wrong with this install, find a way to make his load more efficient. An efficient and optimised load go a long way in paying off solar investment much more than pilling on the panels. changing my inverter from felicity to ipowerplus for example improved my early morning battery state of charge to 71% from about 55% because the ipowerplus uses about 30w during dc to ac conversion while the felicity uses north of 58w. The 20w difference made a big difference. I intend to further reduce things by getting a rechargeable ceiling fan to replace the electric motor ceiling fan in the living room. The energy sayings from this 22k investment would be used in increasing the run time of the new smart inverter LG refrigerator to about 18 hours daily while maintaining current battery daily depth of discharge to 29-35% .. remember we are talking about 2 12v, 220AH indian tubular battery that are going into their 3rd year of service.

OP should post picture of his install let all see any obvious fault and make recommendation. If op is in abuja, I might even want to come and see things for myself (pro bono)

Good morning!
Your post is quite enlightening. I need help with something similar. What should I budget for a system similar to yours? - 1.84kw

Also, layman's question - if I generate more power than I use, are there any downsides to this?

Thanks
Ayinba@yahoo.com

I will leave @BigRovar to answer the question about budget for a 1.84kw PV array and associated system though I suspect he has a lot of load optimization and equipment running at scheduled times and automations involved to be able to run such a large variety of equipment on such a small array.

For the second question, there is absolutely no harm in generating more power than you can use on the average - this is the end goal every solar power user should probably aspire to - at first you will gloat and be pleased with yourself to be in such a unique postion (generating power in excess of your needs) but soon you will become dissatisfied and start looking for how to use all that excess power - for me I applied my excess solar power to running an AC to cool my sitting room from 9am to 6pm everyday - with my next power upgrade I will run water heating equipment.

ayinba1:


Good morning!
Your post us quite enlightening. I need help with something similar. What should I budget for a system similar to yours? - 1.84kw

Also, layman's question - if I generate more power than I use, are there any downsides to this?

Thanks
Ayinba@yahoo.com

Please who has a contact for local suppliers of AC relays and contactors (electro-mechanical coils please not SSRs) - I have a personal home improvement project in hand and I cannot afford to wait the 2 weeks to receive foreign imports from Amazon or AliExpress.

You must be a sage!
I wish i could sell some back to the grid though.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
...but soon you will become dissatisfied and start looking for how to use all that excess power

Visit any local electrical shop in your neighbourhood. I bought some ac relays yesterday for N1k each in my hood.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Please who has a contact for local suppliers of AC relays and contactors (electro-mechanical coils please not SSRs) - I have a personal home improvement project in hand and I cannot afford to wait the 2 weeks to receive foreign imports from Amazon or AliExpress.

Good morning all. We are going solar and I needed to be educated about what we are getting into. These 409pages have been so informative. The willingness to share information and advice is a reason why this thread will go on and on and on. Thank you all.

Thank you, GeorgeD1, for your advice on the inverter I should consider.

@DUNKA, has the hail we experience on the Plateau caused any damage to your solar panels? When I hear them falling on our roof I wonder if they won't break glass. Thank you for your response.

bigrovar:
Hi guys, I just finished adding internet and live monitoring to my offgrid solar setup using the Raspberry Pi, a USB 3G modem, and the open energy monitoring system software called Emonpi. The output of the system can be viewed here. http://energy.bobby.com.ng/dashboard/view?id=1

For those interested in how I did this. I live tweet the whole process on twitter and you can follow the thread here

I have completed the remote logging and monitoring protect for my solar offgrid setup. I finally took delivery of serial to usb cable which allowed me DIY the victron VE Direct to USB and subsequently add the 2 solar charge controller and victron battery monitor to the logging system on the Rpi. The final dashboard is finished and quite comprehensive. I designed it to display in real time the power generation from the 2 seperate solar array, their energy yield and the combined output.

It also shows battery state of charge (in percentage, and depth of discharge in amp..) There is a visual indicator which shows the battery level and a figure that shows how much amps hours is in the battery at a particular time. The battery monitor also displays charge and discharge rate.

Lastly there are graphs that show solar generation over a time period (by the minute, hour, day, weeks and months) another graph shows the voltage and charge curve of the battery. I tried to make the dashboard visually pleasing and easy on the eye. I might have failed at that though because my day UI has never been my strong point.

http://energy.bobby.com.ng/dashboard/view?id=1

Output today has been very dull in abuja, no thanks to largely over cast sky.

Oga BigRovar.This is beautiful. Like Oga Pranil said, a couple of hours well spent. I am most impressed by how you merged both PV generation and battery SoC into one nice report.

I was never a fan of dashboards and obsessing over my daily yield before now - as long as my BMV showed 97 to 100% SoC (depending on how early I got home) and the weekly review of MorningStar CC logs showed 3 hours or more in Float on a daily basis I was satisfied.

I am afraid that you have now infected me with the PV remote monitoring bug - I repurposed my Raspberry Pi 3 (which hitherto had been dedicated to Python programming projects and streaming youtube videos to large screen TV) and I am happy to report that I can now monitor my CCs via wifi whenever I am in or around the house within wireless range.

I hope to add internet access and remote monitoring with a basic dashboard soonest - the techy side of me just couldnt resist the temptation thanks to you

bigrovar:


I have completed the remote logging and monitoring protect for my solar offgrid setup. I finally took delivery of serial to usb cable which allowed me DIY the victron VE Direct to USB and subsequently add the 2 solar charge controller and victron battery monitor to the logging system on the Rpi. The final dashboard is finished and quite comprehensive. I designed it to display in real time the power generation from the 2 seperate solar array, their energy yield and the combined output.

It also shows battery state of charge (in percentage, and depth of discharge in amp..) There is a visual indicator which shows the battery level and a figure that shows how much amps hours is in the battery at a particular time. The battery monitor also displays charge and discharge rate.

Lastly there are graphs that show solar generation over a time period (by the minute, hour, day, weeks and months) another graph shows the voltage and charge curve of the battery. I tried to make the dashboard visually pleasing and easy on the eye. I might have failed at that though because my day UI has never been my strong point.

http://energy.bobby.com.ng/dashboard/view?id=1

Hello All,
Please see diagram ,I need to know if this is a correct connection for a HA02 battery balancer I intend to add to my 24V (4 x 12V) battery bank setup.
Need to save the low charged battery in this hard times.
Best regards.
Anidat77

Nice job bigrovar

Yes the diagram is correct. However, please be aware what the battery balancer does and it's limitations - the battery balancer will not save your batteries if they are being undercharged, rather it will only move current from stronger to weaker battery in a scenario where your battery bank is not balanced (one or more batteries are weaker than the others in the bank due to age or (ab)use or variations in internal chemistry or other factors).

The balancer uses the battery voltage as an approximation to determine the state of charge of each battery relative to the others.

I advice that you endeavour to get a full charge regularly with PHCN or extra Gen hours or Solar if you truly wish to keep your batteries healthy. If using PHCN or Gen as your main charge source you may consider adding on a 'Smart Charger' or if you can't find a good deal on a smart charger then get a second inverter with high charge amps - adding on a secondary charge source will give you more juice within thesame PHCN or Gen hours you have available.

Before you spend, be sure of the actual charging amps you will be adding and if using Gen to charge be sure your Gen can comfortably carry the burden of a second charge source

anidat77:
Hello All,
Please see diagram ,I need to know if this is a correct connection for a HA02 battery balancer I intend to add to my 24V (4 x 12V) battery bank setup.
Need to save the low charged battery in this hard times.
Best regards.
Anidat77

Thanks a Lot @NiyiOmoIyunade, I'm glad to know the connection will be a step in the right direction. My CC gets to float by 12 noon with good sunlight and at night the inverter does additional charging. I mostly stay off grid in the day time to reduce PHED tarrif on Freezer loads. Observed differences in voltage readings on individual battery after a daylight float needs to be tackled some way and this is my first step towards that. Once again thanks.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Yes the diagram is correct. However, please be aware what the battery balancer does and it's limitations - the battery balancer will not save your batteries if they are being undercharged, rather it will only move current from stronger to weaker battery in a scenario where your battery bank is not balanced (one or more batteries are weaker than the others in the bank due to age or (ab)use or variations in internal chemistry or other factors).

The balancer uses the battery voltage as an approximation to determine the state of charge of each battery relative to the others.

I advice that you endeavour to get a full charge regularly with PHCN or extra Gen hours or Solar if you truly wish to keep your batteries healthy. If using PHCN or Gen as your main charge source you may consider adding on a 'Smart Charger' or if you can't find a good deal on a smart charger then get a second inverter with high charge amps - adding on a secondary charge source will give you more juice within thesame PHCN or Gen hours you have available.

Before you spend, be sure of the actual charging amps you will be adding and if using Gen to charge be sure your Gen can comfortably carry the burden of a second charge source

NiyiOmoIyunade:
I will leave @BigRovar to answer the question about budget for a 1.84kw PV array and associated system though I suspect he has a lot of load optimization and equipment running at scheduled times and automations involved to be able to run such a large variety of equipment on such a small array.

For the second question, there is absolutely no harm in generating more power than you can use on the average - this is the end goal every solar power user should probably aspire to - at first you will gloat and be pleased with yourself to be in such a unique postion (generating power in excess of your needs) but soon you will become dissatisfied and start looking for how to use all that excess power - for me I applied my excess solar power to running an AC to cool my sitting room from 9am to 6pm everyday - with my next power upgrade I will run water heating equipment.

Thanks!

@BigRovar, I need a little help here. Thanks in advance.

Oh so sorry! I completely misunderstood you - I thought you said your batteries were all not getting fully charged and you wanted to use the ZHC as a fix but now I see you meant perhaps one battery in the battery bank was the one that had an issue - in this case the ZHC is very useful to bring the weaker battery back in line with the others.

If possible, isolate the weak battery(ies) and charge to full that way, you should get best results when you put it back in service and attach the balancer.

anidat77:
Thanks a Lot @NiyiOmoIyunade, I'm glad to know the connection will be a step in the right direction. My CC gets to float by 12 noon with good sunlight and at night the inverter does additional charging. I mostly stay off grid in the day time to reduce PHED tarrif on Freezer loads. Observed differences in voltage readings on individual battery after a daylight float needs to be tackled some way and this is my first step towards that. Once again thanks.

bigrovar:


I have completed the remote logging and monitoring protect for my solar offgrid setup. I finally took delivery of serial to usb cable which allowed me DIY the victron VE Direct to USB and subsequently add the 2 solar charge controller and victron battery monitor to the logging system on the Rpi. The final dashboard is finished and quite comprehensive. I designed it to display in real time the power generation from the 2 seperate solar array, their energy yield and the combined output.

It also shows battery state of charge (in percentage, and depth of discharge in amp..) There is a visual indicator which shows the battery level and a figure that shows how much amps hours is in the battery at a particular time. The battery monitor also displays charge and discharge rate.

Lastly there are graphs that show solar generation over a time period (by the minute, hour, day, weeks and months) another graph shows the voltage and charge curve of the battery. I tried to make the dashboard visually pleasing and easy on the eye. I might have failed at that though because my day UI has never been my strong point.

http://energy.bobby.com.ng/dashboard/view?id=1

Congrats .. Good stuff !

HURRY ! TESTED & VERY OK !! CALL TO BOOK YOURS NOW!!!

Ritar 12v 105a telecom batteries ... #27,000
Limited stock "fairly used" at affordable price

Contact:
Smartcell global services
081-350-31951

kiekie1:
HURRY ! TESTED & VERY OK !! CALL TO BOOK YOURS NOW!!!

Ritar 12v 105a telecom batteries ... #27,000
Limited stock "fairly used" at affordable price

Contact:
Smartcell global services
081-350-31951

Keep 8 sharp ones for me sir !

You can get them at Arena market, Oshodi

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Please who has a contact for local suppliers of AC relays and contactors (electro-mechanical coils please not SSRs) - I have a personal home improvement project in hand and I cannot afford to wait the 2 weeks to receive foreign imports from Amazon or AliExpress.

lorhema:
Good morning all. We are going solar and I needed to be educated about what we are getting into. These 409pages have been so informative. The willingness to share information and advice is a reason why this thread will go on and on and on. Thank you all.

Thank you, GeorgeD1, for your advice on the inverter I should consider.

@DUNKA, has the hail we experience on the Plateau caused any damage to your solar panels? When I hear them falling on our roof I wonder if they won't break glass. Thank you for your response.

Not at all though the rains this year have been very destructive no issue with hail damage

Goodmorning house please I need to know how long a 50litre electric hot water heater will keep its water hot without power?

Also what type of programmable timer do I need for the water heater?

Any suggestions or insights would be appreciated


Thanks!

DUNKA:

Goodmorning house please I need to know how long a 50litre electric hot water heater will keep its water hot without power?

Also what type of programmable timer do I need for the water heater?

Any suggestions or insights would be appreciated


Thanks!

I use Ariston and if left untouched, it will retain its hotness for 3 days .. .

But when used, fresh cold water flows in to fill up slowly; then it retains the hotness for about 36 hours or so.

pranil:


It is relatively easy to use Raspi running Emoncms and nodered. then you can programme nodered with MQQQT to operate your sonoff.

https://github.com/emoncms/emoncms

https://guide.openenergymonitor.org/integrations/nodered/
https://github.com/arendst/Sonoff-Tasmota/wiki/MQTT-Overview

https://captain-slow.dk/2016/05/22/replacing-the-itead-sonoff-firmware/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLnDVrKmTRM







Nodered is GUI and doesnot need programming knwoledge. The EMONPi image has nodered and MQQT built in

This is lovely. Thanks I'll have to learn this.
Can it be integrated with axpert base inverter hybrid inverter directly?

Modified: it will be wonderful if I can program the emonpi to automatically turn ON and OFF devices connected through Sonoff depending on the battery state of charge without user intervention.

OnePunchMan:
we handle the purchase of your solar installation accessories from the USA at 310 naira per US dollar and have them in Lagos in 10 days.. contact me via my number in my profile..

Confirmed shipper
and yes the items in the picture are mine which I ordered through him, you can also get good bargain on the Naira if you are placing bulk order
dear all, Christmas came early and my solar panels went live late yesterday evening and already pumping some juice early this morning before i left home. about 2000w (1980w to be precise) 6 nos 330w Canadian solar panels to manage for now ( If someone else reported using less Kw and powering his entire appliances, why can't I )
Thanks to zeestone99 and crew for a wonderful job well done

bigrovar, I'm coming for you next. i think i have some pi3 lying around. solar monitoring mode to be activated next
Cheers

hancock:


Confirmed shipper
and yes the items in the picture are mine which I ordered through him, you can also get good bargain on the Naira if you are placing bulk order
dear all, Christmas came early and my solar panels went live late yesterday evening and already pumping some juice early this morning before i left home. about 2000w (1980w to be precise) 6 nos 330w Canadian solar panels to manage for now ( If someone else reported using less Kw and powering his entire appliances, why can't I )
Thanks to zeestone99 and crew for a wonderful job well done

bigrovar, I'm coming for you next. i think i have some pi3 lying around. solar monitoring mode to be activated next
Cheers

Thnks boss, over to oga big Rover( R.E NASA) to help wit the raspberry blablabla

makavele:


Keep 8 sharp ones for me sir !

Noted Bro! Kindly reach me via mobile number in my signature . Thanks

bigrovar:


I have completed the remote logging and monitoring protect for my solar offgrid setup. I finally took delivery of serial to usb cable which allowed me DIY the victron VE Direct to USB and subsequently add the 2 solar charge controller and victron battery monitor to the logging system on the Rpi. The final dashboard is finished and quite comprehensive. I designed it to display in real time the power generation from the 2 seperate solar array, their energy yield and the combined output.

It also shows battery state of charge (in percentage, and depth of discharge in amp..) There is a visual indicator which shows the battery level and a figure that shows how much amps hours is in the battery at a particular time. The battery monitor also displays charge and discharge rate.

Lastly there are graphs that show solar generation over a time period (by the minute, hour, day, weeks and months) another graph shows the voltage and charge curve of the battery. I tried to make the dashboard visually pleasing and easy on the eye. I might have failed at that though because my day UI has never been my strong point.

http://energy.bobby.com.ng/dashboard/view?id=1

I was watching your system yesterday online, it's so so cool. Have a question though, why is your power generation not gelling with the raw amps and volts your pv arrays are putting out? I thought you were using an MPPT controller?

For sale three Victron MPPT solar charge controller N120k each, was in service for just one year. interested call/WhatsApp 08060313355.

NB, one sold to Mr Saipro already.

I say a big thank you to our great people here in the house that keep using there time to sharing useful information both in practical and theory. No doubt I have really learnt much on this forum likewise others... As soon as i finalise my PV upgrade i will share my system maybe some people might learn frm it .

@Pranil Thanks the information....we really need to keep moving on...new technology keeps going...People needs to
[quote author=pranil post=68207083]

It is relatively easy to use Raspi running Emoncms and nodered. then you can programme nodered with MQQQT to operate your sonoff.

https://github.com/emoncms/emoncms

https://guide.openenergymonitor.org/integrations/nodered/
https://github.com/arendst/Sonoff-Tasmota/wiki/MQTT-Overview

https://captain-slow.dk/2016/05/22/replacing-the-itead-sonoff-firmware/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLnDVrKmTRM

@Bigrovar i give you thump up for this great innovation and eyes opener.....Guys are warming up to join you as soon as possible. Remote monitoring is getting interesting at this age and also house automation taking over....Weldone bro

bigrovar:


I have completed the remote logging and monitoring protect for my solar offgrid setup. I finally took delivery of serial to usb cable which allowed me DIY the victron VE Direct to USB and subsequently add the 2 solar charge controller and victron battery monitor to the logging system on the Rpi. The final dashboard is finished and quite comprehensive. I designed it to display in real time the power generation from the 2 seperate solar array, their energy yield and the combined output.

It also shows battery state of charge (in percentage, and depth of discharge in amp..) There is a visual indicator which shows the battery level and a figure that shows how much amps hours is in the battery at a particular time. The battery monitor also displays charge and discharge rate.

Lastly there are graphs that show solar generation over a time period (by the minute, hour, day, weeks and months) another graph shows the voltage and charge curve of the battery. I tried to make the dashboard visually pleasing and easy on the eye. I might have failed at that though because my day UI has never been my strong point.

http://energy.bobby.com.ng/dashboard/view?id=1

dgr8truth:
For sale three Victron MPPT solar charge controller N120k each, was in service for just one year. interested call/WhatsApp 08060313355.

NB, one sold to Mr Saipro already.

My collection of inverters, chargers, MPPT & PWM CC keeps growing as a hobbyist (amongst other toys); wondering whether I should be worried ...