Here are the panels and cables through the window.

ojeysky:
Anyone using mpp solar inverters? I have been trying to set my battery cut off voltage above 24v but that has not been possible, the highest I could set was 23.9v and that is not the 50% DoD that I wanted. Any idea on how to go about this?

hi Ojesky why do you want to increase your cut-off voltage? the cut-off voltage should be lower than your battery voltage as that is the position you set so that your battery shouldn't be dangerously depleted

Trippledots:


lol...but actually if the pv is less than needed to charge the battery very well within a day, and the battery is actively being discharged what we should worry about is the depletion of the battery and its eventual death rather than over charging it.

True

Trippledots:


Done. Expecting. Thanks!

sent

godspeed:


Now, the first two pictures are the east side of the building, it is 8 am and it is facing the rising sun. The last picture is the panel on the west side, you can see the sun obscured by the height of the roof.

Before the sun reaches the panel on the west side, it'll be Around 11 am.

Now, when it is beyond noon, the sun stop facing the panel on the east side but hits it by the side , at this same time, the panel on the west faces the sun directly. This is my temporary fix for now.

The third picture is my cc and u can see the instantaneous harvest at beyond 8 ah and it's 8 in the morning.

I am surprised that topmost PMW charger is doing almost the same as my MPPT despite similar set up.

ahhha, i see the problem, the effing ROOF INCLINATION.
Part of the reason i hate this send down the rain use, i dont see why people like that roof .makes a building look big and ugly for no good reason, gimme a flat roof anytime..any day. in nigeria/the equator, the sweet spot for solar panel inclination is 5deg to 15 deg max. that your roof is over 60 deg already. so instantly, you are loosing 30 to 70% of your installed capacity due to wrong inclination alone!!.
i simply shake my head when i see installers/home owners placing panels on such steep roof angle.


your plan of separating the panels on both sides of the roof is a good palliative measure.
the best option is to relocate the panels to a flat surface, you should consider, erecting them by the fence..to form a car shade/etc

Deluxe8000:

The cables are the same.
Max instantenous harvest in wh? I don't understand this. My cc is upne-tech 40ah
I was not complaining of shading. The panels are rightly on top of my own part of the roof. The cc is also close to the battery. I don't know the voc and vmp of the panels. The 150w mono is 18v and 8.5ah.

ok, from pics...your panels are placed well, and shud produce optimally.
cable size is written on the body of the cable, look at it and tell us, also estimate the distance from your panels to the charge controller.

2ndly confirm that the installer did a 2series 2 parallel connection, ie 2s2p, if you are unsure, you can confirm this y looking at the screen of the charge controller during the day[it shud read btw 24v to 34v], and tell us the voltage you see, same goes for the instantenous energy in watts being produced, you may have to toggle the up and down arrows of the CC to see this info. from your panel size...i expect to see 200w to 500w on a sunny day.

if all fails and you are in lagos, you shud consider contacting zeestone/kiekie to see if they can come and qaqc ur setup

nonoski:

Change ur settings
It's shows ur batteries are getting weak

Thank you but what are the required settings to be altered?

efuro:


I will talk you through it, If you want.
DM for guide... to renew your faith in the flexmax family.

I sent you an email. Thanks for your concern.

solasola:
I would not recommend the above for client installation except diy. and as you mentioned, dry season is a factor. but you might still be able to draw conclusions on your peak current on a really sunny day around 12:30pm to 1:30pm, you get peak current and can factor that in your calculations.

As per your rechargeable fan. lead- acid batteries are called that name because they contain h2so4 electrolyte which is a liquid.so conventionally upside down or sideways is never encouraged. if you change the follow come battery of your fan with the higher ah but same volt(12), not problem should ensue as you will only have to charge for a longer time.

for charging your almost dead battery alongside your working OK batteries, you would eventually kill your new batteries as the older one will try to drop them down to its level. you know solar power is like a sinusoidal wave atimes. I even doubt that your current system charges your batteries effectively. but except you will use a separate PV array and cc for old battery, you should be OK with that.

I have a method I drew up for this: I will install a changeover switch between cc and wires separately to both batteries so I can decide which one to charge; it will not be simultaneous, either 200ah or 100ah at any one time.

Penuelseun:
24v is still your best bet if you want your system to be efficient, if you are worried about price, you can buy 100ah ×2 batteries, just make sure you power your refrigerator during sun hours with an oversized array

Noted. Thanks. I have also looked at the possibility.

desiji:

Sent. from Ojesky i haven't gotten ur mail adresse

Received, thanks.

BetaTechnicians:
I'll like to have a copy. thanks.

sent

desiji:
sent

Received thanks. Kindly edit the mail from your quote due to spam.

earthrealm:


ahhha, i see the problem, the effing ROOF INCLINATION.
Part of the reason i hate this send down the rain use, i dont see why people like that roof .makes a building look big and ugly for no good reason, gimme a flat roof anytime..any day. in nigeria/the equator, the sweet spot for solar panel inclination is 5deg to 15 deg max. that your roof is over 60 deg already. so instantly, you are loosing 30 to 70% of your installed capacity due to wrong inclination alone!!.
i simply shake my head when i see installers/home owners placing panels on such steep roof angle.


your plan of separating the panels on both sides of the roof is a good palliative measure.
the best option is to relocate the panels to a flat surface, you should consider, erecting them by the fence..to form a car shade/etc

Thanks for the forensic analysis bro.

I'm planning to get at least another panel to augment what I have.

Between getting a 300 watts panel and getting 2 150 watts panel, which do u recommend.

I'm asking because of the amps I should expect in harvest

desiji:
hi Ojesky why do you want to increase your cut-off voltage? the cut-off voltage should be lower than your battery voltage as that is the position you set so that your battery shouldn't be dangerously depleted

I want to maintain an actual 50% DoD on my batteries which is around 24.2v, am not able to do that with the cut-off voltage, the highest I could get to set is 23.9v

desiji:
sent

I will appreciate your guide me too. thanks
kadorz@gmail.com

thanks

godspeed:


Thanks for the forensic analysis bro.

I'm planning to get at least another panel to augment what I have.

Between getting a 300 watts panel and getting 2 150 watts panel, which do u recommend.

I'm asking because of the amps I should expect in harvest

2 x 150w is better, try and ensure the Voc is close to ur old panels..guess u intend to share on each side of ur roof, whats the max pv input of your CC?.
Maybe you do 3s2p

earthrealm:


2 x 150w is better, try and ensure the Voc is close to ur old panels..guess u intend to share on each side of ur roof, whats the max pv input of your CC?.
Maybe you do 3s2p

Yes, I'll share on each side of the roof.

The max PV input is 24 v

godspeed:


Yes, I'll share on each side of the roof.

The max PV input is 24 v

Errrrm..wrong.
Go tru the manual again..or better yet, s3nd a picture where you saw the 24v, it shud be 60v or 100v, unless u bought an elcheapo mppt

earthrealm:

Errrrm..wrong.
Go tru the manual again..or better yet, s3nd a picture where you saw the 24v, it shud be 60v or 100v, unless u bought an elcheapo mppt

My bad!

I'm seeing this for the first time.

Does that mean I can connect 4 panels in series ( they're 24v each) and get more harvest in amps?

godspeed:


My bad!

I'm seeing this for the first time.

Does that mean I can connect 4 panels in series ( they're 24v each) and get more harvest in amps?

Hahahaha.
You obviously skipped ur elementary solar class..
Have been asking you about Vmp and Voc, you are yet to answer.Its the Voc that is key.since ur panels are 150w, the Voc shud be btw 18v and 23v.
Since ur system/inverter is a 12v system, would recommend dont exceed 3 panels in series.you could do 4 panels in series if ur Voc is below 24v, however this is slightly less efficient for a 12v setup.

Morning star corp regularly organizes online webinar for solar folks, try and register, so as to fill the knowledge gaps in ur solar journey

earthrealm:


Hahahaha.
You obviously skipped ur elementary solar class..
Have been asking you about Vmp and Voc, you are yet to answer.Its the Voc that is key.since ur panels are 150w, the Voc shud be btw 18v and 23v.
Since ur system/inverter is a 12v system, would recommend dont exceed 3 panels in series.you could do 4 panels in series if ur Voc is below 24v, however this is slightly less efficient for a 12v setup.

Morning star corp regularly organizes online webinar for solar folks, try and register, so as to fill the knowledge gaps in ur solar journey

Thanks bro.

My current panels are actually 2x 250 watts.

I didn't do the set up myself, a professional installer did

Hello good morning everyone I have some must powerful lithium ion battery for sale 10,000 cycles .

For your rechargeable fan

Replace the lead acid battery with lithium ion / lithium polymer battery. The battery protection circuit in most of the rechargeable fans are poorly design which in no time kill the battery. To get optimum performance from the rechargeable fan replace it with lithium battery

Topmost11:
House what is the implication of replacing a 4.5ah battery with 7ah or 9ah aside longer run time? I have replaced the follow come battery of my new fan with 7ah battery. One of the reasons I opted for the fan make/model is the 12v battery rather than the 6v models.

One other thing, battery gurus and general house. Must a battery be always upside up or I can place it sideways. I ask because if I place the battery sideways, it will enter the battery slot/compartment of the fan and I will be able to replace the cover. See attached pictures.

Pix1 will ensure battery enters the slot and cover replaced but it will stand sideways and not upright. Pix2 is upright but battery will sit outside the battery slot.

Another question.
My bad 5yearold 100ah battery has been idle for months now. Before I stopped using it, it serves during sun hours but lasts 1.5hours after sundown. If I replace the follow come fan battery with it, what is the effect?
I am looking at two options
1: charge it with solar via cc once in maybe 5 days or as need arises.
2: allow fan to charge it during sun hours when inverter is on as the need arises.

Problem I envisage is with option 2. It means I shall be drawing from inverter to charge it thus my main 200ah battery will suffer it as it may not charge fully since the inverter will be pull load to charge the 100ah battery by way of the fan. Hence my resolve to charge only during sun hour. Pls attack the proposal and give suggestions for improvement . Thanks

godspeed:


Thanks bro.

My current panels are actually 2x 250 watts.

I didn't do the set up myself, a professional installer did

Oh...if so the Voc of most 250w panels is about 38v, thus 3 in series will exceed 100v, which is the max rating of your cc..some cc cant accept a lil above, some don't..so to play it safe, getting 2 more 250w panels and doing a 2s2p setup may be the best route

HERE IS THE LINK TO ANOTHER WEBINAR BY MORNINGSTAR CORP:
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2850930699874060034

Topmost11:


I have a method I drew up for this: I will install a changeover switch between cc and wires separately to both batteries so I can decide which one to charge; it will not be simultaneous, either 200ah or 100ah at any one time.

thumbs up. good one there..

Topmost11:


I have a method I drew up for this: I will install a changeover switch between cc and wires separately to both batteries so I can decide which one to charge; it will not be simultaneous, either 200ah or 100ah at any one time.

thumbs up. nice one

Replace the lead acid battery with lithium ion / lithium polymer battery. The battery protection circuit in most of the rechargeable fans are poorly design which in no time kill the battery. To get optimum performance from the rechargeable fan replace it with lithium battery



I looked the way of li-on batteries too but my fear Is this "catch fire, catch fire" issue everybody keeps talking about li-on batteries. I can't afford the ready made and will have to build one myself. Hence my increased fear. Supposing a member of my family made a mistake or something happens? I am hardly home.

This night tinkering for sound sleep. My redundant/idle 100ah battery commissioned for fan use solely. It is at the lowest already(too low for TV and not charged for over 3 months now, I think). Let's see how long it will take the fan to fully discharge it.

I shall charge the battery all day tomorrow, measure it and then properly see how long it will "carry" the fan.

Incidentally, my harvest today is 105ah.

Topmost11:
For those who followed my quest for DC fan, I finally got 18 inches 40watts boscon standing fan. Got it 21k each from Alaba via a friend. It is still being charged.

What battery chemistry is inside? If it's lead acid, my brother it's not it o. Like I always say, those 12v4.5ah batteries in those fans are crap. Short run time and 3 months, maximum 6 months lifetime.

I have settled for DC powered QASA fan and diyed solar charged lithium battery pack for it. It runs 9 hrs max speed after full charge.

godspeed:


Please enlighten me more on this

Every charge controller has a maximum power it can handle. In your case you have 4x150=600 watts already and is 12v system which I think is maximum your charge controller can handle. If you are adding another panel, change or add another charge controller.

What battery chemistry is inside? If it's lead acid, my brother it's not it o. Like I always say, those 12v4.5ah batteries in those fans are crap. Short run time and 3 months, maximum 6 months lifetime.

I have settled for DC powered QASA fan and diyed solar charged lithium battery pack for it. It runs 9 hrs max speed after full charge.[/quote]


You are right. It is 12v 4.5ah lead acid battery. And i know it won't last forever. That is why I am proactve to get better battery runtime.
Would you share the DIY lithium pack building process. I won't mind tinkering to build one if I can get a tutor. I have it on YouTube but is still hesitatant.