All things Sunsynk (Deye, Inge, etc...)

Speedster said:
Impedance or current?
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Sorry, current.
I always read the spec sheets where they say Imp next to the max current value and as a bad habit I read it as impedence.
It helps me find the correct value when they list short circuit values, etc.

But its my bad, I did give incorrect info.
 
Fcon_Vpro said:
13a seems correct
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Lekker so a 550W, 13A'ish rating should be golden, 6x of these should keep cost low and have me at the 3KW mark.
Now it's the geyser, that thing just chows, wondering if I should cover it with a geyser blanket or get it connected to this PV array?

Using the battery at night 11:00-06:00 should save me a few extra units as well?
 
dj2381 said:
Any opinions on Hubble vs Sunsynk batteries? Is the 10 year warranty on the Sunsynk inverter worth paying extra for the batteries?
Click to expand...
Sunsynk batteries are white lable batteries that Heroldts brought in from China and got the rights from Keith to lable them as Sunsynk. After year 5 the warranty covers cost of repaired components only, not labour, so it has dubious benefit.
 
ViciousClone said:
Jinko 550W - Is this a bit far out at 13.54A?

I'm trying to aim for 3kw at least, 6-8 would get there at least.
The firmware was updated probably 3 months ago.
View attachment 1524621
Click to expand...
Always use VoC and Isc values when calculating maximums. And it would also help using the latest Sunsynk manual from Sunsynk.org, yours is ancient, register and get it.

The 5K Sunsynk's MPPT has a 13A cutoff, so whatever you exceed it by is lost power. On those panels, lost power is in excess of 10% (49.72 * 1.12 = 55.68W, 55.68 / 550 = 0.101248*100=10.12%). They will work in series and not blow the MPPT (which can handle a maximum of 17Adc, but it will start clipping the amperage at 12.99A). Also important is not to exceed the maximum voltage, which is 500Vdc, but make it 450Vdc to be on the safe side. So for these panels, no more than nine panels in series per MPPT (447.48Vdc), and there are two MPPTs. The value of nine maximum may change dependent on the next series of calculations.

You need to remember that these panels' specs are usually provided at STC (Standard Test Conditions), where the panel's cells are at 25 degrees C (and irradiance of 100W/m2 and air mass of 1.5). As the cells get hotter than that, the voltage decreases, and the current increases, and as they get cooler, the voltage increases and the current decreases. So you need to size for the lowest and highest temperature that it could ever get, using the temperature increase and decrease coefficient of the panel, as well as the past 10-20 years of weather data for your area. Fortunately the panel manufacturer will typically provide a proper data sheet with all of these values on it (and not just the precis version that you have provided). Once you have all of this information, start a spreadsheet and enter the values as per the step by step methodology outlined here: https://unboundsolar.com/blog/string-sizing-guide

Using a spreadsheet means that you can compare a few different panels side by side, to see which are optimal for your location and conditions, as well as the most efficient ones (price / performance). Remember that solar panels are actually about 22% efficient at best, and then there are losses associated with cabling, switchgear, the MPPT controller and converting it all into AC, so conceding to over 10% of loss upfront is actually something that I (personally) would not accept. I would rather go for a panel that is rated at around 12.5 - 12.9A Isc, but that's just me. I also know that panels are difficult to obtain right now, so there is that too. You will probably also need to take into account your roof pitch and azimuth.
 
lkpat said:
Why the heck is your dishwasher connected to an input on the sonoff??
That could have caused fire and insurance investigation may have voided a claim.
Click to expand...
Dishwasher is rated 10A. Sonoff bought in this country. Icasa label .. rated 16amp. I don't see an issue with insurance.

Anyway replaced with a Tuya smart plug now.

Reason it's connected :- if it's running, and it's night and load shedding hits, the dishwasher is turned off. When grid comes back, it's turned on again and finishes the cycle. FWIW, dishwasher used 1.25kw of energy on its pro mode.
 
ViciousClone said:
Lekker so a 550W, 13A'ish rating should be golden, 6x of these should keep cost low and have me at the 3KW mark.
Now it's the geyser, that thing just chows, wondering if I should cover it with a geyser blanket or get it connected to this PV array?

Using the battery at night 11:00-06:00 should save me a few extra units as well?
Click to expand...
Geyser blanket can help - how old is your geyser? Another possibility, is to use a smaller element in the geyser. Mines came with 4kw element, now 3kw. It helps to use the PV being generated without needing to use batteries or grid.

Yes , it means, it takes longer to heat to get to set temp but it's fine.

Putting a timer on it could help too depending on your use case. Ours only heats during the day and now for 40 mins in the morning. We also now have two additional guests staying long term with us, so need to top up heat.
 
RonSwanson said:
Always use VoC and Isc values when calculating maximums. And it would also help using the latest Sunsynk manual from Sunsynk.org, yours is ancient, register and get it.

The 5K Sunsynk's MPPT has a 13A cutoff, so whatever you exceed it by is lost power. On those panels, lost power is in excess of 10% (49.72 * 1.12 = 55.68W, 55.68 / 550 = 0.101248*100=10.12%). They will work in series and not blow the MPPT (which can handle a maximum of 17Adc, but it will start clipping the amperage at 12.99A). Also important is not to exceed the maximum voltage, which is 500Vdc, but make it 450Vdc to be on the safe side. So for these panels, no more than nine panels in series per MPPT (447.48Vdc), and there are two MPPTs. The value of nine maximum may change dependent on the next series of calculations.

You need to remember that these panels' specs are usually provided at STC (Standard Test Conditions), where the panel's cells are at 25 degrees C (and irradiance of 100W/m2 and air mass of 1.5). As the cells get hotter than that, the voltage decreases, and the current increases, and as they get cooler, the voltage increases and the current decreases. So you need to size for the lowest and highest temperature that it could ever get, using the temperature increase and decrease coefficient of the panel, as well as the past 10-20 years of weather data for your area. Fortunately the panel manufacturer will typically provide a proper data sheet with all of these values on it (and not just the precis version that you have provided). Once you have all of this information, start a spreadsheet and enter the values as per the step by step methodology outlined here: https://unboundsolar.com/blog/string-sizing-guide

Using a spreadsheet means that you can compare a few different panels side by side, to see which are optimal for your location and conditions, as well as the most efficient ones (price / performance). Remember that solar panels are actually about 22% efficient at best, and then there are losses associated with cabling, switchgear, the MPPT controller and converting it all into AC, so conceding to over 10% of loss upfront is actually something that I (personally) would not accept. I would rather go for a panel that is rated at around 12.5 - 12.9A Isc, but that's just me. I also know that panels are difficult to obtain right now, so there is that too. You will probably also need to take into account your roof pitch and azimuth.
Click to expand...
This is diamond standard advice. Helped me when I was figuring it out. Must share my spreadsheet if I can find it again.
 
TedLasso said:
/snip
FWIW, dishwasher used 1.25kw of energy on its pro mode.
Click to expand...

That's pretty decent. Mine is up around 2kW for the initial phase while it is heating the water. Drops down much lower for the rest of the cycle. I don't have mine on a dedicated measuring switch though, so that is estimated from inverter stats.
 
Last edited:
And now I'm confused, batteries have charge but inverter thinks they dead.
20230516_064719.jpg
20230516_064819.jpg
20230516_064900.jpg

No alarms or down trips.
 
Thanks for the advice gent’s

Mind pointing me in the direction of solar panel providers. I see Geewiz has a few, voltex, Sun pays(not sure about them, and herholdts but they only sell pallets of 31’s
 
ViciousClone said:
Thanks for the advice gent’s

Mind pointing me in the direction of solar panel providers. I see Geewiz has a few, voltex, Sun pays(not sure about them, and herholdts but they only sell pallets of 31’s
Click to expand...
I bought my panels from https://www.solarwaysuppliers.co.za/

They had the best pricing at the time I was looking around.
 
RonSwanson said:
As the cells get hotter than that, the voltage decreases, and the current increases, and as they get cooler, the voltage increases and the current decreases.
Click to expand...

Always insightful in your posts!

Just a question about the above - do we know this to be true. Obviously temperature affects voltage, but my experience has been that current isn't affected by the temp, only by irradiance. I could very well be wrong on this point though.
 
Speedster said:
I bought my panels from https://www.solarwaysuppliers.co.za/

They had the best pricing at the time I was looking around.
Click to expand...
Thanks Speedster
Ron brought up a good point earlier, now i'm pondering the idea of going x8 450/460W panels, regarding the budget.

It's either 550W x6, or 450W x8, is it better to have more panels to better pull in light in a larger area, or a stronger focused area
 
ViciousClone said:
Thanks Speedster
Ron brought up a good point earlier, now i'm pondering the idea of going x8 450/460W panels, regarding the budget.

It's either 550W x6, or 450W x8, is it better to have more panels to better pull in light in a larger area, or a stronger focused area
Click to expand...
My installer strongly advised against 540/550W panels for my 5kw Sunsynk. Apparently he's had a few cases of blown components and thus stays in the 450 - 470W range for these inverters. I'm no expert and since he's a qualified electrical engineer, I trust his judgment.

A lot of people does however have those panels installed with a 5kw Sunsynk without issues, but it is worth noting that some advises against it. On the Sunsynk users & Installers Facebook page, Heine Herholdt from Herholdts, has also cautioned against it in the past.
 
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