Solar Power Thread

signates said:
I bought a 5kw generator this week just for standby generation if the grid is down and there is no sun.
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If I may ask, what generator did you buy and for how much? Reading on-line they recommend an electric starter, gauges to determine usage etc etc.
 
Splinter said:
If I may ask, what generator did you buy and for how much? Reading on-line they recommend an electric starter, gauges to determine usage etc etc.
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Posted some sources here http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthr...ne-own-one?p=14152499&viewfull=1#post14152499

It's a Chinese brand but will serve my needs. My only concern was getting one with an AVR automatic voltage regulator which this one has.

I would be using it only as a backup should the grid go down at night and I need big power or if there is not enough sun for the solar panels of the grid goes down during the day so don't mind going out to switch it on manually. Will be getting a small UPS as well for lights at night if the grid goes down.
 
My setup should look something like this when done:

Solar panels/Eskom/generator---> grid tied inverter--->home load and UPS/small battery bank only for lights/router.

If the grid goes down and additional appliances need to run and there is not enough solar capacity, only then will the generator be manually switched on.
 
signates said:
Posted some sources here http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthr...ne-own-one?p=14152499&viewfull=1#post14152499

It's a Chinese brand but will serve my needs. My only concern was getting one with an AVR automatic voltage regulator which this one has.

I would be using it only as a backup should the grid go down at night and I need big power or if there is not enough sun for the solar panels of the grid goes down during the day so don't mind going out to switch it on manually. Will be getting a small UPS as well for lights at night if the grid goes down.
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5kw's for R4000? No offence, but from what I have read online that seems rather a massive output for such a low price. Let me go check though.
 
Splinter said:
5kw's for R4000? No offence, but from what I have read online that seems rather a massive output for such a low price. Let me go check though.
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Haven't tested the actual output yet. Was waiting for an electrician to hook it up to the DB. Topped up the oil and petrol in Monday and it started first time. Didn't take much effort to start, unlike my petrol lawnmower that I have to yank 10 times before it starts.

Been looking for a generator for the past two weeks but not looking in particular on Monday. Traffic going home was bad and decided to do some window shopping at the local Hyper. Saw this one on the shelf and decided to take it just as another customer who purchased one over the weekend came to buy the last one. I was there first so I took. They did promise the customer that they will order one for him from the warehouse and the can collect by Friday at the same price.

Will run a few appliances directly from it tomorrow to test and let you know the output.
 
signates said:
Haven't tested the actual output yet. Was waiting for an electrician to hook it up to the DB. Topped up the oil and petrol in Monday and it started first time. Didn't take much effort to start, unlike my petrol lawnmower that I have to yank 10 times before it starts.

Been looking for a generator for the past two weeks but not looking in particular on Monday. Traffic going home was bad and decided to do some window shopping at the local Hyper. Saw this one on the shelf and decided to take it just as another customer who purchased one over the weekend came to buy the last one. I was there first so I took. They did promise the customer that they will order one for him from the warehouse and the can collect by Friday at the same price.

Will run a few appliances directly from it tomorrow to test and let you know the output.
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Please let me know. Been reading up on a few more threads here and it is all about sine waves and frequencies and cwap. Although, it just means I need to read up a bit more. Problem is, of course, that almost all stock across the country has been sold out. And whatever remains or is being ordered in will be sold at premium prices. Damn Eskom.
 
lsheed_cn said:
Visually the Canadian Solar are mono, and the others are crystalline, but not going to make a difference, as they're all the same wattage.
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Dude, they ARE called monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels. And there are differences between the two where poly is inferior.

By your landed pricing I assume your panels are Poly, and if they're mono then they're priced quite well.
 
Dude, they ARE called monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels. And there are differences between the two where poly is inferior.

By your landed pricing I assume your panels are Poly, and if they're mono then they're priced quite well.
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Less with the attitude. Dude.

I forgot to write poly. I know the difference.
Difference is marginal at best (if any) in our environment. Only real benefit for mono panels is size, as typically they're smaller for a given watt rating (but not always, as factories tend to use similar frame sizes).

For an 80W panel like the guy was asking, any differences are irrelevant.

Main differences between mono and poly panels are:

Mono - Slightly more efficient at lower light levels (but nothing to write home about).
Mono - worse for shaded usage.
Mono - more expensive.

Poly - marginally worse in hot conditions.
Poly - cheaper.


I can get mono panels, but I don't think it's worth it for the premium. Mono is about 200-300RMB more, so about R500-600 more on top of poly pricing. Doesn't make sense, as you get the same wattage out from both, as a 300W panel is rated for 300W output peak regardless of if its mono or poly, more importantly, you can buy additional poly panels for the same price, so it makes little sense.


Example.

Mono *potentially* could be a few % better than Poly, depending on weather / cloud.
I'll be **extremely** generous and say 10% (even though its closer to low single digits)

Pricing for panels is about 500-600 more for Mono. For ease of use, i'll use 2500/3000 for figures.
Lets work that out.

5 x 300W panels mono = 1500W out. (R3000 x 5 = 15,000) Potential 10% = 150W
6 x 300W panels poly = 1800W out. (R2500 x 6 = 15,000)

10% of 300 = 150W

1650W < 1800W

So, mono doesn't make financial sense, as you can get more panels for the same price.
The only time I'd look at it is if size was an issue, as you can buy smaller sized panels for the same wattage.
 
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Dude, if you think poly and mono don't have many differences , then it's such a pity you selling to the market without giving them the proper info. Anyways, there are thousands like you, and consumers learn the hard way, so keep on fooling yourself and the market.
 
The_Traveller said:
Dude, if you think poly and mono don't have many differences , then it's such a pity you selling to the market without giving them the proper info. Anyways, there are thousands like you, and consumers learn the hard way, so keep on fooling yourself and the market.
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Well, why not enlighten us all with your superiour knowledge, instead of spewing accusations and insults?
 
P924 said:
Well, why not enlighten us all with your superiour knowledge, instead of spewing accusations and insults?
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who p1ssed in your cereal today ?

I am actually doing you guys a favour by pointing out that before you buy, do little more homework on what you are actually buying. Get all the information from the supplier.
 
The_Traveller said:
who p1ssed in your cereal today ?

I am actually doing you guys a favour by pointing out that before you buy, do little more homework on what you are actually buying. Get all the information from the supplier.
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No, you are just not adding value. I am pretty sure lsheed covered all the advantages of poly with his post and pointed out why the cost outweighed the advantages. Unless the color difference bothers you. What other reasons were you referring to?
 
From this article.

When solar PV first boomed in Australia in 2009-2010, monocrystalline solar panels were thought to be superior to polycrystalline solar panels. There were a number of reasons for this thinking. Monocrystalline solar cells have historically had a higher peak efficiency, and were more readily available than polysilicon solar cells. The blanket statement that monocrystalline panels are better than polycrystalline cells, however, is not accurate. Each panel and its manufacturer should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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So it's not necessarily the end of the world if you do not use monocrystalline panels.
 
Dude, if you think poly and mono don't have many differences , then it's such a pity you selling to the market without giving them the proper info. Anyways, there are thousands like you, and consumers learn the hard way, so keep on fooling yourself and the market.
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The 2 main things you really need to concern yourself about for mono or poly panels are price per watt, and size of panel (if limited space is an issue). The rest is mostly irrelevant outside of rather specific scenario's.

You can buy more poly panels for the same price than you can mono panels, so any actual difference in output in specific conditions is irrelevant unless the performance difference is worth the price. I believe I covered the main differences clearly, and did some rather basic calculation that showed that its not worth the extra money (unless you specifically need a smaller sized panel).

Ad hominem attacks aside, I'd like to hear your explanation of why what I said is so wrong.
I'm always happy to learn something new, and I have done a lot of research prior to buying for myself.

Please backup with some data points.

Here is a peer reviewed article which compares panel types -
http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/eer/article/viewFile/11739/11836

You'll note that they recommend Poly for high daily levels of solar radiation, like our specific climate in South Africa.

---

If you want to read about picking panels - this is quite decent:

http://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/the-top-10-things-to-check-on-every-solar-panel-specification/
and
http://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/...specification-part-1-power-temperature-specs/

Important things for .AU (and us here in .ZA) is the temp co-efficient, as we have a hot climate, and high solar radiation. Poly actually works better here for us, than Mono.

Probably a good rule of thumb for panels worldwide would be Northern Hemisphere (colder) parts -> Mono, Southern hemisphere (warmer) parts -> Poly.
I'd need to get some more literature on tests and results before I made a general statement like that though.
 
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Splinter said:
Please let me know. Been reading up on a few more threads here and it is all about sine waves and frequencies and cwap. Although, it just means I need to read up a bit more. Problem is, of course, that almost all stock across the country has been sold out. And whatever remains or is being ordered in will be sold at premium prices. Damn Eskom.
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So managed to test the generator this morning. I put about 4.5kw of load on it and it handled it all. Did not want to risk putting on more load. When I put on a big load like the the pool pump, there is a split second where the revs drop as the AVR kicks in.

I can easily run my whole house off this generator with the exception of anything with a heating element.

Also bought an Efergy E2 electricity monitor. My peak load according to the Efergy is 8.5kw. Thus only from two days of monitoring so will give it a couple of weeks to get some more data.

I put the generator in a small shed. Still a bit noisy but not noticeable from within the house. Still want to make it more quiet. Any ideas?
 

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Hey guys. I would like to know from all you Guru's here if there are any local solar battery chargers/inverters with a user set battery charging circuit.

I need to supply my battery with 16 - 16.5v as per my pet project http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/665175-DIY-Battery.

I have seen computer programmable Solar charge systems and would need a small one for now to complete my testing.

Thanks all.
 
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