W@P's Solar System

Splinter said:
Ok, sorry for the hi-jack, but what system would you go for, and installed by whom, if you had to do so today?

Not asking for a friend :). I'm thinking of a R180k budget.
Click to expand...
1st of all. Do you know your requirments and usage patterns etc?

Atm for R180k you could get a lot more than what I got for R180k in 2021.

I would still go Sunsynk/Dye inverter, maybe a 16kW. Just cause bigger. Much more headroom. Not that my current usage patterns need it. So 8kW is still sufficient. Not even sure if there is a single-phase Sunsynk option between 8-16kW.

I got 6.7kWp for R40 300.00 whereas now you could get 9.9kWp for around R34k. Panels got dirt cheap. Also, that is if you have the space.

Batteries I would go double what I have now. So around 20kWh. Not Hubble of course. Once bitten.
Dyness or something other. There are a lot of good options.

Like so:
1707638037383.png


If your needs are the same as mine were when I installed my system and you are fine with 10kW batteries you could get away for less than R180k.

Just random prices from the web.
1707638405539.png


This leaves a lot of meat to cover mountings, installation, cabling, ancillaries, etc.

As to where to get all of this from you should get some quotes. I got my stuff from the Power Forum Store (Steve). I would still knock on his door if I had to do it again.

Installation I would use my local qualified electrician that I always for everything. I have built a relationship with him over the years. He knows my house inside out and is always willing to help.

Hope this helps.
 
Splinter said:
Ok, sorry for the hi-jack, but what system would you go for, and installed by whom, if you had to do so today?

Not asking for a friend :). I'm thinking of a R180k budget.
Click to expand...

I would very much go for Sunsynk again and Canadian Solar panels.

What I would change though is getting 2 x 5kW Sunsynks or the new 12kW Sunsynk for the extra MPPT’s because I had put it all facing North and now adding East and West is tricky as my 8kW only has the 2 MPPT’s.

Budget didn’t allow for it at the time but if I had to do it over again now from scratch I would have put in the biggest single FreedomWon battery I could afford…which is likely going to be exactly what I do when these run dead.

So it’s a bit of a how long is a piece of string.

Where can you realistically fit panels? What is your current monthly usage like? What type of geyser, oven and stove do you have etc?

180k can definitely get you load shedding free and self-generating with the odd Eskom-free day but you’ll probably still have quite a bit of reliance of the grid.

I would definitely use Somewatt Solar again. They’ve done a bunch of work for me and I’ve referred them to at least 10 people indirectly now all without issue.

somewattsolar.co.za

Solar Solutions Cape Town | We put the sun in your pocket

SomeWatt Solar Solutions Cape Town. Solar company providing affordable residential & commercial solar systems and solar panels in Western Cape.
somewattsolar.co.za somewattsolar.co.za
 
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If you are able definitely get more battery capacity than you think you need. We were fine with 20kW, but adding another 10kW for 30kW total meant that we didn't have to constantly worry about the batteries and don't need to adjust anything to compensate for load shedding slots. (This is essentially for 2 homes with relatively high usage, avg 1.5 kW per hour base load).

The extra battery has also allowed us to keep on running comfortably during a total Eskom outage which is currently on day 8.
 
W@P said:
1st of all. Do you know your requirments and usage patterns etc?

Atm for R180k you could get a lot more than what I got for R180k in 2021.

I would still go Sunsynk/Dye inverter, maybe a 16kW. Just cause bigger. Much more headroom. Not that my current usage patterns need it. So 8kW is still sufficient. Not even sure if there is a single-phase Sunsynk option between 8-16kW.

I got 6.7kWp for R40 300.00 whereas now you could get 9.9kWp for around R34k. Panels got dirt cheap. Also, that is if you have the space.

Batteries I would go double what I have now. So around 20kWh. Not Hubble of course. Once bitten.
Dyness or something other. There are a lot of good options.

Like so:
View attachment 1659762


If your needs are the same as mine were when I installed my system and you are fine with 10kW batteries you could get away for less than R180k.

Just random prices from the web.
View attachment 1659764


This leaves a lot of meat to cover mountings, installation, cabling, ancillaries, etc.

As to where to get all of this from you should get some quotes. I got my stuff from the Power Forum Store (Steve). I would still knock on his door if I had to do it again.

Installation I would use my local qualified electrician that I always for everything. I have built a relationship with him over the years. He knows my house inside out and is always willing to help.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Thanks man - much appreciated! I don't use that much electricity, but I want to be able to cover pool pump, two aircons (maybe more in future), geyser etc. Basically run entire house and not just for loadshedding.

Had enough of these ANC muppets and have no faith in ESKOMS recovery. And have seen the comments about how prices have come down, so seems like a good time to go big.
 
Crusader said:
If you are able definitely get more battery capacity than you think you need. We were fine with 20kW, but adding another 10kW for 30kW total meant that we didn't have to constantly worry about the batteries and don't need to adjust anything to compensate for load shedding slots. (This is essentially for 2 homes with relatively high usage, avg 1.5 kW per hour base load).

The extra battery has also allowed us to keep on running comfortably during a total Eskom outage which is currently on day 8.
Click to expand...
Thanks man. Basically my thoughts exactly - load for bear! :)
 
I have noticed something. It seems my inverter is clipping at 20A. AFAIK the 8kw Sunsynk has a max dc amps of 20A. Apparently, it can be increased with a FW update.

1710910190795.png

1710910220201.png

I have 16 x 420w Canadian panels. Here are their specs.
1710910264695.png

Should I be concerned? Am I limiting my PV production with the way my panels are currently wired?
AFAIK they are 8 panels per mppt. I could be wrong. Not too clued up on this.

Also, it doesn't look like I am pulling from the grid when the clipping occurs.

Any advice?
 
W@P said:
I have noticed something. It seems my inverter is clipping at 20A. AFAIK the 8kw Sunsynk has a max dc amps of 20A. Apparently, it can be increased with a FW update.

View attachment 1678747

View attachment 1678749

I have 16 x 420w Canadian panels. Here are their specs.
View attachment 1678751

Should I be concerned? Am I limiting my PV production with the way my panels are currently wired?
AFAIK they are 8 panels per mppt. I could be wrong. Not too clued up on this.

Also, it doesn't look like I am pulling from the grid when the clipping occurs.

Any advice?
Click to expand...
Couple of things. Firstly, your MPPTs are clipping, however the losses are minimal. We're talking maybe an amp or so at 140V for 30 minutes per MPPT. That's a grand total of 140Wh per day.

The panels are wired in strings of 4, with 2 strings per MPPT. You could rewire them to be in strings of 8 instead which, I think, will be more efficient in any case (280V is better than 140V). This would solve the clipping issue and move you to a more better part of the inverter's efficiency curve.
 
Speedster said:
Couple of things. Firstly, your MPPTs are clipping, however the losses are minimal. We're talking maybe an amp or so at 140V for 30 minutes per MPPT. That's a grand total of 140Wh per day.

The panels are wired in strings of 4, with 2 strings per MPPT. You could rewire them to be in strings of 8 instead which, I think, will be more efficient in any case (280V is better than 140V). This would solve the clipping issue and move you to a more better part of the inverter's efficiency curve.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the great explanation.

Going by my screenshots how would you guess my panels are wired? If it is at all possible to tell.
 
W@P said:
I have noticed something. It seems my inverter is clipping at 20A. AFAIK the 8kw Sunsynk has a max dc amps of 20A. Apparently, it can be increased with a FW update.

View attachment 1678747

View attachment 1678749

I have 16 x 420w Canadian panels. Here are their specs.
View attachment 1678751

Should I be concerned? Am I limiting my PV production with the way my panels are currently wired?
AFAIK they are 8 panels per mppt. I could be wrong. Not too clued up on this.

Also, it doesn't look like I am pulling from the grid when the clipping occurs.

Any advice?
Click to expand...
Surely you want some clipping in the summer months in preparation for the winter months when the sun is lower?
 
W@P said:
I have noticed something. It seems my inverter is clipping at 20A. AFAIK the 8kw Sunsynk has a max dc amps of 20A. Apparently, it can be increased with a FW update.

View attachment 1678747

View attachment 1678749

I have 16 x 420w Canadian panels. Here are their specs.
View attachment 1678751

Should I be concerned? Am I limiting my PV production with the way my panels are currently wired?
AFAIK they are 8 panels per mppt. I could be wrong. Not too clued up on this.

Also, it doesn't look like I am pulling from the grid when the clipping occurs.

Any advice?
Click to expand...

I am more concerned with voltage.
With the way it's currently wired, you hardly get the MPPT operating in its sweet spot, which is 150-325V. You also start generating too late in the morning, to kickstart your MPPT you need 125V.

It seems you currently have 4 panels in 4 series strings, then 2 strings paralleled (and another 2 strings paralleled), for 4s2p which gives you a max of 158V @ 20A under load, per MPPT. No wonder your voltage only gets to 143V.

Your current firmware seems to clip at 20A, this can be increased to 22A with an upgrade, but it's a small gain (6%). There are far bigger gains to be achieved by getting the voltage into a better place.

IMHO the greater gain can be achieved by having the panels rewired into two series strings per MPPT. That way you can realise all the gains while remaining married to your firmware, which I believe is a thing for you.
 
RonSwanson said:
I am more concerned with voltage.
With the way it's currently wired, you hardly get the MPPT operating in its sweet spot, which is 150-325V. You also start generating too late in the morning, to kickstart your MPPT you need 125V.

It seems you currently have 4 panels in 4 series strings, then 2 strings paralleled (and another 2 strings paralleled), for 4s2p which gives you a max of 158V @ 20A under load, per MPPT. No wonder your voltage only gets to 143V.

Your current firmware seems to clip at 20A, this can be increased to 22A with an upgrade, but it's a small gain (6%). There are far bigger gains to be achieved by getting the voltage into a better place.

IMHO the greater gain can be achieved by having the panels rewired into two series strings per MPPT. That way you can realise all the gains while remaining married to your firmware, which I believe is a thing for you.
Click to expand...
Oh absolutely. I am not keen on the FW update thing with my history.
I will have a chat with my installer and hear what he has to say.

If I were to rectify the wiring of the panels, does that require work to be done on the roof or at the inverter, or both?

Thanks again.
 
W@P said:
Oh absolutely. I am not keen on the FW update thing with my history.
I will have a chat with my installer and hear what he has to say.

If I were to rectify the wiring of the panels, does that require work to be done on the roof or at the inverter, or both?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Depending on the layout on the roof, it could be as simple as swoping around a plug or two.
 
Last edited:
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W@P said:
Oh absolutely. I am not keen on the FW update thing with my history.
I will have a chat with my installer and hear what he has to say.

If I were to rectify the wiring of the panels, does that require work to be done on the roof or at the inverter, or both?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
It depends on how they were wired, but budget for a roof job.

Edit: I would ask him to do the firmware upgrade then as well, at least he can oversee it so that you aren't pumping gazillions of electrons into your loads. :D

Also, maybe consider another 4kWp panels, make it worth both your and his while.
 
So I did a thing. I requested a FW upgrade. Insane I know.

All went well.

On version 6026-0717 now. Cannot see if the clipping still happens at 20a cause of bad weather.
Will check soon.
 
W@P said:
So I did a thing. I requested a FW upgrade. Insane I know.

All went well.

On version 6026-0717 now. Cannot see if the clipping still happens at 20a cause of bad weather.
Will check soon.
Click to expand...
Hallelujah! Allah Akbar!
/does a jig
 
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Koosvanwyk said:
System is about 1 year old, main components are

1. 8kW Sunsynk inverter,

2. 10x 455w Canadian Solar Mono perc panels (plan is to add 6 more at the end of 2022)

3. 10.8kWh LFP in battery storage (4x Rentech batteries). The BMS on one of them recently started giving issues (it would not accept a charge and would only discharge at a high current draw), fortunately it is being replaced at no cost to me but there is no stock.

Total cost was about R155k. The shape of house roof made the install rather challenging (if you could look down onto the roof from above it looks like a staircase veiwed from the side). So we ended up with 5 batches of 2 panels on separate pieces of the roof. The panels face magetic North (within 3 to 4 degrees) and are at a 28 degree angle (the angle impacts Summar production but makes up during Winter time).

We are also gradually replacing the old appliances in the house to more energy efficient alternatives (this was the Carrot to convince the "boss with long hair" that solar was a good idea).

So far we have managed to reduce our summer consumption from 25kw per day to about 16kw per day. The largest contributors here were the

1. Heat pump tumble dryer. At R13k it was expensive but it is an amazing piece of technology. It uses between 300w to 550w depending on the program ( compared to about 2200w to what we had before) plus it converts all the moisture to water so no more hot and humid air being blown out. We use this every evening (when no solar is available) often for 2 full cycles, meaning it is on for 2 odd hours and we still make it through the evening on the batteries (even with the reduced capacity due to the one broken battery)

2. 5.4 kWh ITS Heat pump, again at almost R30k (incl installation) it was expensive. We still have the 3.5kWh element in the geyser should the heatpump fail. It draws between 1400w and 1900w depending on where it is in the heating cycle (compared to the consistent 3500w draw of the element). It takes about 60 to 70 minutes to warm the water to 60 degrees Celsius in Summar, compared to 70 to 80 minutes for the element (I have done a number of tests on this, the 10 minutes difference is an average, sometimes it is more and sometimes less as the heating time is impacted by the starting water temperature).

3. We also replaced the washing machine, saving here was marginal (550w for old machine vs 420w for new one)

Next up for replacement is the fridge freezer. Current one draws 180W and will be replaced with a 90W or 100W alternative, likey a Bosch. I have been monitoring my current fridge with a smart wifi plug, I was surprised to see that it never turns off during warm evenings meaning it draws 180W on a constant basis.
Click to expand...
Still happy with this Samsung tumble dryer?

Have a little one on the way April and we want to upgrade our old defy to this.

Samsung is also running their 4k voucher back promo so a good time as ever.
 
This necro reminded me I am tempted to get another Hubble. They are going cheap.
 
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