Planning your own Solar Power System

The solar PV voltage of 36V doesn't seem to match either of the 2 UPS inverters, 24Vdc or 48Vdc. Maybe the PV panel is meant for the 24V system only because most panels are rated at 17V not 12V but it might need a 24V charge controller unless it is built into the UPS.
 
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Compton_effect said:
Shouldn't have posted the link. The guy is suddenly almost sold out.
And they corrected the ad, its now 2 panels.
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Work out the price of the components, it's a rip off. R37k? Haha

We had load shedding last night and my system worked beautifully. In was still at work and the wife managed to turn it on by herself.

I still dont get why people are considering an off grid solution (that bid or buy one is not a solution, its a ripp off UPS) when all you really need is a backup system for outages of between 2 to 6 hours. If they are longer in winter you just buy more batteries or add solar.
 
johnjm said:
Work out the price of the components, it's a rip off. R37k? Haha

We had load shedding last night and my system worked beautifully. In was still at work and the wife managed to turn it on by herself.

I still dont get why people are considering an off grid solution (that bid or buy one is not a solution, its a ripp off UPS) when all you really need is a backup system for outages of between 2 to 6 hours. If they are longer in winter you just buy more batteries or add solar.
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John, what inverter did you get installed?
 
spikegv said:
John, what inverter did you get installed?
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I'm also interested in that. Chatted to Tytan Solar this week after going to look at their demo unit running their property. The guy said something that makes sense. It doesn't help you have a cheap inverter, that should be the biggest investment. They only stock Microcare out of PE.

They also had a instance of theft last week. Someone stole the panels powering their gate motor. A common trend I've seen at the mines myself. They steal the damn things like candy. Anglo Kumba's asset retention once joked they were converting the townships to renewable.
Something to factor into your installation planning. Mine will be wired to my alarm.
 
Do yourself a favour, spend some money on the inverter. Victron or SMA are about the best brands out there and they both have excellent after-sales service in SA. They cost more, but have been around for a long time. I have a Victron Quattro, it decides where to pull its power from, Eskom, PV, batteries or genie, it even starts the genie automatically.
 
spikegv said:
John, what inverter did you get installed?
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I bought a generic UPS from mantech.co.za

The issue now is stock as in Jan I ordered a 3.6kva but slept on it for too long so when I confirmed the order they were gone and had to get a 2.4kva.

In December I went to Current Automation in randburg with the purpose of just buying a 1500w inverter and some batteries. I ended up placing a deposit for a R50k order of a 3000w victron inverter and 800Ah of batteries. After a few days I thought about it and realised I was going overkill (they also include a separate DB and programming of the inverter etc). So I cancelled. I'm glad I did because for R14k I ended up with what I originally wanted.

That said, the vitrons are a serious proper piece of kit. Their efficiency and surge power ratings are nearly second to none. Top notch quality and you pay for it.
 
This is such an awesome write up man! I was getting so annoyed with all the articles on MyBB about the costs of getting off the grid reaching 100K + and then people commenting on those articles spewing doom and gloom. Thank you - we needed someone like you to set the record straight. You've done a great job, and exactly what I couldn't do - you've proven that Eskom doesn't have to own us.

I've done some research too and I've found some great alternatives to the battery you've suggested here. The battery we've sourced is a LiFE PO4, potentially at a really good price, landed. I'll send you a PM with more details as it becomes available.

Once again, well done on a very informative post. Looking forward to anything more you can share, especially when it comes to PV. There's this awesome intructable http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Build-A-Solar-Panel/ on how to make your panel from solar cells. Just need to find a decent supplier of solar cells.

I've have researched how to make cells, but thats probably a step too far :)
 
MyLowBandwidth said:
I'll send you a PM with more details as it becomes available.
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Why not share the info with all of us? All this talk about LiFePO4 but no one has come to the party giving us detail on pricing and what exactly was purchased. TIA!
 
lol at those that want to go off grid just to spite eskom. Genius.
 
MyLowBandwidth said:
This is such an awesome write up man! I was getting so annoyed with all the articles on MyBB about the costs of getting off the grid reaching 100K + and then people commenting on those articles spewing doom and gloom. Thank you - we needed someone like you to set the record straight. You've done a great job, and exactly what I couldn't do - you've proven that Eskom doesn't have to own us.

I've done some research too and I've found some great alternatives to the battery you've suggested here. The battery we've sourced is a LiFE PO4, potentially at a really good price, landed. I'll send you a PM with more details as it becomes available.

Once again, well done on a very informative post. Looking forward to anything more you can share, especially when it comes to PV. There's this awesome intructable http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Build-A-Solar-Panel/ on how to make your panel from solar cells. Just need to find a decent supplier of solar cells.

I've have researched how to make cells, but thats probably a step too far :)
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I agree - so tired of opening up articles about being off grid and then realising it was written for millionaires. I moved my light circuit over to solar with a couple of batteries - saves me money and no sitting in the dark when Eskom craps out. I don't have the money or will power to try and convert my whole house to solar and frankly I couldn't be bothered. I have lights, a gas stove and don't mind taking a cold shower.

All these other threads of people spending thousands to watch TV during load shedding makes me mad. Go and read a book or go outside!!

/rant over
 
heartbroken said:
I agree - so tired of opening up articles about being off grid and then realising it was written for millionaires. I moved my light circuit over to solar with a couple of batteries - saves me money and no sitting in the dark when Eskom craps out. I don't have the money or will power to try and convert my whole house to solar and frankly I couldn't be bothered. I have lights, a gas stove and don't mind taking a cold shower.

All these other threads of people spending thousands to watch TV during load shedding makes me mad. Go and read a book or go outside!!

/rant over
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Did you have to put your lights on another db? Care to give more details on your system. I'm contemplating the same.
 
heartbroken said:
I agree - so tired of opening up articles about being off grid and then realising it was written for millionaires. I moved my light circuit over to solar with a couple of batteries - saves me money and no sitting in the dark when Eskom craps out. I don't have the money or will power to try and convert my whole house to solar and frankly I couldn't be bothered. I have lights, a gas stove and don't mind taking a cold shower.

All these other threads of people spending thousands to watch TV during load shedding makes me mad. Go and read a book or go outside!!

/rant over
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Also considering the same solar lighting circuit setup, could you share more info?
 
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