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h3t

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  1. Hi everyone, @admins - Apologies if this is in the wrong section of the forum - I wasn't sure where exactly to put it. If wrong area, please let me know where would be appropriate and I'll gladly move it. I’m developing a service that turns real solar PV telemetry, system configuration, and historical weather data into a structured performance and diagnostic report. The idea is to assist solar installers in finding faults and/or providing a 'bill of health' to their end customers. It is not publicly available yet until I can prove it works. I’m looking for a small number of solar installers willing to share data from a completed installation. In return, I’ll prepare a report for the site at no cost. I’m not asking for payment or a commitment—only honest feedback on whether the report is useful, what should be improved, and whether it is something you could see yourself paying for in future. What I would need1. Telemetry dataPreferably a CSV export covering at least 30 consecutive days, although a longer period would be even more useful. Ideally, the data should have a consistent interval—such as 5, 15, 30, or 60 minutes—and include as many of the following as are available: - Date and timestamp, including the timezone - PV generation or inverter output - Site load or consumption - Grid import and export - Battery charge and discharge power - Battery state of charge - Inverter operating state, alarms, or error codes - Individual inverter or MPPT measurements, if available Not every system will expose all of these fields. A sample export or a description of the available columns is enough for me to confirm whether the data can be used. 2. Site location- The site’s real latitude and longitude, so that I can retrieve relevant historical weather and solar-resource data - Alternatively, the street address can be supplied privately and converted to coordinates Please do not post the location publicly. Send it through an agreed private channel. 3. System configurationAs much of the following as possible: - Installation date or approximate commissioning date - Inverter manufacturer, model, quantity, and rated capacity - Solar-panel manufacturer and model, if known - Number of panels and panel wattage - Array layout, including the number of panels per string or MPPT - Panel orientation/azimuth and tilt - Battery manufacturer, model, usable capacity, and quantity - Export limits or other relevant inverter settings - Known shading, clipping, outages, equipment issues, or unusual site conditions - Whether the system is grid-tied, hybrid, off-grid, or otherwise constrained Even if some details are unavailable, the remaining information may still be sufficient. Confidentiality and privacyCustomer privacy is important. I do not need the customer’s name, contact details, account numbers, meter numbers, street address, installer invoice, or any other information that identifies them. You are welcome—and encouraged—to remove or replace: - Customer and company names - Email addresses and telephone numbers - Serial numbers and account identifiers - Street addresses and property references - Any other personally identifying information The precise coordinates are needed only to obtain appropriate weather data. They should be shared privately, will be treated as confidential, and do not need to appear in the final report. The site can be identified in the report using an anonymous reference such as “Site A” or a name of your choosing. Submitted information will be used only to prepare and evaluate the report unless we agree otherwise. I will not publish the raw data, disclose the site’s location, contact the customer, or use the installer’s name in promotional material without explicit permission. If required, I am also happy to agree on data-handling and deletion arrangements before anything is shared. Please make sure you have the necessary authority or customer permission to share the anonymised system data. What you will receiveYou’ll receive a free diagnostic report based on the supplied data and the available historical weather information. In exchange, I would appreciate candid feedback on questions such as: - Was the report understandable and useful? - Did it identify anything you did not already know? - Would it help with customer support, maintenance, or system optimisation? - What information was missing or unnecessary? - Would you pay for a report like this, and under what circumstances? This is an early validation exercise, so honest criticism is more useful to me than positive feedback. If you’re interested, please reply here or contact me privately. In advance - Thanks—I’d value the opportunity to test this with real installations and build something genuinely useful for local solar professionals.
  2. Item: Hubble AM2 5.12kw 48v Age: 12-18 months Price: R17500 o.n.c.o Payment Method Accepted: Cash or EFT or BTC Warranty: Not registered for warranty Packaging: Box available Condition: Very good - used for about 10 months Location: Durbanville, Cape Town Reason: Formed part of previous installation which was replaced. Shipping: At buyers' expense, prefer collection Collection: Yes, by arrangement Link: https://www.hubbleenergy.com/am-2
  3. Reviving this old post because it's sort-off relevant. The axpert gave in eventually. I've since installed a rental system from Stage Zero and now I have the hubble battery lying around and want to sell it. Anyone know where in Cape Town (northern suburbs preferred) I can take the battery for a test so I can provide a report to whoever buys it? In my mind it's working 100%, but I want to have proof so a potential buyer doesn't try to do me in by claiming DOA or something.
  4. As mentioned previously, did it all myself. Not that hard, but obviously to get a COC I'll need to get someone in to sign-off. I have some other electrical work that needs doing around the house so I'll ask that electrician to sign off for COC. Re the 'approved inverter list'..not really too interested in the compensation plan (yet) but in order to generate electricity on your property while still being connected to the grid as well, you need to have an approved inverter. This is how the city ensures they grid remains safe and people don't get electrocuted when working on the grid somewhere else. I understand the reasoning behind it, I just don't like that my inverter isn't on the list.
  5. @DP1 I'm VERY happy with the outcome so far. I only notice load shedding on my heavy-load appliances (stove, geyser, and pool pump) these days. I'm yet to go below 60% SOC on the single battery. Now I wish I could do solar on this setup as well but the City of CT doesn't approve of the inverter 😢
  6. Thanks to everyone that responded to this. In short - the inverter is more than happy with a lithium battery if you use the 'USR' profile and set it up to manufacturer's recommendations. I eventually bought a Hubble AM-2 with a Hubble CloudLink from https://powerprovider.co.za/. The shipping cost R200 and it was delivered to me, in Durbanville, in 3 working days . It's a relatively straightforward installation and so far it's working wonderfully! I used the USR profile on the inverter and set up the values as per Hubble's own recommendations (they were very helpful in this regard and assured me beforehand that it would work fine). Only thing I did differently is to set the cut-off voltage to 45V and not 44V to prevent it discharging too much, although it seems I'm rarely going to get that low 😃 Below is the battery + inverter graphs. I only have essential loads on the inverter (plugs + lights basically). Even with 4 hour load shedding slots I'm barely touching 70% SOC.
  7. That's true, but the DoD on a lead acid is way higher (above 50%) compared to a lithium which should comfortably go down to 20%.
  8. Yeah I did the check. 2 of the 8 are sitting at around 7-9v. Some others around 10 to 11v. only 4 of them measured above 12v. So I disconnected the 4 worst ones and only kept those 4 installed. I still managed only about 15-20 minutes of power. I've had someone out here as well and they said it's not worth trying to revive the batteries as they're over 4 years old and have been abused with load shedding in that time. And I agree, with this load shedding these things charge/discharge 2 times a day so it's not ideal. Lithium has to be the way to go here. More information on the inverter can be found here: https://www.voltex.co.za/axpert-mks-3k-and-5k/
  9. Good day, I currently have an inverter/battery setup as per the pictures. Bought the house with it pre-installed. 8 x Deltec 12v High Cycle Lead Acid batteries 1 x 5kw Voltex MKS 5KVA inverter (Axpert rebrand it seems). Only the 'essential load' in my house is connected to this system. No stoves, AC's, geysers, etc. I want to replace the batteries (which are as good as dead) with a lithium battery, preferably around 5kw, that's compatible and has a decent warranty/cycle life. When the batteries were still good, it would easily last 5+ hours. Now it only lasts about 20 minutes. Questions: 1. Which batteries will work with this inverter? 2. Any recommended suppliers in the Cape Town area? Prefer someone that can come and install and PROPERLY configure the inverter so the battery is charged/discharged correctly.

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