eugenedp

Not sure what the default update period is for SA, you can set it for 10sec. But even at 10sec it will miss more spikes than it records. Mine records it now and again but mostly misses.
 

I would not recommend waiting for the Sodium-ion batteries, go with LiFePO4 for now as 3 to 5 years is still quite a long wait and new products are often priced at a premium price.
You can look at replacing your Lithium batteries with Sodium batteries in around 10 years time when you are due for new batteries. By then we'll have a better idea in terms of performance and pricing as well.
 
I feel you'll have wasted a lot of money in the next 3 to 5 years if you buy lead acid batteries. Lithium batteries are not badly priced at the moment. 24v 106ah lithium batteries for around R10k is pretty good I feel and keep in mind you'll be able to get more discharge out of a Lithium battery compared to lead acid (80% DoD vs 50% DoD), you could even push the lithium battery a bit further and it will handle higher current better and obviously take significantly more cycles. (6000 cycles vs around 150 to 250 cycles for lead acid).

If this is for dealing with load shedding, then I'd advise against it. Lead-Acid isn't suitable for the level of load shedding that we experience in a given year; in my experience it's unlikely that you'd get 3-5 years of lifespan out of them, unfortunately.
I carefully ensured my previous sets of Lead-Acids (AGM's) weren't cycled below the recommended 60% SoC (at which level they were rated at 1500 cycles), but still failed to get more than 12 months of usable life out of them. Tried 3 sets of replacements; different brands, costs, etc - but it was a bust every time. I still keep that system as an emergency standby, because that's what it is: emergency standby. The tech is simply not made for the regular cycling that South Africa will subject them to.
Wish I had better experience to share - but my vote is that you stick to Lithium since it'll end up cheaper in the long run; even if that 'long run' does end up being only 3-5 years.
 
 

Sometimes it's handy to be able to measure reverse flow IF one knows the direction. 
Here is an example where my grid tied inverter is measuring the power exported to non essential from the inverter via a Sonoff. Normally I use it to measure the power used by an appliance. 
 

I did the same - I do not have the funds to hire someone to do something I can do myself. With lots of help from Google and Youtube.

Agreed 100%. Most of the basic electrical stuff can be figured out with the aid of some common sense and knowledge, but it is a very wide and diverse field. This is not something a purely electrical specialist will do well in. Lots of other knowledge and experience needed, not least of all - a lot of mechanical expertise. Even more so if you attempt something like this. I did not trust my roof.

I always assumed(incorrectly) that solar panels only make usable power in direct sunlight. I have since seen that this is not the case. I am very surprised with the amount of power I get when it is totally cloudy, even more so since I only have 6 panels. Like this morning - it is 95% cloudy with the sun only finding occasional gaps.

Thank you. I have looked at the VSD option. Looks like it might work. Looks like every problem is solvable by the application of copious amounts of money.😀 

Thank you. I have looked at the VSD option. Looks like it might work. Looks like every problem is solvable by the application of copious amounts of money.😀 

Luxpower an 2 batteries without any doubt. I have a Luxpower and one battery and not a day goes by that I do not wish I had two. Even with my minimal load 1 battery is just not enough to last through the night. I have to run the loads off Eskom until 11:00 at night to keep the battery's SOC from going below 40%.

Nope. I am on the latest beta(yesterday) but it must not be available for Luxpower inverters yet. Not a trainsmash - looks like some settings to play with, but nothing I desperately need right now.

Finally, after 8 months I have my panels up. And of course, just as I was finishing the connections it started raining.  And yes, it took me 8 months to build the rack - I work slowly😁

Finally, after 8 months I have my panels up. And of course, just as I was finishing the connections it started raining.  And yes, it took me 8 months to build the rack - I work slowly😁

Yes, they replied to me and suggested that I join the beta program, and I did. Lots of new things in the pipeline. I have not tested yet, will do soon and report back.

They say max PV power is 6400watts but that is over both strings so it is actually 3200watts per string. Therefore 470x6=2820watts so 6 panels is ideal on one string.

Yes the Voc is at 364V at 25 degrees C. This leaves a lot of grace to 480V. Then the 7 in series using Vmp is below 385V which is the sweet spot for operation of the MPPTs. 
14x470W will be a bit higher than 6400W max but panels rarely give the STC value in operation. One normally only gets the STC during cloud edge lasting a few minutes before they drop in output.