I need some guidance on a few things related to a setup I am starting to save up for.

1. Buy invertor and install - im keen on sunsynk 8kva or 10kva but leaning to 10.
2. When funds are availible, buy 10kw sunsynk battery.
3. next round, 20 x panels - undecided what brand and watt.
4. Add another 10kw/h battery.
5. maybe add another 20 panels?

We use on average 18 - 20kw/h a day evenly split between day and night as we run dc invertor A/C in the evenings/night when we go to bed. When the panels gets installed, geyeser and pool pump will be on timers to run only from 11:00 to 15:00, i will adjust this as needed to ensure maximum run time on direct solar along with using dishwasher, laundry etc during the day.

My questions are:

1. is sunsynk still the right choise? Ive read they do not have support in SA anymore, what other brands should i consider?
2. On the batteries, is it worth it to spend the extra on sunsynk batteries or would a cheaper / around the same price option be better? my requirements are 6000+ cycles at 1C.
3. what panels should i look at and is 40 overkill / a waste? I want to future proof in such a way that if I expand my home i want to add in an additional invertor and batteries but this will be in 5 or more years if it happens.

Any advice or coment welcome!

8 minutes ago, Qbom1990 said:

I need some guidance on a few things related to a setup I am starting to save up for.

1. Buy invertor and install - im keen on sunsynk 8kva or 10kva but leaning to 10.
2. When funds are availible, buy 10kw sunsynk battery.
3. next round, 20 x panels - undecided what brand and watt.
4. Add another 10kw/h battery.
5. maybe add another 20 panels?

We use on average 18 - 20kw/h a day evenly split between day and night as we run dc invertor A/C in the evenings/night when we go to bed. When the panels gets installed, geyeser and pool pump will be on timers to run only from 11:00 to 15:00, i will adjust this as needed to ensure maximum run time on direct solar along with using dishwasher, laundry etc during the day.

My questions are:

1. is sunsynk still the right choise? Ive read they do not have support in SA anymore, what other brands should i consider?
2. On the batteries, is it worth it to spend the extra on sunsynk batteries or would a cheaper / around the same price option be better? my requirements are 6000+ cycles at 1C.
3. what panels should i look at and is 40 overkill / a waste? I want to future proof in such a way that if I expand my home i want to add in an additional invertor and batteries but this will be in 5 or more years if it happens.

Any advice or coment welcome!

1.   There is support it's jhst not quick. 

2.   Sunsynk inverter with batteries from SS extends the warranty to 10 yrs. 

3.   40 panels cannot work on 1x10kW. You will then need a 2nd inverter. 

16 minutes ago, Scorp007 said:

1.   There is support it's jhst not quick. 

2.   Sunsynk inverter with batteries from SS extends the warranty to 10 yrs. 

3.   40 panels cannot work on 1x10kW. You will then need a 2nd inverter. 

Thanks! so its still worth going with them, i thought the battery 10 year thing is more of a marketing thing  

39 minutes ago, Qbom1990 said:

We use on average 18 - 20kw/h a day evenly split between day and night as we run dc invertor A/C in the evenings/night when we go to bed. When the panels gets installed, geyeser and pool pump will be on timers to run only from 11:00 to 15:00, i will adjust this as needed to ensure maximum run time on direct solar along with using dishwasher, laundry etc during the day.

OK... if you are using 9kWh during the night, then you are going to deplete a 10kWh battery. But are you sure it's going to be 9kWh? You're talking about putting the geyser on a timer and that will mean it doesn't run at night. 

My way of looking at these systems is that the batteries give you protection against outages, and the panels reduce your bill. So you want to minimise night time draw from the batteries so that if the sun isn't shining the next morning and there's an early morning shed then you have some protection. One way to do this is be setting rules on the inverter that limit how much can be drawn from the battery. 

On my system this is set so that the battery cannot be discharged past 40% remaining when there is grid power. So that's the minimum I will have in the bank, so to speak, when there's an outage. Because we manage our loads overnight we very seldom hit that 40% remaining, and often have over 50% (of a 10kWh battery) when we start getting useful PV in the morning.

But this depends on choices and the routines of the household. We are just two adults, one retired and one working from home. So it's been quite easy for us to set things up so that we maximise the free power from the sun during the day and use little at night.

I don't have a Sunsynk inverter (nor a Deye) so I can't tell you how to set your inverter to behave like mine, but there will be some way to do this.

1 minute ago, Bobster. said:

OK... if you are using 9kWh during the night, then you are going to deplete a 10kWh battery. But are you sure it's going to be 9kWh? You're talking about putting the geyser on a timer and that will mean it doesn't run at night. 

My way of looking at these systems is that the batteries give you protection against outages, and the panels reduce your bill. So you want to minimise night time draw from the batteries so that if the sun isn't shining the next morning and there's an early morning shed then you have some protection. One way to do this is be setting rules on the inverter that limit how much can be drawn from the battery. 

On my system this is set so that the battery cannot be discharged past 40% remaining when there is grid power. So that's the minimum I will have in the bank, so to speak, when there's an outage. Because we manage our loads overnight we very seldom hit that 40% remaining, and often have over 50% (of a 10kWh battery) when we start getting useful PV in the morning.

But this depends on choices and the routines of the household. We are just two adults, one retired and one working from home. So it's been quite easy for us to set things up so that we maximise the free power from the sun during the day and use little at night.

I don't have a Sunsynk inverter (nor a Deye) so I can't tell you how to set your inverter to behave like mine, but there will be some way to do this.

9kw/h is probably overshooting a bit but id rather prepare for worst case. ideally in the eveinings we would only have the TV, aircon on and a couple fans in the kids rooms and the rest is what the fridge and stand by equipment is using.

I will setup rules similar to yours, not only for the piece of mind but to make the batteries last longer. I do want to add another 10kw battery within a year of the first and if possible at a later stage maybe 1 more to give me a total 30kw/h but thats nice to have and in 5 years.

I dont mind using the grid as and when needed but i want to keep it as backup.

1 hour ago, Qbom1990 said:

Thanks! so its still worth going with them, i thought the battery 10 year thing is more of a marketing thing  

You can always switch it for the same thing by going with a identical Deye Inverter and battery where you will have much better support. 

The Sunsynk is made by Deye. 

Edited March 13, 20242 yr by Scorp007

50 minutes ago, Scorp007 said:

You can always switch it for the same thing by going with a identical Deye Inverter and battery where you will have much better support. 

The Sunsynk is made by Deye. 

Thanks - Ive read that you have to buy third party software to use Deye and Sunsynk comes with its own making the price very similar - do you have experience or an understanding on this? Ive learnt that what I read on the internet is not always the case or close to the truth

 

30 minutes ago, Qbom1990 said:

Thanks - Ive read that you have to buy third party software to use Deye and Sunsynk comes with its own making the price very similar - do you have experience or an understanding on this? Ive learnt that what I read on the internet is not always the case or close to the truth

 

Based on my experience, I would rather use Solar Assistant than the Sunsynk app, I have both and now and again look at the Sunsynk app, however SA is just much more user friendly for me.

I don't know how you guys get through the night with less than 9kWh!! 😀

42 minutes ago, Qbom1990 said:

Thanks - Ive read that you have to buy third party software to use Deye and Sunsynk comes with its own making the price very similar

Not really, the Deye is supplied with wi-fi dongle and software is Solarman.

30 minutes ago, PearlJam said:

Based on my experience, I would rather use Solar Assistant than the Sunsynk app, I have both and now and again look at the Sunsynk app, however SA is just much more user friendly for me.

I don't know how you guys get through the night with less than 9kWh!! 😀

If one uses only 10kwh for the whole day it's easy. Use grid when you have and battery when a normal LS cycle 🤔

37 minutes ago, Scorp007 said:

If one uses only 10kwh for the whole day it's easy. Use grid when you have and battery when a normal LS cycle 🤔

Hi yes, the comment was meant more as a joke.  I know it all depends on general usage and no of people in the house, etc.  We run a few pc's (the kids draw extra power with the gaming) and then also use aircons at night in summer, etc.

24 minutes ago, PearlJam said:

Hi yes, the comment was meant more as a joke.  I know it all depends on general usage and no of people in the house, etc.  We run a few pc's (the kids draw extra power with the gaming) and then also use aircons at night in summer, etc.

Yes I did see your smiley. For us the joy of having grown up kids.

Edited March 13, 20242 yr by Scorp007

4 hours ago, Qbom1990 said:

Thanks - Ive read that you have to buy third party software to use Deye and Sunsynk comes with its own making the price very similar - do you have experience or an understanding on this? Ive learnt that what I read on the internet is not always the case or close to the truth

The software that comes with the Deye dongle is fine for viewing the system more or less live from anywhere, but you will not be able to control it remotely unless you've got an installer profile. If you as the owner want to change settings remotely, and have additional control, then the Solar Assistant is worth looking into.

7 hours ago, Qbom1990 said:

1. Buy invertor and install - im keen on sunsynk 8kva or 10kva but leaning to 10.
2. When funds are availible, buy 10kw sunsynk battery.
3. next round, 20 x panels - undecided what brand and watt.
4. Add another 10kw/h battery.
5. maybe add another 20 panels?

1. The typical single-phase inverter for home use from Sunsynk and/or Deye is the 8kVA unit, otherwise the smaller 5kVA unit. The 10kVA is newer on the market, but be careful, it's a 3-phase inverter so it might not be suitable for your case.
2. 10kWh of batteries is a good start. I'd suggest buying in 2x5kWh units though, so you could decide later to add just one more, or two, as you wish.
3. If you're staying on the grid, then 5kW of panels should be fine to start out with. Anything more will be overkill most of the time.
4. You can consider expanding the battery capacity later, but it may make more sense to try and manage your loads at first and come to grips with the system before deciding. You could reduce the outlay by shifting some loads to the daytime.
5. Not another 20 panels, but just another 5kW of panels if you want to later. More critical for extra power on winter and on cloudy days, and if you're going off-grid. But much less bang for your buck on the second batch of panels.

1 hour ago, GreenFields said:

The software that comes with the Deye dongle is fine for viewing the system more or less live from anywhere, but you will not be able to control it remotely unless you've got an installer profile. If you as the owner want to change settings remotely, and have additional control, then the Solar Assistant is worth looking into.

1. The typical single-phase inverter for home use from Sunsynk and/or Deye is the 8kVA unit, otherwise the smaller 5kVA unit. The 10kVA is newer on the market, but be careful, it's a 3-phase inverter so it might not be suitable for your case.
2. 10kWh of batteries is a good start. I'd suggest buying in 2x5kWh units though, so you could decide later to add just one more, or two, as you wish.
3. If you're staying on the grid, then 5kW of panels should be fine to start out with. Anything more will be overkill most of the time.
4. You can consider expanding the battery capacity later, but it may make more sense to try and manage your loads at first and come to grips with the system before deciding. You could reduce the outlay by shifting some loads to the daytime.
5. Not another 20 panels, but just another 5kW of panels if you want to later. More critical for extra power on winter and on cloudy days, and if you're going off-grid. But much less bang for your buck on the second batch of panels.

Good post but I would like to point out the 10 and 12kW Sunsynk is now available as a single phase. Refer to Herholds Web page. 

14 hours ago, GreenFields said:

The software that comes with the Deye dongle is fine for viewing the system more or less live from anywhere, but you will not be able to control it remotely unless you've got an installer profile. If you as the owner want to change settings remotely, and have additional control, then the Solar Assistant is worth looking into.

1. The typical single-phase inverter for home use from Sunsynk and/or Deye is the 8kVA unit, otherwise the smaller 5kVA unit. The 10kVA is newer on the market, but be careful, it's a 3-phase inverter so it might not be suitable for your case.
2. 10kWh of batteries is a good start. I'd suggest buying in 2x5kWh units though, so you could decide later to add just one more, or two, as you wish.
3. If you're staying on the grid, then 5kW of panels should be fine to start out with. Anything more will be overkill most of the time.
4. You can consider expanding the battery capacity later, but it may make more sense to try and manage your loads at first and come to grips with the system before deciding. You could reduce the outlay by shifting some loads to the daytime.
5. Not another 20 panels, but just another 5kW of panels if you want to later. More critical for extra power on winter and on cloudy days, and if you're going off-grid. But much less bang for your buck on the second batch of panels.

Thanks! my thought behind panels is that it would future proof any further installation i would / could do and when we eventually can feed back to the grid then that will be a huge bonus for me.

On the batteries, are 2 x 5kw better than 1 x 10kw and can I have a 10kw and later add a 5 or am i limited to 10 only because i started with it?

Invertor related, im not even considering a 5kva, i would rather not do the install than go for a 5. 8kva also seems like it will be too small and unless i get one at a big bargain ill go 10kva or a 12kva if i get a good price on one, i see sunsynk has 10 and 12 one phase but cant find any Deye ones.

The plan is to eventually go full off grid but its a long term plan.

On 2024/03/13 at 11:06 AM, Qbom1990 said:

I need some guidance on a few things related to a setup I am starting to save up for.

1. Buy invertor and install - im keen on sunsynk 8kva or 10kva but leaning to 10.
2. When funds are availible, buy 10kw sunsynk battery.
3. next round, 20 x panels - undecided what brand and watt.
4. Add another 10kw/h battery.
5. maybe add another 20 panels?

We use on average 18 - 20kw/h a day evenly split between day and night as we run dc invertor A/C in the evenings/night when we go to bed. When the panels gets installed, geyeser and pool pump will be on timers to run only from 11:00 to 15:00, i will adjust this as needed to ensure maximum run time on direct solar along with using dishwasher, laundry etc during the day.

My questions are:

1. is sunsynk still the right choise? Ive read they do not have support in SA anymore, what other brands should i consider?
2. On the batteries, is it worth it to spend the extra on sunsynk batteries or would a cheaper / around the same price option be better? my requirements are 6000+ cycles at 1C.
3. what panels should i look at and is 40 overkill / a waste? I want to future proof in such a way that if I expand my home i want to add in an additional invertor and batteries but this will be in 5 or more years if it happens.

Any advice or coment welcome!

Hi,I have a 5kw Sun Synk inverter and 3,6 kw panels  facing east and 3,6 kw facing north. From Nov-Feb I get >1000 Kwh/month.3,4,8,910th months 700Kwh-1000kwh. 5,6and 7th 500kwh-700kwh .I use 550-650kwh /month.My perception is that you are going to waste a lot of money .I agree with 2 batteries 

On 2024/03/13 at 11:06 AM, Qbom1990 said:

I need some guidance on a few things related to a setup I am starting to save up for.

1. Buy invertor and install - im keen on sunsynk 8kva or 10kva but leaning to 10.
2. When funds are availible, buy 10kw sunsynk battery.
3. next round, 20 x panels - undecided what brand and watt.
4. Add another 10kw/h battery.
5. maybe add another 20 panels?

We use on average 18 - 20kw/h a day evenly split between day and night as we run dc invertor A/C in the evenings/night when we go to bed. When the panels gets installed, geyeser and pool pump will be on timers to run only from 11:00 to 15:00, i will adjust this as needed to ensure maximum run time on direct solar along with using dishwasher, laundry etc during the day.

My questions are:

1. is sunsynk still the right choise? Ive read they do not have support in SA anymore, what other brands should i consider?
2. On the batteries, is it worth it to spend the extra on sunsynk batteries or would a cheaper / around the same price option be better? my requirements are 6000+ cycles at 1C.
3. what panels should i look at and is 40 overkill / a waste? I want to future proof in such a way that if I expand my home i want to add in an additional invertor and batteries but this will be in 5 or more years if it happens.

Any advice or coment welcome!

Sounds like a huge overkill to me. We use around 16kWh per day perhaps as much as 21kWh in summer with aircons running. Grid consumption is less than 2kWh on nice sunny days and average of less than 4 kWh since panels were installed in Feb 2022. Our system is 5kVA inverter 10 KW battery and 4,32 KWp paneling. All about managing consumption. Our big win was installing solar water heating about 8 years ago (different forum members will argue differently, so follow your own lead.)

People have become fixated on Sunsynk and reports out there are telling me their service levels dealing with failures have suffered due to their popularity. Consider other options (BTW, Sunsynk was not an option when I started my journey into battery back up).

Edited March 29, 20242 yr by Peter V
more info.