HeinTheTerrible

Hello everyone (been a long minute) I require some assistance from the Imeon boffins on this wonderful treasure of a forum! A client has a Soltaro LIFEPO4 IP65 5kwh battery that they want to use with a Imeon 3.6. After some research I came across a couple sites mentioning that Imeon inverters do work with Soltaro batteries (bms communication) but the official Imeon website doesn't even mention Soltaro anywhere. I are confuse! Please halp!

Yes, with the optional web logger box (about R4500), first year online monitoring is included with the purchase, after that its R450 per year.

No cables included. They use ethernet (RJ45) and telephone (RJ11) to connect all the sensors. You also need to supply the cable for battery mid point connection. It's a really nice setup but more expensive compared to a Victron BMV. Let say you have a Microcare bi-directional inverter and a Microcare LCD MPPT you'll need the following: 1 x Battery monitor 2 x battery sensors (for power going in and out) 2 x converter boxes (connects the inverter and MPPT to the battery monitor) All this will give you the ability to check the amount of power going in and out, volts, SOC and amps. The kicker is, this kit will set you back about the price of 2 BMV's.

You're better off getting the Axpert with no charge controller then. Save a little bit of cash.

PWM charge controller. Not ideal

Axpert 3kva with no MPPT + Microcare 20A LED

Panel temp is probably even lower than -7c in winter, nevermind ambient temp.

Bloem is a very cold place!

PWM charge controller. Steca is a good brand though!

This is something many DIY'ers never check. Glad to see you calculated it Chris! Removing one panel should do the trick. Keep them as spares or use them for another system.

My neighbours lifted their JoJo tank up and over the roof to get it in the back yard. Had a lekker laugh.

TYPE TESTED INVERTERSEQUIPMENT IN TERMS OF NRS 097-2-1.pdf

It's old news but they will be releasing in 2017! http://www.lightsail.com/

I didn't suggest a grid tie inverter.

I'm not arguing about this. I waiting for confirmation from Renesola SA, I can't see why the exact same unit with a different sticker on cant be updated.

An inverter with online monitoring would be a good idea, you or the installer would be able to keep an eye on things to make sure it runs smoothly.

I'm still waiting on confirmation about this. I'll keep you guys up to date on this matter. Regardless if you're allowed to feedback or not, using a hybrid inverter just makes more sense. You skip the round trip efficiency loss (+/-65%) of off-grid inverters and send power produced by the panels straight to the load (+/- 96%) before/after the batteries are charged. The Goodwe unit's comes with an energy meter so you can set it to not export power.

Most of those chips don't like voltage fluctuations. The drivers are cheap as chips anyway!

The Renesola unit (rebranded Goodwe) can be had for R39k

A hybrid is more efficient than an off-grid inverter. They can also blend grid and solar power. Hybrid is the way to go in my opinion.

You can't go wrong with the Goodwe 5048ES. Proper hybrid inverter. You can contact Mike on the forum, he can get you one.

5kva Axpert, 2kW array, battery bank, mounting hardware and safety equipment. All this will cost you about R50 000 to R60 0000 depending on where you buy. Install a solar geyser, split the DB, leave kitchen on Eskom and run the rest of the house off solar. Did the same for my parents, cut their electricity bill by approximately 70%.

Those 10w LED lights normally sell for about R45 each in a crate of 100. The R745 goes into the fancy box and marketing.

Did you order LED drivers for the 12v chips?

I highly recommend "led select" on BoB. Very nice guy and he sells good quality stuff at decent prices!