Starting In Solar? Feel free to introduce yourself

Hi there Just had a re-advance approved, I have about 140k to spend on a starter system, or at least, that's what I want to spend. I am aiming at beating loadshedding, beating Eskom is not VIP in my list right now. But getting the system up quickly is of importance. But I am very much n00b. From the inverter side it seems Deye is the better one. Any brands I should stay away from? If I stick with www.solar.co.za which is the better battery? Dyness, BYD, Shoto, CFE, Pylontech? I am thinking 5kw inverter, a 5kwa battery, and 6 panels for now. Geysers and a/c and pool will remain on Eskom. It's really about having light, and music / TV. The stove is gas a…

Hi All, I am new to this and I am trying to find the optimum settings (WatchPower) for my Fivestar 48V PO8548 (6500W) inverter. no solar panels with 8 x 105a Deep cycles in Parallel-Series. Its almost as if the batteries are not getting charged fully? I have Googled and tried to find something "easy" to understand. My current Settings:

Hi there, I am new and thanks for opening this forum for novice questions. I am installing a new 3,5KV Fivestar hybrid inverter with 2 x 120ah batteries and 2x390w panels. The installation (with the help of an electrician) went well and everything makes the right noises, etc. I have a small DB (from the panels) with surge arrestors, fuses and circuit breaker) leading to the inverter. From inverter, circuit breaker leading to the batteries. From the inverter to the main DB (SPDs, main circuit breaker, contactor, earth leakage and then 20A breaker for the plug outlet). I get the following reading: L to N = 220v, L to earth = 220v and Earth to N = 0v. All wiring was che…

Hi Guys What’s the recommendation on cleaning of the solar panels?

I've tried finding posts that cover this, but couldn't find one, but if there is, please point me in that direction. Apologies if i'm asking something that's been covered before (i'm surprised if it hasn't) I recently had my system installed. I’m running 3 x Freedom Won etower batteries (5kWh each), with a Victron MPII 48/5000 inverter, and 8 x 550w panels. I’m busy optimizing my setup, and have some questions regarding best practice to ensure optimal battery life, but also balance optimal cost saving, so using as little grid power as possible. The system runs using PV first, then batteries, then grid. Which means at night the batteries run down…

Hi All, I have my installation starting on Wednesday and I simply cannot wait. System I went with 1x OCI 7.2 Inverter 2x Shoto 7.12kwh batteries 16x URECO 550w Solar panels and all other bits and bobs my installer has a very good reputation and he says the job will be done in 3 days, I will keep the forum posted on progress with Pics etc. Excited 😊

I am installing JA solar panels on aluminium T6 support rails. How do I prevent galvanic corrosion and electrolysis taking place between the stainless steel nuts and bolts securing the frames to the rails? I have 12 panels JA 454w, 6 panels are to be fitted to one side of the roof (west facing) and the other 6 on the other side (east facing). I intend putting an 8kW inverter, please can someone advise which panels should be connected parallel and series. Thank you

Hope i can get guidance from experts here. I have an Eskom rural connection - paying Network, admin fees etc. which make up 90% of my bill. Looking to go completely off grid - but how or can I have Eskom remove my meter and connection. Have heard it can be done, Have heard it is not legal..... Need a real answer before I invest in a system to replace them completely and then end up having to pay them anyway. If it is possible How do I do this.... Eskom as expected does not reply when I have emailed this question on multiple occasions.

Hi, new here. I am looking at buying the bits and pieces as required for a full inverter and backup power system. The first items are a Deye 5kw hybrid inverter and 1-2 Dyness B3 batteries. Would it be possible to have a temporary diy setup of the Deye inverter and 1 x battery to just power some devices during loadshedding. This is without wiring up the system to the main DB. Provide it with power from a socket outlet to charge the battery and add a dedicated socket outlet to plug a device into. Once I have the funds available I will do a full installation.

Hello All Just created my user here. From my initial reading, I'm sure I will be spending lots of time here, hanging out and reading up. From Langebaan. Installation was done last week Thursday, 1 x Kodak OG 7.2, 3 x Kodak FL5.2 batteries, 15 x Canadian 540W panels on 2 x strings feeding the full house. Decided NOT to connect the 2 x geysers at this stage .... maybe in future ..... All up and running well, still based on installer / default settings. I'm happy, but will be looking to optimise my usage / settings etc from here on in. So now I'm ready to start my solar experience ...... and for that I'm going to need proper monitoring / data capturing so…

Hello everyone - another newbie here. 👋 Thanks for the informative, supportive conversations.🙏 I'm seeking advice on the pricing of a solar set-up please. I'm wanting a 5kWh Sunsynk inverter, with one good quality 5kWh battery and 6 x 550W panels - with installation, COC and necessary municipal paperwork. The trouble is the quotes range so radically I don't know which are reasonable e.g in the solar section of ABSA's website they say it should cost about R88,000 when you put in your electricity usage for the month but the quotes I've been receiving are for a lot more and range radically from R135,000 to R180,000. What is a reasonable, fair price to pay for…

Hi all, I might have acted in a hurry but I started research and investigation a while back and then did a sizing, decided on what I wanted and then bought the big items when I got a good price for it. (10kW system) I now have 20 panels, 2 inverters and 3 batteries, a garage 15 m away from my DB(in the house) and a flat roof, all screaming to be installed/in/on. I now need to find a capable, reputable installer that will install my stuff on pvgreen card standard, and issue a COC. I am in the centurion area. Please let me have names of installers that you can recommend. Thanks

Hi All, I am looking at going hybrid solar, Ideally I would like to run my entire household besides my geyser on solar power during day time and on battery power at night with the security of the grid should I run out of battery in the winter time. Grid will power Geyser that will be put on timer to have as little usage as possible. My highest usage in the last 2years were 750kwh for the month and we average around 700kwh, so more or less 25kwh per day. Plan is to start with a 5kva dual mppt inverter, 5kwh battery and 8x 450w panels. Will expand in future by adding additional battery capacity and panels if needed. Will this be sufficient to start with, which brands t…

By Way of Introduction I have the following setup installed in the last couple of days and using the WatchPower App RCT Axpert 5-6 Mk4 4 x 450w Solar Panels 4 x 100aH Gell Batteries I am struggling with a couple of things with the first being below OUTPUT SOURCE PRIORITY - When the inverter is in Solar>Bat>Utility what should I set the Back to grid voltage to where I am not going to kill my batteries when there is not enough Solar Power? I want it to use as much solar as possible during the day obviously. When I set it to Solar>Utility>Battery it simply never seems to switch over to Solar (is this because the solar is not strong enough…

Hello everyone. I recently installed a 5KW Inverter system at my house. I have done all the wiring and install myself and now i have asked an Electrician to come out and inspect the install and supply me with a COC. When he got there i immediately got the feeling like he was trying to rip me off and basically implied that my install was completely wrong and that to be compliant he would need to change a huge about. he then gave me a quote for about 8k to do all this work. considering that all the wiring is already in place, I thought that this was abit ridiculous as i have been quoted for a full solar system ( 15 KW) and the install costs on that were 12k. now this guy wa…

Hi guys I have decided to take the plunge and have a system installed at home. Thinking of a 8kW Deye or Sun-sync inverter with 2 Dyness 5.1 kWh batteries to start with possibly some panels as well if funds allow. Problem is finding a reliable company who has built up a good reputation with there customer base and offers good support. This is a sizable investment, and I do not want to be left with a lemon. Any advice or recommendations would go a long way. I am based in the Northern Suburbs Cape Town Thanks

Hi Powerforum community obviously , i know it depends on many factors but just need a trusted inverter that wont break the bank but just want an inverter that is realiable and has a good track record . For now i just need it to connect to a battery with the ability to connect to solar panels in future (so ideally a hybrid one).. any recommended brands anyone can recommend that have a proven track record ? also recommended suppliers that i can buy from in durban

Hi Thanks for a great forum. I have an existing Axpert 5.5kw inverter with 2 x 2.5kw Pylontech batteries all setup. I was wondering - who's the goto guy in Jhb for mounting solar panels on a chromadek roof?

Hi Everyone... New to the forum and have learned a great deal. I like the Sunsynk Inverters... Looks more than anything. I want to have a 10kw inverter and Sunsynk only has 8kw and then 16kw in the single phase. Is it possible to use 2x 5kw inverters together or should I just get a 10kw Victron Energy inverter?

Hi, I am wanting to install a Mecer 5KVA inverter with 10 x 445W Panels. Can you suggest to me a balanced system of panels to KW with the correct amperage and wattage battery in lithium iron (Lifepo4) We need to split the panels to each side of the roof to optimise the sun's rays throughout the day. Part of the roof gets morning sun and the other apex get afternoon sun. Should we scrap this Mecer 5KVA and go for a Sunsynk 8KVA, 10 x 590W Canadian Panels with the same battery? Is there anyone willing to assist me with a schematic for the wiring into my house system which at present has a change over switch and generator system. I would like the genera…

I was asked if you can convert a single phase "Eskom" supply to three phase with inverters. The guy have a woodwork shop and have 3 phase machines he currently cant use. He only have a single phase supply. Is it possible to charge batteries with the single phase and then use inverters to supply 3 phase to the machines? Aparently he already bought some equipment, I will find out what he have and what his loads will be. Thank you Regards Sakkie

Hi folks, We’ve had our invert since last year (battery, no solar). The installers have been out twice - once to sort the comms problem between the batter and inverter, and the second time because the inverter repeatedly tripped throughout load shedding unless we additional appliances switched on. i.e. to ensure the inverter doesn’t trip during loadshedding, we have to turn on a couple of electric fans in the bedroom. Apparently there’s a power-saving mode, but I don’t understand the manual well enough to figure out the setting - and having taken 8 months to get the installer to visit twice, I’d like to diagnose this by myself if I can. Any obvious pla…

Hi Everyone, I'm 3 weeks into the solar way of life, & have a 8kW Sunsynk, 5 x Pylontech UP5000 and 9,8kWp Canadian solar panel array. One of my neighbours batteries caught fire in the garage a few days ago, fortunately there was minimal damage, but it got me worried. I just want to get a 'second opinion' on my current settings to be sure that we're not risking any mishaps due to excessive settings. I prefer a conservative setup as we easily reach 100% battery each day, so a lower setting to reduce risk is not a problem. There are two different 'Charge Amps' I see on the inverter. One is 140A on the 'Battery' tab and the other is 40A on the 'Battery Cha…

Hi there everyone, i am just starting out with solar now, or lets say starting to buy all the equipment... But it seems like there is soo many kind of scam sites now. Can someone point me in the direction of a trusted online seller? Or where to buy in PE? Im at this point considering just getting everything I need from Herholdts

Just wanted to say to the Op that this forum has been really informative, educational and I must say we have some proper professionals on here, if only Eskom would employ the right people (like the minds on this forum) we would get rid of Loadshedding in a few months!! Well done everyone and thanks for Informing the uninformed (me) it’s is muchly appreciated. thanl you