Snyper's Solar Farm

Snyper564 said:
Based on how the system was performing I decided to flip off the Eskom switch - we officially off grid now. Curious to see how this goes

View attachment 1182718
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Currently have load shedding now but I turned my geyser on as my batteries will soon be full then all that extra pv will go to waste when it starts to throttle the solar production. 20211106_103745.jpgScreenshot_20211106-105548_SOLARMAN%20Business.jpg
 
I received my quotes from Steve. Was originally going to use my electrician for the install but he withdrew himself from the process. Now I have made contact with Werner also referred to me by Steve from Power Forum Store.
The quote includes every single item needed. Going with 8kw Sunsynk and 1 Hubble battery for now and 16 x Canadian Solar 420W panels.

Snyper564 your install looks very very nice. Nice to see a man's work beforehand.
 
Pv currently being limited even though I've got my geyser and two aircons running in order to fully try and utilise the pv. 20211106_113201.jpg
 
The 8kw sunsynk is a beast of a machine.

The fan even turned off now as I think l all aircons, which are set to 16°, is chilling the house down so much that the inverter does not need to run the internal fan.

It's currently running at just over 6.5kw supplying the loads and is completely silent. 20211106_115029.jpg
 
AchmatK said:
The 8kw sunsynk is a beast of a machine.

The fan even turned off now as I think l all aircons, which are set to 16°, is chilling the house down so much that the inverter does not need to run the internal fan.

It's currently running at just over 6.5kw supplying the loads and is completely silent. View attachment 1182782
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Would be awesome if they can send that dashboard to an external screen. I'll have a always on one in the kitchen or somewhere
 
Thor said:
Would be awesome if they can send that dashboard to an external screen. I'll have a always on one in the kitchen or somewhere
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My inverter is in the kitchen so I can see it all the time. The screen does have a 5 minute timeout and switches off.
 
Thor said:
How does that part work?

Does Eskom pay you?
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No, the meter (spinning disk) turns backwards creating a "credit" that he can use later (night-time/bad weather). As long as the meter is not less than the month before.
 
wingnut771 said:
No, the meter (spinning disk) turns backwards creating a "credit" that he can use later (night-time/bad weather). As long as the meter is not less than the month before.
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I wish I had a meter like that , at the moment I’m “wasting” a good 5-8 kWh a day because the batteries top out and even with geysers etc maxing out I still have extra
 
Jladan said:
I wish I had a meter like that , at the moment I’m “wasting” a good 5-8 kWh a day because the batteries top out and even with geysers etc maxing out I still have extra
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I think all the old houses have them. House in Pinetown had it, now I have moved to Glenwood and also has one.
 
Jladan said:
I wish I had a meter like that , at the moment I’m “wasting” a good 5-8 kWh a day because the batteries top out and even with geysers etc maxing out I still have extra
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We all wish we had that meter
 
Snyper564 said:
Hi all,

I am finally getting round to making this thread.

After loads of research and another bout of load shedding I finally decided to pull the trigger and load shed Eskom.

Prior to going solar I already had all the lights on LEDs, house is kitted with energy efficient appliances and geysers are on evac tubes.

Oven and induction stove will not be changed at present - current system doesnt need this and I dont plan on going totally off the grid an odd kw here or there is ok for me.

Before deciding what system I needed I first started with my daily kw usage and peak kw.

I found that summer had a typical 12Kw a day consumption and winter 18-20Kw and peak kw was around 5ish kw.

With this knowledge in hand I decided to opt for the 8Kw Sunsynk Inverter specifically because I want to switch on as I please and not worry about it. Also I didnt plan on telling my wife or domestic not to switch on certain things at a specific time etc. I also decided to go with 3 X 5.5kw Hubble AM2 batteries, was happy with their 1C discharge and really liked their form factor.

Next was solar panels which I decided to go with the 12X535w JA Solar mono perc half cells.

The system is over specd to be future proof and also deal with winter sun and overcast days. The goal was not meant to be off the grid but have Eskom as a backup if needed. My wife and I decided to be a little greener as well and saving at the same time didnt hurt.

I took photos of the sun movement over the two roof areas over the space of a few days tracking exactly where the shadows were to ensure the best placement. Also downloaded a sun tracker app to see the movement of the sun throughout the year. After this two palm trees were removed to ensure the roof got light as early as possible in the morning.

Stefan/Steve (0742189845) from the https://powerforum-store.co.za helped immensely over the space of a few weeks helping me decide on the system and also guiding the ultimate placement of the panels etc. Cannot recommend dealing with Stefan/Steve enough, he is incredible friendly, knowledgeable and most of all very patient which I found very important trying to figure out my exact needs were. Just for the record I reached out to 5 or so other installers/suppliers and he beat them hands down on the initial quote I received not a second quote trying to beat someone else.

Next was finding a reputable installer cannot thank @RonSwanson enough for the recommendation of Werner Heydenrych (0834178157) from Elect Delite (Gauteng), he also came highly recommended by Stefan/Steve. The quality of workmanship and attention to detail of Werner and his team can put other contractors I have dealt with in the past to shame. Werner and hist team worked meticulously on the project and made sure everything was to our satisfaction before leaving.

The overall experience was nothing short of a perfect 10/10.

Panels up

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System installation

View attachment 1180834

Ill pop in more data on the production etc but today represented a sunny day and also a day with the domestic using as needed, kettle, vacuum, tumble dryer, toaster etc.

Base load of house is about 500-600wh made up of 1 chest freezer, 4 fridges (1 in kitchen 3 for beer production) and 1080 mining away at 2.5 USD a day and lights as needed

Batteries typically charged by 11:30 -12:00 and then pv production matches load requirements.

View attachment 1180836

View attachment 1180838

Everything is set up to upgrade whether it be more batteries or another inverter or more panels all done with that in mind too.

Have another roof where I can place about 14/16 panels just need to see winter sun first
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Very good description and a good installation. Just do one thing to make it better. Use the terms "kW" and "kWh" correctly throughout and appropriate when used. Confusing these two in your write up takes away from its value.
 
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