The Alternative Energy Thread - Generators, Solar, UPS, Wind

[user-xxx]

Anyone running Inverter aircondition on Modified wave ups ?
would it run just fine or AC electronic component will heat ?

[shakeel9045]

Hello everyone, I am planning for a solar system that has 20 bifacial solar panels each 585w i intend to use this system off grid, i would like to know the following:

-Should i opt for a 10kw ups instead of inverter & charge controller? i cant determine which one is advantageous over the other.
-what size (kilowatt) inverter should i use? should i base it on stc value x 20 panels that is 441watts x 20 = 8820 watts i.e 10 kilowatt inverter should be sufficient? What are some good quality single phase inverters in 10kw?

[sardarg]

with approx 11700 watts from 20 bifacial panels a 10kw inverter will be good enough. you have choice of inverters are available in Single phase & 3 phase configurations

All Hybrid (off-grid) inverters have built-in MPPT controllers.

Inverex has established a good reputation for aftersales support across Pakistan.

[AkbarGr8]

Are we going to get lower capacity 3 phase hybrid inverters? I.e. 6kw or 8kw?

[sardarg]

sir @AkbarGr8 yes sir 6 & 8 kw 3 phase grid inverters are now available in market

[mgalaxy3]

@sardarg which ones? Can you name/list any

[AkbarGr8]

Sounds good, can you list a few? I'll work on getting pricing!

[pwuser166331039855]

First we have massive load shedding which brings us the needs of UPS

Then we had Generators.
Then we have kits to run generators on gas.
Then comes the era of solar panels.
Now in general, every 5th or 6th home in PK has solar.

Do you guys believe this solar technology is going to replace by another alternative in near future ?

[AkbarGr8]

I believe solar is here to stay with further improvements in battery / panels. One thing is for sure, net metering / benefits are going to go away. It's a matter of WHEN, not IF.

If one can design an offgrid setup with little power input, you're golden!

[mgalaxy3]

Solar is unlimited free power. But low generation efficiency.

Right now the biggest issue is storage of the generated free power.

Batteries are too expensive. They go bad quickly too. Lithium ion ones don’t go bad that quickly but they’re super expensive.

There is room in solar efficiency improvement but the biggest issue right now is producing environment friendly batteries at low cost for general public that can also last a long time.

If battery or energy storage issue is resolved then there will be no need of even grid power at all.. just disconnect WAPDA, store a week’s worth of power in your batteries and run your load day n night off them!

Imagine that future.

Coming to the topic of further innovation… we might not even need solar power or batteries, if and only if, we are able to sustainably generate power from FUSION.

That will be ultimate free energy not even requiring batteries.

Fusion is the power source of stars in the universe. Unlimited free energy.

Experiments are happening and who knows in 50-100 years we might achieve grid power via fusion.

[pwuser166331039855]

China was advertising a coin size battery for mobiles (they named it as atomic battery) and its life cycle is 50 years.
i guess we need some those kind of batteries to save energy. But i don't know how much they would cost in mass productions.

also heard that Australian student has introduced alternative of solar panels. They call it Solar Tape. Its easy to apply. Which means in near future we may not need to install solar panels on roofs. Just need to attach tapes and it will do its solar work.

one more thing, if a 5x6 foot size solar panel produces 1 KW per hour. Then same amount of energy will be produced with few inches/feet long solar tape.

[helper_learner]

Do you guys believe this solar technology is going to replace by another alternative in near future ?

Rooftop wind turbine(box one), might replace it in some places.

[pwuser166331039855]

they may work in the tropical areas. but in areas like punjab seems difficult to spin with air force.

[a.uneeb708]

Wanted some advice. Will be approaching an installer afterwards.

Would an 8KW setup be enough for a 5 marla house with 1 AC usage at all times and 1 intermittently?

I'm planning to go for a hybrid setup. My block is not in the restricted list but I do not meet the criteria of minimum units consumption.

Is it possible to upgrade it to 10KW later?

Any watch outs or things I need to keep in mind?
Would love to receive guidance.

[umans]

Yes you can easily run 2 ACs on 8KW inverter.
With 8KW inverter you can attach 11KW PV

[AkbarGr8]

Are you opting for net metering? As Usman suggested, max out your PV (panels) to whatever is supported by your inverter. I.e 8KW can support 10 or 11 KW panels.

This is recommend to avoid issue of mismatched panels later on with rates at an all time low.

[sardarg]

Growatt Solis & Inverex these brands have launched 8 kwatt Hybrid 3 phase & grid tied 3 phase inverters, please use google then locate dealerships in your respective cities

[mhaider957]

I am planning to install a 3 KW solar system in my house. Need to run 1 inverter AC, 1 fridge and 1 fan. Just want to know the best brand for panels and solar inverter.

[sardarg]

sir @mhaider957 Inverter AC will draw approx 5-8 amps at start, under ideal conditions it will run at 4 amps if thermostat is set to 23 C & the room is insulated correctly. A regular kitchen refrigerator take about 100 - 400 watts.

Always add 20% of calculated load to select inverter & number of panels to compensate for battery charging during sunlight. Otherwise the inverter will share load over batteries as the sunlight starts to get weak.

under ideal conditions during summer peak sun hours (7.00 am to 3.30pm) panels generate only 75-80% of power mentioned over the spec sheet, means 580 watts panel will generate aprox. 465 watts.

Calculate your load precisely add 20% to it. if 1000 watt is the load the system design shall be of 1300+ watt specs. Additional x00 watts generated by panels will top batteries during day light for use after sunlight hours.

Remember to ask your system integrator to guide you how to select battery charging CSO (charge solar only) or CSU (charge solar & utility). Charging batteries over utility company costs money and unit roll over the electric meter.

Panels jinko longi trina canadian solar and inverex are leading brands. Buy an inverter brand with warranty which has same day or 48 hours turnaround after sales support within your city.

@mgalaxy3 @centos @AkbarGr8

[chall3ng3r]

Hello all,

I need some help reading the electricity meter in Bahria, RWP. Also analyzing the power consumption as I believe my units should be monthly 100-150 units less than the previous year.

The following reading snap was taken at around 2pm afternoon, peak sunlight. It shows that 0.02kW (20 Watts) being used from the grid, and I checked the solar was generating ~900Watts which was current load of my house at the time. Am I reading it correctly? The 17 number reading (instantaneous current) is current load wattage?

I don't know how the meter is counting units as the bill at the end of the previous month shows 360 units, and latest one shows 405 units. Which is about 70 units more compared to previous year's same month. I've not added any additional load since then, but installed 1.6kW solar inverter.

The main 2HP water pump which takes about 7.2Amps when running 20 mins everyday, its the only load which is direct on grid. I am going to replace it soon as well.

Any other tips to keep my grid consumption lower?