superdiy Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Finally, I've almost completed my installation. It is running already, but I still need to tidy up a few things and install the 12th PV panel. I decided half-way through the installation to space the panels further apart and ended up with 5 rows instead of the planned 6 rows. I'm going to mount the 12th panel in line with the single panel in the middle row, but first I need to paint that section of the roof. The initial switch on was just after 15:00 on Saturday and I was amazed with the amount of energy still generated till early evening when the sun was hitting the panels at an almost 0 Clint 1 Quote
Clint Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Well done I think that a LCD display in the house showing battery percentage and even geyser temp would be very helpful Are you producing enough power yet for daily use ? Quote
superdiy Posted March 24, 2015 Author Posted March 24, 2015 Well done I think that a LCD display in the house showing battery percentage and even geyser temp would be very helpful Are you producing enough power yet for daily use ? Not in the house, but in the garage in my case. The Infini has 2 variable speed fans which run most of the time - they are not very noisy, but you don't want the inverter installed in your living room though. Our average usage is between 400 and 450 kWh per month, approximately 14/15 units per day. It is too soon to tell, but I think the system might produce enough power for our household. Clint 1 Quote
ibiza Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 very nice, I am impressed with the look of your array. My roof s the same as your and I am planning to install the PVs on the same way you did but don't know where to get these rails. Would you mind sharing where did you buy yours? Quote
superdiy Posted June 22, 2015 Author Posted June 22, 2015 The rails are called Unistrut or Cabstrut. (http://www.cabstrut.co.za/cabstrut_intro.html) Any electrical supplier should be able to supply it. I've used the 1.5mm P2000 channels, you also get them in 1mm thickness, but those are a bit flimsy. The connecting brackets I've used are not Unistrut/Cabstrut products - I designed my own brackets and they were lasercut. I also dipped all the cut ends of the channels in galvanised iron cleaner/etchant, then thouroughly rinsed them in clean water and coated them with "Hammerite Direct to Galvanised Metal Paint" to retard corrosion. Quote
bmeagle Posted June 24, 2015 Posted June 24, 2015 On average for a clear day how many kWh are you getting per installed kW? Quote
superdiy Posted June 24, 2015 Author Posted June 24, 2015 The last few clear days 20/21 June, which were the shortest days of the year, I got between 12 & 13 KWh per day - that is from a 3KWp system. Initially 11 panels (2750Wp) were installed in March and all 12 panels (3000Wp) were only installed somewhere towards the end of April - I'll have to wait and see how much I get on 21 December. In March, on the 2750Wp installation, I got between 19 & 20 KWh on a clear day and the reported peak at that stage with 11 panels were 3.06 KW (from a 2750Wp installation), but that happened when clouds moved inbetween the sun and the panels - apparently the edges of the clouds acts as magnifiers and you get more focused light on the panels. Quote
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