Geoff.D
Honorary Master
So the whole system is down at the moment? On site replacement not possible?
This the unit you have? SI-MLT-PS2-12KW-48V
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So the whole system is down at the moment? On site replacement not possible?
This the unit you have? SI-MLT-PS2-12KW-48V
Arthur
Honorary Master
MLT PowerStar II, 12KW, on 48V DC.
No on-site replacement as they didn't know it was a faulty machine, and I'm in the sticks.
Yes, the whole system is down, and now I'm drawing power from the grid instead of exporting and keeping the country going.
No on-site replacement as they didn't know it was a faulty machine, and I'm in the sticks.
Yes, the whole system is down, and now I'm drawing power from the grid instead of exporting and keeping the country going.
Gallderhen
Well-Known Member
At the moment it is in general illegal to feed back into the grid, however there are municipalities like Tshwane that are busy investigating making it legal in that specific municipality.
In the end its going to municipality dependent, so best get hold of your local representative to find out if/when/how feedback will be allowed.
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The_Traveller
Expert Member
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MLT PowerStar II, 12KW, on 48V DC.
No on-site replacement as they didn't know it was a faulty machine, and I'm in the sticks.
Yes, the whole system is down, and now I'm drawing power from the grid instead of exporting and keeping the country going.
3 year warranty right? So let us know how much you'd need to fork out for the repair.
Arthur
Honorary Master
Not O/T. As per previous posts in this thread (some years ago), I have an approved pilot project with the local municipality. It's still running. My exports are legal and approved. The municipality even installed a 4-quadrant meter to measure them.
Arthur
Honorary Master
MLT unexpectedly pitched up 20 minutes ago with the repaired inverter. Busy installing now.
Quick service!
Haven't heard anything about cost yet - if any.
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Geoff.D
Honorary Master
Yes that is quick service! You are not exactly close to CT!
Hi all I am new to the site and I have been off the grid for 5 years now running on a 5kw MicroCare inverter with a 60A MPPT charge controller and 8 by 260Ah SonX batteries with out any problem yet.l chose MicroCare because they are made in Port Elizabeth and I am in Bathurst
Arthur
Honorary Master
Thanks for the info. Didn't know about MicroCare inverters. Nice looking kit. Agreed it makes sense to have decent and comprehensive local backup and support for big-ticket infrastructure items. I can't help thinking that if my inverter had been a cheap import and out of warranty I would still be waiting. Example #65283637363 of "goedkoop is duurkoop".
Arthur
Honorary Master
Sorry to hear you also had a fault.
Yes, mine's connected to the local LAN and thence to the internet. I originally had the RS422-to-Ethernet adapter, then a Raspberry Pi, and about a year ago got the MLT Bridge, which is just a RPi2 in a nice magnetic box.
I can use MLT's website to monitor but generally use the MLTcoms SCADA software for local access.
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Inevitability
Expert Member
If you guys don't mind me asking... in your 5 years so far, have you already broken even on the investment (initial cost + subsequent costs)?
If so, have you done this by feeding back into the grid and earning something for it?
Arthur
Honorary Master
Yes, my system is fully cost-recovered. This is possible within 5 years because I have arranged nett metering with my local authority, ie I am invoiced only for my nett imports from the grid. This is a highly unusual situation and will not apply in most cases unless you can come to the same agreement with your grid provider. I plotted out the whole thing beforehand, wrote up a business case and detailed project plan, met with the Head of Electricity, agreed a project plan, and here we are five years later. What I save on monthly electricity bill I have been putting into water, which allows me to have a garden in the Southern Cape.
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Archer
Honorary Master
Is the orientation (portrait vs landscape) of solar panels important?
SilverNodashi
Expert Member
Not really. It depends on your roof and how you can mount them. As long as it points, as perpendicular as possible, to the sun, it doesn't matter which orientation you use.
Geoff.D
Honorary Master
There is an optimum orientation for solar panels , that is easy to work out based on the latitude where the panels are installed. BUT in the end it depends on how much you are prepared to spend on mounting infrastructure.
If a home has been built to be properly, True North facing, with a roof at the optimum angle, you are in the pound seats! It never ceases to amaze me how many of the basics are simply ignored these days. It seems, ethics, driven by daft architects and fashion dictate everything, to the point where simple common sense just goes straight out of the window!
If a home has been built to be properly, True North facing, with a roof at the optimum angle, you are in the pound seats! It never ceases to amaze me how many of the basics are simply ignored these days. It seems, ethics, driven by daft architects and fashion dictate everything, to the point where simple common sense just goes straight out of the window!
Well I have installed my system myself(I am an electrician btw).I bought a SolaX 5kw grid tied inverter kit from www.luken.co.za including 10 X 320w Renewsys panels and all the fittings and cables.I have ordered an extra panel as there is space for one more.I have been running for a week now and produced almost 100kw of power.When the solar power exceeds the Eskom demand it just shuts the meter down but does not feed back into the grid.Probably need a bi-directional meter but that's fine.So by day from about 8am solar takes over and from about 5pm Eskom starts working.I am connected to Eskom direct.This could all change in summer.I have cut my daily consumption by half.
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Reason I asked about internet connectivity was that I have this theory that they potentially pushed a firmware update which caused the invertors to malfunction. But nothing concrete.
Nice post. Obviously costs will be much lower than a typical install as you could do the labour yourself. But how long do you expect until the system has paid itself off?