Solar, inverter, battery thread
- Thread starter Rudolph Hart
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SauRoN
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They just want to push their product so they’ve now made it infinitely harder to use for this purpose.
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biometrics
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Handy web site, thanks. @SauRoN
SauRoN
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Along with Powerforum Store pretty good place to get ideas on hardware pricing.
Unfortunately none of the website shine a realistic light on the extra and pieces required as well as labour and registrations costs to complete the job.
I have a thread over at MyBB that goes into every single detail.
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biometrics
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There is a checkbox to add installation.
Don't visit that forum anymore. I'll run my quote past you in September if you don't mind.
Who do you recommend to supply and install in Melkbos?
SauRoN
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SauRoN's SomeWatt Solar Install
I promised I would create a separate thread as things start happening and today the solar panels and batteries were delivered so I figured it's as good a time as any. This is the quotation I accepted from Dean at Somewatt Solar who is both the owner of the business and also the one who does...
mybroadband.co.za
Should be able to see it without being logged in.
I’m sure he could sort you out in Melkbos too, have had a very good experience all round.
But yeah run it by me for sure. Pricing changes weekly at this point but my original quotes were so outrageous compared to the reality in the end and when you don’t know what’s bullshit and what isn’t it’s hard to be critical.
****
This was a “big brand” quotation I got initially which completely took the piss.
Cape Town - Solar Install Quotation
As requested by @Mike Hoxbig and @RonSwanson. The panels themselves aren't badly priced, but the Inverter and Battery pricing is way out of whack as if someone added extra VAT almost. Other stuff that really bothers me is the R11730 charge for GS50 Battery Accessories which feels akin to...
mybroadband.co.za
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biometrics
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Will read in detail over the weekend but that looks like what I'd want. R200k is about as much as I'd want to spend. Nice and beefy setup.
biometrics
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North facing is going to be problematic though for so many panels.
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SauRoN
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Assuming north is at the top then I’d probably not bother at all and load up on East and West on each MPPT.
At 12:00 you’d be hitting sun on both sides (assuming no shade from neighbours) while benefiting in starting early and finishing late.
If those trees will make potential kak might be best to do it all on the roof section at the bottom left.
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biometrics
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North is at the top. Road to the right and bottom.
MPPT is sun tracking, right? Is that possible on a house roof? Doesn't it cost a lot extra?
SauRoN
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MPPT is just the solar charge controller in simple terms.
It sounds fancier than it really is, but no solar installation can go without one.
It basically just levels out the power/voltage/amperage as it constantly fluctuates with something like a solar setup and then feeds it into the inverter.
Some inverters like my Sunsynk has 2 built-in, other setups like Victron do it more modular and it’s external to the inverter itself.
In my case you can have 2 strings (array of panels hooked up in series) per MPPT but also you have a total voltage limit which defines just how many panels you can actually run before things starts melting.
So in my case I could run 10-11 panels per MPPT or 20ish in total.
In a perfect world you’d want to have each string matching in panels for ideal efficiency, but in the real world the losses incurred versus having more panels makes it somewhat meaningless.
So I have 1 string on one MPPT now with 9 panels and another on the second MPPT with 5 panels all facing north.
My plan is next year to take 4 panels away and move them to the West and add one more there and then move that string so all north facing is on one controller.
Then I want to add another 5 facing East and they must be connected in parallel to the West facing panels so it can basically switch from one to the other.
Hopefully that will give me solar essentials from the crack of dawn until sun down and effectively take me off grid for all good weather days.
My current configuration is 6.3kWp but it being winter I only get about 3 hours at full taps on a good day of about 5kW each.
This will upgrade capacity to 9 kWp and technically bring the average peak down but spread it across many more hours, which is somewhat more important as I lose out a hell of a lot early morning and late afternoon.
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Colorful solar panels could make the technology more attractive
Solar panels aren't just for rooftops anymore—some buildings even have these power-generating structures all over their facades. But as more buildings and public spaces incorporate photovoltaic technologies, their monotonous black color could leave onlookers underwhelmed. Now, researchers...
biometrics
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They’re coming to measure my roof tomorrow. Based on 500kWh/month usage I expect a medium system of around R100k all in to do the trick, thinking 5kW hybrid inverter likely Sunsynk and a 5kWh battery, I see Hubble isn’t listed on Power Forum Sales anymore so will be something else.
Looking at using this company based on a recommendation from PFS:
I wanted a system that is ready for an EV but have given up on that idea for the next few years. Way too expensive in SA atm or shit range under R1m.
Looking at using this company based on a recommendation from PFS:
Electricity Made Simple. Home - dontuwire
We are obsessed with making electricity simple. Find out more about our solar offers and how we can make your electricity worry free.
dontuwire.co.za
I wanted a system that is ready for an EV but have given up on that idea for the next few years. Way too expensive in SA atm or shit range under R1m.
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SauRoN
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They’re coming to measure my roof tomorrow. Based on 500kWh/month usage I expect a medium system of around R100k all in to do the trick, thinking 5kW hybrid inverter likely Sunsynk and a 5kWh battery, I see Hubble isn’t listed on Power Forum Sales anymore so will be something else.
Looking at using this company based on a recommendation from PFS:
Electricity Made Simple. Home - dontuwire
We are obsessed with making electricity simple. Find out more about our solar offers and how we can make your electricity worry free.dontuwire.co.za
I wanted a system that is ready for an EV but have given up on that idea for the next few years. Way too expensive in SA atm or shit range under R1m.
Just buy the bigger inverter and get it over with.
Otherwise you end up buying a second inverter later which just cost more money in the end.
The price difference is marginal and then you never have to babysit it and worry about load.
Think you said geyser was already Solar?
Still very happy with https://somewattsolar.co.za who did mine. Still regularly check in on me and if I’m happy.
If I did it over again now I would have still gone Dyness for batteries but would have got the Powerbox style unit instead.
Dyness Powerbox F-10.0 9.6kWh – SolarCube
solarcube.co.za
Much neater install and deeper depth of discharge so more capacity.
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biometrics
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You can debate the inverter, battery and panels combo...
I don't want to spend more than R100k.
SauRoN
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Quite frankly I would go so far as to have less panels and more inverter so as not to worry with essentials and not essentials and constantly managing the damn thing.
37k odd for the Sunsynk 8kW.
Sunsynk 8kW Hybrid Inverter + WiFi Data Logger – SolarCube
solarcube.co.za
27,500 for the 4.8 kWh battery.
Dyness Power Depot F-5.2 4.8kWh – SolarCube
solarcube.co.za
Leaves 25ish for 8 panels and then rest for install costs.
Go over budget a little for more panels as required, but either way the above resolves load shedding entirely.
But you’ll need to first know how much you could realistically install before worrying too much.
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SauRoN
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For some perspective I get through an entire load shed on 2,16kW.
My home automation turns off the tumble dryer, heaters and geyser the moment the grid is lost, but otherwise I’m cooking as per normal using the over or air fryer and induction stove top without doing anything special otherwise.
This only applies if I was drained down to the minimum of course, if there’s enough battery to spare nothing is going to stop me pumping the aircon or putting the heater back on.
With a 5kW inverter I wouldn’t be able to run the oven and anything else at the same time while there’s no grid.
If Load Shedding wasn’t an underlying reality I would have said sure 5kW is enough for feeding in battery and solar as you can then use the grid to supplement the difference on the Sunsynk with its passthrough function.
Load shedding being what it is, when the grid goes away you are suddenly very restricted on a small inverter and hence why I say rather spend the money there from the very start.
It’s almost guaranteed you’ll be upgrading with more panels and batteries later either which way.
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My home automation turns off the tumble dryer, heaters and geyser the moment the grid is lost, but otherwise I’m cooking as per normal using the over or air fryer and induction stove top without doing anything special otherwise.
This only applies if I was drained down to the minimum of course, if there’s enough battery to spare nothing is going to stop me pumping the aircon or putting the heater back on.
With a 5kW inverter I wouldn’t be able to run the oven and anything else at the same time while there’s no grid.
If Load Shedding wasn’t an underlying reality I would have said sure 5kW is enough for feeding in battery and solar as you can then use the grid to supplement the difference on the Sunsynk with its passthrough function.
Load shedding being what it is, when the grid goes away you are suddenly very restricted on a small inverter and hence why I say rather spend the money there from the very start.
It’s almost guaranteed you’ll be upgrading with more panels and batteries later either which way.
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biometrics
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@
8kW inverter. got it