Hey everyone,

My current setup is 5x 455w panels to charge the existing batt and then dedicate the power to the load once the batt is charged. We are looking to run the house for longer on battery and to compensate for extended cloud coverage. And of course load shedding

Here are the options we can go with:

1. We are in the fortunate position to be able to swap out the current LifePo 5.1KWh batt for a super cap 5.5KWh unit after paying in the difference.

2. Purchase another 5.1KWh LifePo batt to add to the existing one

NOTE: We will be adding another 5 panels to either charge the second batt, or charge the current / replacement unit quicker.

 

PS: Perhaps with the additional 5 panels, cloudy days won't matter since it will be 10 panels charging, and not 5? 

Cloudy days I get roughly 400w vs full sun maximum 2kw from the 5 panels.

 

TL;DR, is it better to have a 5.5KWh battery that can discharge to 100% for 30 years and charge faster, compared to 10KWh that can only discharge 70% for 8 years?

Hi @Gavin286I would definitely buy more LFP storage & have more storage than a Capacitor. The cost of the capacitor is exorbitant & 30yrs is a long shot. We struggle with 10 yes in Lithium in term of the warranty being worth anything. A capacitor is still a new concept to our markets & if 10 yrs is tough 30 yrs in comparison is just not Gona happen. You can get more than 70% DoD out of Lithium. There is no hard fast rule on that but that depends on your battery brand & what they want to dictate. But given your limitation of 70% I'd rather 2 X 70% LFPs than a single 5kWh capacitor. 

If you want to run for longer off of stored power, then you need more storage. So I'd go for more LFP. The super cap isn't going to give you significantly more capacity.

A 5.5kWh supercapacitor will be the size of a garage (nothing commercially available has an energy density of more than 8Wh/l). I would definitely exchange a "supercapacitor" for LFP.

Hi everyone, thanks so much for the advice and feedback. I will rather go with the additional battery.

Thanks!

22 minutes ago, P1000 said:

A 5.5kWh supercapacitor will be the size of a garage (nothing commercially available has an energy density of more than 8Wh/l). I would definitely exchange a "supercapacitor" for LFP.

https://powerforum-store.co.za/collections/batterys/products/5-5kwh-magneto-super-cap-wall-mount-48v

12 minutes ago, Gavin286 said:

https://powerforum-store.co.za/collections/batterys/products/5-5kwh-magneto-super-cap-wall-mount-48v

Yes, that is not a capacitor, I would take any of their claims with a shovel of salt.

@Powerforum Store can we look into this matter. That also does not look like a super capacitor to me.

J

I would steer clear of people who call something it isn't. "Bait and switch" is a tactic of scammers.

10 hours ago, Gavin286 said:

https://powerforum-store.co.za/collections/batterys/products/5-5kwh-magneto-super-cap-wall-mount-48v

Looks like more info/sales pitch here? : https://www.magnetoenergy.co.za/wall-mount-5-5kwh/

11 minutes ago, DJ1 said:

Looks like more info/sales pitch here? : https://www.magnetoenergy.co.za/wall-mount-5-5kwh/

Oh I see now, it's a "Super Capacitor", not a "Supercapacitor" lol

11 hours ago, jumper said:

Oh I see now, it's a "Super Capacitor", not a "Supercapacitor" lol

Well, it's not a capacitor at all - there simply is no technology available today to get a capacitor of that capacity in nearly that space. Best case scenario it is Lithium Titanate  Oxide (LTO) cells, like the other brand that made a "supercapacitor". The biggest issue is - why lie about it at all?

11 minutes ago, P1000 said:

The biggest issue is - why lie about it at all?

I agree, that's exactly the problem. I also reckon it is probably LTO cells like the Sirius (that was quite a debacle), it weighs 90kg. I was just being sarcastic at the semantics they are playing with 😀

So COMM is the magic word. Everything is marked as COMM as it has become the buzz word these days.

Comm is the new COMMpliance 🤣🤣🤣