Nitrious

an image of comet leonard, perspective is all it takes (yes the science to get this image is impressive)

Word of advise to the wise, somehow quit smoking privately, its much easier to admit than publicly. @mnk1234 message me directly if need be, I make friends easily and on continents. Nothings to big or to small., You're welcome to contact me as needed. <read with due caution, smoker quitting habit, no offense intended, otherwise close your eyelids now> truer words never spoken and welcome to the club btw, I'm sure there's a name for it, but its a club all the same. this is possibly what caused my outburst (due to quitting smoking, even without such, it just gets my emotions rolling), I have been brought into installs on many occasions to fix a/the situation that were never mine to begin with, issues that really could have been avoided in the beginning, with a good solid comprehensive solution. and by the time I get there, everything is just installed and mismatched, and just so so many times. (and of course the invoice is so inflated, there's no room to fix anything) <end possible caution to eyes/mind> Instead I present my current way of dealing with <smoking/people//smoking./other/smoking/etc.> such for the moment ( I'm sure it'll be a few more days though) I give you the Horsehead and Flame Nebula, if there any part of the galaxy you want imaged, pls let me know. (Don't be silly obviously)

I'm (trying) quitting smoking, so tone likely needs a change, I apologize and will make the needed adjustments. Its the second day today. Every piece of equipment chosen needs to work together as a harmonious whole, bringing you a solution that covers your needs. But have the initial important steps being taken, 1. and 2. in my first post. How sure are you a 5kw solution is what you need. Do you have a budget in mind? I notice there's no battery in the quote you showed? Do you want grid tie only? What are your goals regarding solar. load reduction measures brings your load base down, and thereby allows a smaller, cheaper system to be used. But have a cost and sometimes effectiveness all their own. Measuring your actual requirements ensures your system is sized correctly to your needs. This is very important otherwise everyone's guessing, and there's a fair chance it won't end well. Please don't take this the wrong way, but your answer suggests these haven't been attended to or even suggested to you yet, and is a part of the installers job to discuss and/or implement these needed steps before waving a quote/invoice around. There's usually a solution document, nice and detailed, and an itemized invoice, you should be receiving both. unless all you want is grid tie, in which case there's a whole new set of questions. Are you going to export, do you want to limit export, how many power units do you use a day/want to cover, do you want to cover peak loads or just inject at say 5kw and cover most of the day time load, or export enough units during the day to cover your night usage costs. the answers to all these questions tend to have a filtering effect on the equipment selection until you wind up with the exact solution that ticks all the boxes you need, although sometimes its back to budget and what can fit in, so compromises can occur, but good planning should future proof the solution so additions can be made later. Anyway, the quitting smoking is around a week or so, I'll post again once the process is complete (and add a few days to be sure) and thus avoid further issues. Hopefully the above info makes up for any past issues, it wasn't intentional. Good luck with it all, thanks for pointing out the tone issue. You'll have the system for a while, make sure its a good fit for your needs.

removed due to not being relevant. Have begun quitting smoking and tone isn't matching intent. Apologies to all that read it.

lets try a different tack on this never ending question scene. Has a proper analysis been done ? 1. consider options for load reduction, solar geyser, heat pump, gas stove etc. recommendations can be made here. load reduction measures should be the first step, as they greatly reduce the size and cost of the system needed. 2. Then install a device that monitors and logs your power usage for a week or two, on the residual load requirements and size the system accordingly. This is usually also the point where you need to decide on direction and/or compromises, keep in mind solar is an averages game on cost saving and oversizing to go off grid completely reduces roi. This is where the more difficult decisions start to come into play, striking that all important balance.

The mppt will cap you (current limiting) at 13A, anything more will be wasted. Since the 540w panel is 13A, it's why it's a great match

the sunsynk mppt is 13A per mppt (with firmware upgrade) this then usually involves 2x strings of 6x - 7x 540w panels, each string connects to a mppt. 7x panels helps in winter when daylight hours are shorter, 6x is marginally cheaper. So you'll wind up with a total of 12x-14x 540w panels connected. 18A is btw very hard to match with modern panel current outputs being what they are. 22A is much much easier. (8kw sunsynk for example) My inverters max pv current is also 18A, even looked at 700w panels with a max output of 17A and/or tons of 360w panels which I can get cheap. either way I might wind up having to ship panels in. In the end it may just be easier to just upgrade to a sunsynk, and get 540w panels. (time and effort) the jury is still out on my upgrades atm, busy deciding, and luckily prices are slowly dropping back to normal while I do. However dont wind up is this position, start off on the right track from day 1.

They stole a/the kempton park substation a few suburbs away, came with bakkies and took as much as they could. this just as kempton park had power failure for a week or so, at the end it was no power, no water, cell towers were off, wifi/internet gone. traffic was a nightmare, and food availability dropped badly (and how do you store it). had to bring family members over during the last period, looks like its going that way again. also looks like its becoming a thing though, substation theft during load shedding.

in my opinion skip growatt go sunsynk. its a few K difference, but you wont look back with a sunsynk. Sorry growatt owners, no offense meant. I typically determine a products actual value by its 2nd hand value, ie you want to sell it and the market interest/price point attainable, before I even buy it. Compare away. Sunsynk also has a proven comprehensive feature set, no mess no fuss.

Someone I chat to (about wind turbines, solar, batteries etc. he's busy with his wind turbine design with cf blades now, I'm busy with my 10kwh li ion battery) almost daily has a Evacuated Tube Solar Collector, which feeds a 200l storage tank (geyser), which then feeds the main geyser This storage tank tops up the main geyser within minutes of hot water being used, keeping the main geyser at almost always set temp. I might add its very cost effective, and retrofits your current geyser. works well even in cloudy weather (uses uv and solar thermal conversion is very high), his success has got me considering copying his setup, with one key difference, my heat pump will top up the temp as and when needed as well.

Currently using an Axpert VMII 5Kw (I know I know) but it just works and I can't fault it, may upgrade to 2x 5kw Sunsynks one of these days, put the Axpert out to pasture. However my main reason for posting is consider adding another tool (which supports Deye) to your arsenal if the Deye modes don't behave as you want. This gives you mode time control, you decide the mode and the time it engages, maybe its something to consider. I don't use the feature as you can see, trying off grid out atm. They're starting to steal substations now during load shedding, so want to make sure we can handle, and do any fine tuning now before it comes to that.

The 540w panels are ideal for the inverter, just right If it's a case of put 4 now, then do it, get more later. Ideal setup suggests 6x-7x 540w panels per mppt, for a total of 12-14 panels. There's no combiner box needed, just connect them in series.

my non growatt inverter sub mode is solar and battery work together while there's pv voltage/wattage, then reverts to grid when it drops to zero. it stops the battery usage/cycling at night.

you'd think so, but still leaves a residue, had to clean them a few days ago (trying to max what little I can get), always wonder what the neighbors think when they see me up there with a foam mop and hosepipe.

Our weather atm, solar output could be better

maybe give some info on car type (space availability), load voltages and current draw, expected run time between charging. your in car options can range from alternator 2nd battery charging to solar charger to 24v inverter. Some suggestions can be offered here, but a quick Google search will yield some models with pricing. Suggest to use sla's rather than li ion, unless you buy a rugged made for purpose li ion battery pack. Anyway my thoughts below, its put together to suit a range of ideas that may be useful. (hopefully) My Landy has a second battery controller in the engine bay, along with display by the dash. Its setup is simply to push the output to the trailer plug. There is space for a "normal" second car battery under the bonnet but not exactly anything useful and I usually need all 7 seats when using the Landy on outings, so cabin space is at a premium. Sure I also have the 4x4 heavy duty roof rack, but its useful to sit on when watching game go by. My suggestion is to build a 4x4 trailer, or get one built. Buying is expensive but can give ideas of design and features. You can add gas, solar, batteries, inverter, panels, a tent, whatever you want actually. and you don't wind up messing around with your car, just attached the trailer and go. even a cheap 2nd hand caravan maybe ? Considering the use case of not cycling daily, I would go SLA's rather than Li Ion, also maybe consider a 24v inverter with 2x 200ah SLA batts and panels to suit. I buy my deep cycle 170ah - 200ah good used at near scrap prices, use and abuse them until they die as at the price, they're effectively disposable. (and off to scrap they go) My 2c worth.

I can confirm my wheel meters numbers don't, and its very old. Apparently there are some out there that do (urban legend ?) When I was using a grid tie inverter unused power would be sent to the non essential output, covering the kitchen, stove and geyser in those days, that wheel would spin backwards at quite a rate. In my defense Li Ion as we have it today was barely a gleam in the solar industry's eye back then. This was apparently part of Nersa's recommendations which Eskom is fighting, this and other various ideas Nersa came up with => Eskom slams plan to punish solar power users with 1,000% higher prices than mines

besides whatever else happened, did the info represented help you ? the recommended system gives a good reference point for when you start getting quotes in, ensure 12x - 14x 540w panels. its not only about it being R100k but what you're getting for that R100k. also to be fair this is all very hypothetical, and a proper analysis needs to be done. 1. consider options for load reduction, solar geyser, heat pump, gas stove etc. recommendations can be made here. load reduction measures should be the first step, as they greatly reduce the size and cost of the system needed. 2. Then install a device that monitors and logs your power usage for a week or two, on the residual load requirements and size the system accordingly. This is usually also the point where you need to decide on direction and/or compromises, keep in mind solar is an averages game on cost saving and oversizing to go off grid completely reduces roi. This is where the more difficult decisions start to come into play, striking that all important balance. however, your always welcome to get assistance based on where you land on 1. and 2.

your really going to make me do this aren't you. good sourcing is a major part of any supply chain, and absolutely essential I might add. I can pick up the phone and confirm/match the pricing from multiple suppliers without to much hassle and it'll all be close. I'll even ship the panels in from china myself if it helps this come to some kind of conclusion, and I assure the pricing will be even lower. I'm giving an example of 2 systems to someone asking for assistance, so they can compare options and make an informed decision, or at least gain a better idea, nothing more, nothing less. please rather focus on the intent here.

lol, why is the supplier such an issue ?, its ballpark figures atm, and on top of that, did you call to confirm stock availability with those guys and in fact they're not the only supplier around btw. Supply is usually the least of my issues in life. Perhaps rather have a look at the system specs, see if anything further can be added or improved upon, should be the real focus here imo.

I'm a sucker for a good deal 😀, also its retail pricing but I can always get it in writing if it helps. its from a recently vetted supplier.

There is a perception that solar is expensive, its why I gave a quick example. keep in mind your actual requirements still need to be assessed and load reduction measures taken. I'll put the cheap 5kw version, and the recommended version of a 5kw system. I'm sure others will also be along to share their views. Cheap version 1x KODAK Solar Off-Grid Inverter King 5KW 48V -> Insert 1x Axpert 5kw inverter of your choice here => R10,872.18 10x JA Solar 540W Mono PERC Half-Cell MBB => R3,225.91 each 1x Pylontech Lithium Ion 4.8kW UP5000 Battery => R22,186.39 Total R 65317.67 vat incl. Recommended version 1x Sunsynk 5kW Hybrid Inverter => R18,500.00 14x JA Solar 540W Mono PERC Half-Cell MBB => R3,225.91 each 1x Pylontech Lithium Ion 4.8kW UP5000 Battery => R22,186.39 Total R 85849.13 vat incl.

rather than rent to own, consider accessing your bond to purchase a solar system which will give you the best of both worlds, very low repayments on monies accessed, along with adding (significantly) to your property value. Further solar need not be expensive, and there's plenty of ready knowledgeable help and assistance on the forum to help you along on the journey. an example for reference, cost of equipment only, 5kw inverter, 5kw panels and 5kwh battery will cost R65k. (add 5k - 8K for a sunsynk) accessing the funds through your bond the repayment will be around R650.00 per month. Food for thought and of course your property will go up in value, usually by much more than the spent amount, a call to your local estate agent will confirm this. so you wind up getting value on both sides of the equation, reduction in power bills and an increase in your property value, coupled with low repayments on capital. lastly you'll find the monthly payments on capital spent on solar will be much much less than the the power bill, this large gap between accessed capital and the power bill is why the rent to own market can exist, but obviously they ensure they take the majority of the benefit while passing on just enough to get you to sign off on it.

Could I ask if the following has been done in order to ensure the solution matches the requirements. 1. Has a device that measures your power and logs it been installed and running for at least a week or two to ensure the solution offered meets your needs. (very important) 2. Has a document been provided detailing all aspects of the install, with roi, expected power generation etc. something comprehensive along the lines of 20 odd pages. 3. Drone based 3d rendering of the property to be incorporated into the above document to show visually the expected layout with equipment placement and allowing for a shading analysis/simulation. Have load reduction measures been discussed, aka solar geyser, heat pump, gas stove etc.(very important) A quote is one thing, but does the solution meet the requirements, and have the measures to reduce the load been discussed and/or implemented and have the residual load requirements been measured. I apologize but one page invoices do not represent a solution in my view. Consider escrow with phased payments on goal completion, should ease the payment issue. Using pylontechs instead is good advise. Authorized installers will ensure warranties are in place. installers often get better pricing due to volumes and relationships with suppliers, you may not get better through retail channels. before purchasing ensure your can get an installer who will fit already purchased equipment.

the cheapest way to do this may not always be apparent. option 1 : buy second hand, there's always someone upgrading. option 2 : leverage your bond, and access funds, the monthly will be around R1k per month per R100k accessed. option 3 : other financial leveraging, usually expensive, aka rent to own etc etc So to this end of a cost effective solar system with great roi, the following happened my 10kwh battery was born I have access to a (practically, over 200,000) unlimited supply of 360w panels (and other sizes) for around R1k each, putting a 5kw panel array at around R15k