Hi All,

I received a quote to for a backup battery system as I am not yet ready to go full solar.

The quote reads as follows:

• Felicity Solar 5kw 48v Hybrid inverter
• Felicity Solar 5.12kwh 48v Lithium Iron Battery
• All the other installation stuff
  • Final Cost R55 829.05 (incl VAT)

This is within my budget and I'm keen to escape the clutches of load shedding.

My only concern is the Felicity Solar part, I haven't heard much of them however they look like
a decent outfit, the quote came from the company Caprica Solar here in JHB and they seem like a
legit outfit. They have a proper website with some reviews and they have a store that I will visit
tomorrow after work.

Has anyone had any experience with Felicity Solar and Caprica?

What does all that stuff include.Get a proper quote.

I saw an ad for the Felicity inverter and battery for R27 500 (equipment only)

On 2023/08/25 at 6:47 AM, Chris Louw said:

What does all that stuff include.Get a proper quote.

Apologies I realise that my post was not detailed. I have attached the 2 quotes received. One has a Luxpower Hybrid Inverter and the Other has the Felicity solar option.

I was informed that when the Luxpower operate in back up. Mode with no solar feed, they cap at at 3.8kW, is this true?

18 minutes ago, Tuntira972 said:

I was informed that when the Luxpower operate in back up. Mode with no solar feed, they cap at at 3.8kW, is this true?

That may be  due to a max 80A battery discharge current which equates to around 4kW, meaning if you run purely on Battery than there is a limit. 
 

2 hours ago, zsde said:

That may be  due to a max 80A battery discharge current which equates to around 4kW, meaning if you run purely on Battery than there is a limit. 
 

I see... Apparently the felicity slay inverter does not have such a limitation. However it's app is not as good as the Luxpower option.

I'm leaning towards the Luxpower because it's a bit more popular and we'll known. Not sure what your thoughts are on that 

Luxpower in my opinion is a solid choice.

The battery is what is limiting your output. You can only use the rcommended discharge rate of the battery.If you want the full output of the inverter, more batteries must be installed. 5.12kWh is not enough for 5kW output on batteries only. Luxpower is the better option. 

Edited August 27, 20232 yr by Chris Louw

13 minutes ago, Chris Louw said:

The battery is what is limiting your output. You can only use the max discharge rate of the battery.If you want the full output of the inverter, more batteries must be installed. 5.12kWh is not enough for 5kW output on batteries only. Luxpower is the better option. 

I see, what size battery would I have to get to get the max output of 5kw?

The battery must have recommended discharge rate of 104 Amp for 5kW output. Recommended discharge rate depends on the brand of battery. Best to get the specs from the supplier.

4 minutes ago, Chris Louw said:

The battery must have recommended discharge rate of 104 Amp for 5kW output. Recommended discharge rate depends on the brand of battery. Best to get the specs from the supplier.

I took a look at the felicity solar, that battery/inverter combo provides power at 100A, this is most likely where the full 5kw is from, where as the Dyness on the first quote is 75A, which is where the 3.75kW is coming from. 

Maybe a question I should be asking is, do I need to be supplying power at 5kW vs 3.75kW while on battery?

1 hour ago, Chris Louw said:

 Luxpower is the better option. 

And the Luxpower is now available for R11 000 😀😀

45 minutes ago, Scorp007 said:

And the Luxpower is now available for R11 000 😀😀

Are you referring to the hybrid luxpower inverter?

1 hour ago, Scorp007 said:

And the Luxpower is now available for R11 000 😀😀

Whereabout did you see that price and is that for the hybrid inverter

1 hour ago, Tuntira972 said:

Whereabout did you see that price and is that for the hybrid inverter

Enway Power Solutions Midrand SNA 5000 Hybrit inverter+Dongle+free delivery

https://www.enway.co.za/luxpower-5kw

Edited August 27, 20232 yr by TaliaB

1 hour ago, Tuntira972 said:

Whereabout did you see that price and is that for the hybrid inverter

Also at Computech 5kW SNA 

Edited August 27, 20232 yr by Scorp007

39 minutes ago, Scorp007 said:

Also at Computech 5kW SNA 

 

55 minutes ago, TaliaB said:

Enway Power Solutions Midrand SNA 5000 Hybrit inverter+Dongle+free delivery

https://www.enway.co.za/luxpower-5kw

Great! Thanks guys!

I have also been doing further research on the SNA, apparently it is the weaker of the 2 between it and the LXP.
My Use case will be as follow:

1. Auto switch over during LS to keep essential items alive (TV, PC, Light and Fridge).
2. I don't need the geyser or stove to be backed up.
3. I would like the option to add solar in the future.
4. I am not interested in feeding back to the grid as I don't foresee that worthy of investing in due to the goverment and its nonsense

It seems like the SNA is enough for me, however I am wondering if the LXP will be better

48 minutes ago, Tuntira972 said:

 

Great! Thanks guys!

I have also been doing further research on the SNA, apparently it is the weaker of the 2 between it and the LXP.
My Use case will be as follow:

1. Auto switch over during LS to keep essential items alive (TV, PC, Light and Fridge).
2. I don't need the geyser or stove to be backed up.
3. I would like the option to add solar in the future.
4. I am not interested in feeding back to the grid as I don't foresee that worthy of investing in due to the goverment and its nonsense

It seems like the SNA is enough for me, however I am wondering if the LXP will be better

Yes the LXP is great if you wanted to export and have beeter control via CT of the export.

The SNA would suit you better at a fraction of the cost.

I did not know the 5 kW Luxpower units and had a quick look at the user manuals of the units and the units are mostly the same except that the LXP unit can feed back to the grid, I also had a look at the LiFePO4 battery compatibility guide for the SNA and LXP and found it quite interesting that the SNA & LXP models cannot or will not work with most of the batteries on the list with the ECO Hybrid Inverter model or AC Coupled Inverter model.

SNA LiFePO4 Compatibility List link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11xifnDb632mgpj5xMyoZCCxhOrISl-ZL/view

LXP LiFePO4 Compatibility List link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15hnbz-L7Y02TL4GKTVNPFWjomDsgxSRT/view

 

@Tuntira972 I would also look at these 3 Kodak units

KODAK Solar Off-Grid Inverter 5.6kW 48V R 14,432.50 
KODAK Solar Off-Grid Inverter King with UPS 5kW 48V R 12,075.00 
KODAK Solar Off-Grid Inverter MAX 7.2kW 48V R 19,423.50

The pricing listed above are for The Powerforum Store

All three the Kodak units are off grid units, the Kodak King can use battery and utility power to power the load same as the Luxpower units, the Kodak Max has an option to limit the battery maximum discharge current that is quite useful if your battery cannot deliver the full discharge current - I am not sure if the Luxpower has the option to limit the battery maximum discharge current the users manual is not that detailed.

I would avoid the LiFePO4 batteries where the battery power cable connectors clip in like the battery cable power connectors of the Dyness lithium battery because I have seen an installation where those battery power cable connectors melted and the installer accused the owner of the installation that he changed some of the settings on the inverter and he did not change the settings at all.

Have a look at these batteries also at The Powerforum Store

Greenrich U-P3686 Lithium Battery 3.686kWh 51.2V R 26,358.00
Kodak 3.68kWh 48V Battery Module R 23,552.00
MAGNETO Lithium-LiFePo4 Rack Mount 48V 5.1KWh R 23,450.00
MAGNETO Lithium-LiFePo4 Rack Mount 48V 9.6KWh R 39,965.00
 

The Greenrich and Kodak batteries are 1.5C batteries which means they can power a 5kW inverter, the Magneto 5.1kWh is 1C and the 9.6kWh is 0.5C which will also be able to power a 5kW inverter.

I see that Caprica Solar lists the Kodak King and Kodak Max on their website as well as the 5.1 kWh Greenrich battery although they are a bit expensive with the 5 kWh Greenrich battery, I have seen the 5 kWh Greenrich battery online for 27K5 at a very reputable online shop in Pretoria North. The 5 kWh Greenrich battery is also 1.5C and can power the Kodak Max without any problems.

I see that Caprica Solar also has Payflex so look into that option as well.

You can get a Luxpower SNA with a 5.12kw Dyness/Volta/Shoto/Hina Ess and all accessories required for the install at around R39k-R40k. Then add cost of labour/coc.

 

Mirua technology has a Luxpower SNA 5kw + battery backup system incl installation at R42,450. Not bashing any other supplier/installer nor am I trying to advertise them, just giving a heads up that pricing has come down significantly and you can get a 5kw backup system installed with good components for cheaper than R54k.

Without a doubt, and especially because the OP wants to get solar power in future, I would opt for the Solis S6 5K and a 5.1kWh Magneto battery from Powerforumstore, comes to 44K. It's way advanced in terms of features, functionality and capacity, so far more expandable.

Alternatively, swop the 5.1kWh Magneto for the 9.6kWh Magneto, it's a steal at R39,965.  

 

 

  

4 hours ago, YellowTapemeasure said:

Without a doubt, and especially because the OP wants to get solar power in future, I would opt for the Solis S6 5K and a 5.1kWh Magneto battery from Powerforumstore, comes to 44K. It's way advanced in terms of features, functionality and capacity, so far more expandable.

Alternatively, swop the 5.1kWh Magneto for the 9.6kWh Magneto, it's a steal at R39,965.  

 

 

  

Good price on that Magneto 9.6kWh battery.

Svolt batteries also seem to have really good pricing, I have seen their 106AH batteries retail for under R20k.

 

@Tuntira972 I would personally go for a Luxpower SNA5000 (The inverter I am currently running) or the Solis S6 inverter if budget allows.

However for your needs, it sound as if the Luxpower is sufficient so it might make more sense to save the money and add it to your "solar panel fund".

The Dyness batteries are not 1C and therefore you would not get the full 5KW out of the Dyness battery regardless of which inverter you use - you would need to have 2x Dyness batteries to get 5KW+

 

So if you want to go with the Luxpower then a different battery would be recommended.

On 2023/08/24 at 11:15 PM, Tuntira972 said:

Hi All,

I received a quote to for a backup battery system as I am not yet ready to go full solar.

The quote reads as follows:

• Felicity Solar 5kw 48v Hybrid inverter
• Felicity Solar 5.12kwh 48v Lithium Iron Battery
• All the other installation stuff
  • Final Cost R55 829.05 (incl VAT)

This is within my budget and I'm keen to escape the clutches of load shedding.

My only concern is the Felicity Solar part, I haven't heard much of them however they look like
a decent outfit, the quote came from the company Caprica Solar here in JHB and they seem like a
legit outfit. They have a proper website with some reviews and they have a store that I will visit
tomorrow after work.

Has anyone had any experience with Felicity Solar and Caprica?

For that price for your own peace of mind get a Lux power and a greenrich perfect combo

Hi All, many thanks for the assistance! 

I have decided to go with Mirua Technologies, I'm tossing up between their Deye and Luxpower deal.
One of the factors is the noise coming from the fans of the luxpower vs the silence of passive cooling of the Deye.
Does anyone have experience with either of the options. 

Also, the Deye comes with a hefty 10 year warranty. I am not sure if there has been enough time to really test that out,
but should that be a factor in purchasing an inverter?

Lastly with regards to the web/mobile app interface, how do the 2 compare?

Many thanks for the assistance once again!