LoodPyp

Thanks for the feedback @JamesF, glad to find it a new home.

Hi @GerhardvN Looking at the Dyness B4850 Battery Manual, p17 ( https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1987164/Dyness-B4850.html?page=19#manual), it shows the required settings for the various batteries (master and slaves). Hope this helps.

9 panels in series will reach the minimum voltage (to start delivering power to the inverter) earlier in the day than 5 panels in series, and stay active later too. If you have identical watts in one series or in two parallel strings and all other factors are equal, the series connected string should outperform the parallel strings due to longer operation (total time of use per day above minimum voltage). However, if an east/west configuration provides you with longer (duration) but lower (level) all-day power delivery, your specific needs or preferences may swing the decision.

Hi @Oxman Check and add to deduction: You are using a Sunsynk Inverter. (Which capacity?) Please explain "does not show my batteries." We may as well start at the beginning. "Graphic" meaning your plant's Flow Chart: Or "graphic" meaning the trend: My default parameters when opening Solarman Smart are Production Power and Consumption Power. From my interface the battery(ies) condition is viewed by selecting the following Parameters (in pink, selected using the bright blue block): State of Charge (SOC - dull red) and Battery Power (charge/discharge - green) Are these parameters not available for you to select?

@Zapnologics The installation angle is likely your limiting factor to receiving more solar power in winter. I have 6*270W panels which were mounted at 15-20 degrees above horizontal, facing north. A month or more ago I decided to elevate them, and 45 degrees turned out to be an achievable position with hardware which I had within reach. Power input increased by more than 30%. (This figure aligns with @BGb's chart's winter reduction, despite having clear skies.) Unless you are able and willing to make seasonal adjustments, increasing the number of panels will be the easiest option. Given the cost of purchasing panels and mounting systems, I am guessing that it may also prove to be cheaper/ more effective in the long term.

Hi @karina My local supplier is confident in his Shoto products, and the price was decent and stock was available (Nov 2021, when most suppliers were waiting for delivery). No complaints so far, and communicating well with my Sunsynk inverter. A recent search showed some Shoto 5.12kWh stock available at R23 500; Sunsynk's equivalent is about R25 600. I saw somewhere on the forum that using the Sunsynk combo has a positive impact on your warranty, but I have no idea how many users have ever needed to test the effect of this and how much difference it makes in the long term.

@Marcodp Thank you for sharing. First, the mounting position on panels. This picture is for JASolar 365 - 390W Panels (just to illustrate the principle): The vertical mounting hole sets are spaced 1150 and 1400mm apart. I understand that the ideal clamping position is between these sets of holes (along green lines). On to the shadow. Learn from my mistake, as I mounted my panels too close to my solar geyser. During the winter months, it casts a shadow on the closest two or three panels (depending on time of day), affecting performance of the entire string. Yesterday I moved those three panels out of the shade. Here are the results between yesterday and today (both days: clear blue skies): Excuse the readability, but I resized one graph to show equal vertical scales. Orange line shows 3kW. The winter's reduced power generation from having a roof inclined at 15-20 degrees is nowhere near the reduction in performance due to shading. Today the batteries were full just after 1pm, whereas yesterday charging was still underway at 4pm when I disconnected for the relocation (mains charging required). Peak power of a string of 9*455W on one MPPT has increased by ((4.63-3.31)/3.31 😃 40% just due to removing the partial shadow (similar in extent to your chimney's) from 3 panels. Before moving the panels, I may have been better off just disconnecting 2 or 3 panels. (If you want to try that yourself during the day, just remember to disconnect the breaker feeding DC to the inverter before disconnecting the cables at the panels.)

Hi @SkilliePower Since no other comments are offered, I'll mention the basics - at the risk of stating the obvious, since you asked no specific questions. I'm not going to address the technical issues about specific products, but mention general principles: By "you" I am addressing the household, since everyone needs to work together at making the implemented plan succeed. Assuming 20% minimum State of Charge (SOC), one 2.5kWh battery at 2kW discharge rate will last max 1h, regardless of whether it is drawn from the kitchen, bedroom, lights, etc. Obviously, the less you draw, the longer the battery will take to discharge. Assuming 2.5h of loadshedding per event, you will need to limit power drawn to below (2000Wh/2.5h=) 800W (on average) to last from 100% to 20% SOC on the 2.5kWh battery. The lower the start SOC, the lighter the average load needs to be to last, or the shorter the duration until the inverter switches off. If past stage 4, loadshedding may extend to 4.5h per event. Back to your post: have you quantified the load for early morning/evening loadhsedding? (What is included in your requirement - lights (how many?) TV, radio, alarm system, bedside appliances, etc?) If a permanent installation, consider wiring the DB to supply just those essential sockets to prevent 'accidentally' using battery power on a hairdrier. How does the math add up - both power supply/demand and finances? And rather be a tad too generous than too accurate, since there always seems to be some form of scope creep *after* budgeting for the requirements. I hope you find what you need and that it works for you.

Hi Eldred. I believe that your current budget allows for addressing your needs. (Where are you located, if I may ask? Another member may be able to advise regarding local options.) Prices have changed since last year, but I'll mention figures to illustrate. Sunsynk 5kW (R21k) vs 8kW (R31k). Deye is similar to Synsynk, but slightly cheaper to purchase (about R3k for 5kW model). If pressed for price and you only want to buy once, learn once, set up once, consider buying the 8kW Deye. (Having suffered with an Axpert before, I'd avoid it myself.) If you have sufficient solar collection now, you could add panels later, budget permitting. Remember to plan for that capacity and mounting now and only pay once for hardware, and you could possibly install additional panels yourself and simply connect. In the meantime you have a reasonable "free" solar supplemental input and back-up during loadshedding. My present consumption is about 30kWh per day. I chose the 5kW inverter based on current need, but am aware that long term needs may differ, although children are now leaving home. However, I installed a higher power cable to connect inverter to DB for future-proofing. I bought 4kW of panels to add to my previous panels (conveniently now on 2 strings). Even if mounted flat on roof, remember to budget for mountings, which add up fast. My roof pitch is 15 degrees, so summer yield is high (>5kW). Last week I changed the pitch of the old panels to about 40-45 degrees and am now receiving 400W more at peak (on 1.6kW nameplate rating, that is significant). My newer panels may see a similar adjustment soon, but I am prepared to adjust seasonally. I opted to have the electric stove connection bypass the inverter completely. (The top runs on gas.) The geyser has a 2kW element, although I have solar prefeed (saving 50%). This allows electric heating by day using solar at no/little cost. (These options add up, allowing you maximum draw from solar when available, otherwise it has to be stored in battery or lost. In winter, with shorter days, it could become a significant portion if managed correctly.) You are able to manage battery levels to reserve a predetermined charge for the event that loadshedding strikes from 6-8am, provided your battery capacity is sufficient to supply your household's morning peak. Which brings us to batteries. I opted for 2*5kW Li-ion batteries, which last well through warm, shorter summer nights. However, using timed charge limits overnight to ensure 2kWh available power through peak demand results in municipal power usage during winter. (Monthly usage is now about 200 kWh in winter, almost none is summer.) One 5kWh battery is sufficient for 2.5h of loadshedding, day or night (i.e. 4kWh use from fully charged, but just don't keep it there if you want it to last). I installed the rooftop panels, inverter and local isolation/fuses myself, saving on installation fees. Don't hesitate to renegotiate cost with the installer if they only connect components. Although prices have increased, if you can accept 4kWh back-up with 5kW inverter, then you should still make it with R100k (installation, rewiring DB, switches, fuses, mountings and large components). Flexibility depends on priorities, and remember to shop around for prices once you have decided which option/model suits you. I stay in a 'dorpie' with a reputable and willing electrical store, and knowing that I can count on their support for planning, sizing and purchasing hardware such as inverter, panels, batteries, fuses, etc. provides ease of mind. I hope you can settle your needs and wants into a reasonable specification (or two) soon and get your project going.

I recently contacted the battery supplier regarding a questionable BMS (different lights blinking at different times). His response was that if the BMS is problematic, the battery does not work - with no doubt after looking at the capacity.

@Japie Basson, use "Li-ion" option on Sunsynk battery setup. The Shoto battery manual shows the connections. In short, use CANBUS for inverter to master battery, and RS485 between batteries, with master/slave switches as per last page in battery manual, depending on number of batteries connected. (See attached pic supplied by @TheoVogel showing Shoto CANBUS (yellow) and RS485 (grey) connection and switches.) @system32, thanks for info. Please advise where to locate the inverter's software version (required for requesting upgrade from Sunsynk).

@Be4dawn I had a similar concern. My previous inverter had a strong fan and switches which started operating at sunrise. In GP that is before 5am in the summer. Bear in mind that my DB is in the passage between the kitchen and bedrooms, so it caused much unhappiness. The new inverter (also a 5kW Sunsynk) was therefore placed in the dining room, further from the bedrooms, and out of the echoing passage. It cost an extra length of 4-core 10mm wire (not cheap, but capacity allows for future upgrade to 8kW) from DB to inverter and back, so as to prevent disturbance at night - like when I fiddle with the buttons. My experience has shown that if isolated by a closed door, the fan is not easily heard. Leshen's estimation of volume is about right. Just ensure that the inverter is not mounted on a wall which may act as a soundboard toward the bedrooms, because at night every noise seems so much louder. Perhaps when things quieten down at night you could leave an oscillating fan running where you would consider mounting the inverter to hear what it sounds like when everyone turns in and all is dark.

Different strokes for different folks. However, I share @isetech's view. The reason for monitoring (the Check step in the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle) is to determine what has resulted from the installation's operation. A part of this is identifying system improvement opportunities (e.g. optimising settings), but the other part is noting what adjustment *you* may require (habits, schedules, etc.) in order to improve your power system's performance. If you'll invest some time to understand your system and its peculiar details, you'll be better equipped to confidently extract maximum benefit. Many owners soon realise that their installer is not an expert regarding their specific system configuration.

Canadian Solar 410W Bifacial Poly Solar Panel - CS3W-410PB-AG Vmp 39.1V Imp 10.49A Voc 47.6V Isc 11.06A 10* Vmp is near the ideal operating voltage of 370V, although 10* Voc is over MPPT's 425V operating limit. Imp is within 11A limit, but certainly not 2 strings in parallel, unless connected to separate MPPTs. (Then 5* Voc is at 238V, which is well over min MPPT range of 125V)

@Adriaanvt Please also indicate your selected System Mode settings (desired State of Charge) at the start and end of the solar acceptance, i.e. between about 12:00 and 15:00. (45% or lower after 12:00, increased to >85% after 15:00?) Under the Advanced settings, what is your Max Solar Power value set to? (2500W ?)