Growatt SPF5000ES Offgrid 9kw DIY Solar Project

[Pink7]

Today i got the 28 panels up. Quite hot weather for this type work..I had a family team helping me, the mounting it self was done today.

 

 

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[Pink7]

We was testing the voltage after adding each of the 7 panels. My setup is 2x (7x2 in parallel), got around 280v on each test. All went smooth on the first side of the roof, then on the other side i guess the heat and the stress affected me a moment, i sent up the parallel connectors connected on wrong cable and the wrong way. After a short time out i found my problem and corrected it fast and easy. Next now is cabling of the solar power to the inverters and making building the battery.

 

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[Pink7]

Wife asked me today how much our solar system costed all in all, becouse a neighbor had commented that we must have been using B20-30k or something on this. Wifi only smiled and told here its way more than that. I just updated my spread sheet and I just rounded B300k for all, lets say its 310K when completed. 

 

I created a separate tread for the battery build of this project here.

 

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[Pink7]

My panels have a open circuit voltage rating 45.5 volt, Who should be 318.5v. Actual test was showing around 290v the day all was mounted. Is that normal?

 

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[Crossy]

33 minutes ago, Pink7 said:

My panels have a open circuit voltage rating 45.5 volt, Who should be 318.5v. Actual test was showing around 290v the day all was mounted. Is that normal?

 

Pink

 

Sounds about right.

 

The panels are rated at IIRC 20C. The output voltage decreases with increased temperature. A fact that has cost a number of charge controllers for those in the "cooler" climes when on a -10C day the output voltage rose enough to kill things dead.

[007 RED]

39 minutes ago, Pink7 said:

My panels have a open circuit voltage rating 45.5 volt, Who should be 318.5v. Actual test was showing around 290v the day all was mounted. Is that normal?

 

Pink

Simple answer is YES.  The open circuit voltage shown on the spec label (45.5V) on the back of your panel indicates the expected voltage under ideal laboratory conditions.  That is to say with a very specific light source shining directly above the photovoltaic cells at a controlled atmospheric temperature of 25c.

 

Because your panels are not mounted in a laboratory, they will loose some of their efficiency due to lack of direct sunshine and more importantly because the panels get very hot due to the heat radiated by the sun.  It is quite normal to loose up to 30% of the rated value given on the spec label.

[Pink7]

Some progress last days on cables and breaker boxes etc, but have to do some changes from my plans as the cables much less flexible than i expected. I was just making cables from breakers to batteries now when the tool to crimp the connectors just stop working, so i must check if i can replace the hydraulic. So it held up 10 connectors or so..

 

Pink

[BritManToo]

8 hours ago, Pink7 said:

Some progress last days on cables and breaker boxes etc, but have to do some changes from my plans as the cables much less flexible than i expected. I was just making cables from breakers to batteries now when the tool to crimp the connectors just stop working, so i must check if i can replace the hydraulic. So it held up 10 connectors or so..

 

Pink

I find a small hammer works better to crimp the copper.

[Pink7]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I find a small hammer works better to crimp the copper.

Good idea. Plan one now is a DIY with some of the parts from the crimp tool and some steel and a hammer.

 

Pink

[Crossy]

43 minutes ago, Pink7 said:

Good idea. Plan one now is a DIY with some of the parts from the crimp tool and some steel and a hammer.

 

It would be better to use your vice rather than a hammer, much more controllable and better for your fingers.

 

Crimper still under warranty??

 

I bought a purely mechanical hand-crimper years ago in India, it has 50cm handles and does the job just fine up to 35mm².

[Pink7]

56 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Crimper still under warranty??

 

I bought a purely mechanical hand-crimper years ago in India, it has 50cm handles and does the job just fine up to 35mm².

Just checked.. No warranty.

 

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[Pink7]

On 8/30/2023 at 10:10 PM, Pink7 said:

Some progress last days on cables and breaker boxes etc, but have to do some changes from my plans as the cables much less flexible than i expected. I was just making cables from breakers to batteries now when the tool to crimp the connectors just stop working, so i must check if i can replace the hydraulic. So it held up 10 connectors or so..

 

Pink

And then the tool decide to be working again..After try taking it apart and back again.

 

Pink

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, Pink7 said:

And then the tool decide to be working again..After try taking it apart and back again.

 

Just like your PC, turn off and back on, all is OK ???? 

[Pink7]

This afternoon solar was connected to my 2 x Growatt inverters. I checked the dc power (DC 250 each) and powered it on. Im not sure if Growatt SPF500ES really can do battery-less because i connected a wire to Ac out breaker on the one inverter and there was no AC Power. Tomorrow i will try the other one when have sun again. When i turn the switch to power it up first time it did not start because i forgot to open DC breaker with solar power. Its not to much work left now then it should hopefully be ready.

 

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[Pink7]

15 hours ago, Pink7 said:

This afternoon solar was connected to my 2 x Growatt inverters. I checked the dc power (DC 250 each) and powered it on. Im not sure if Growatt SPF500ES really can do battery-less because i connected a wire to Ac out breaker on the one inverter and there was no AC Power. Tomorrow i will try the other one when have sun again. When i turn the switch to power it up first time it did not start because i forgot to open DC breaker with solar power. Its not to much work left now then it should hopefully be ready.

 

Pink

So today i have done more testing and with real sun conditions ( yesterday testing was just as sun was going down) Both inverter DC270+ in and AC 230 out with only solar connected ( no battery yet and no AC in) So all good !!!

 

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[Pink7]

Parallel cables and Wifi just added...

 

 

 

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[Bandersnatch]

On 2/17/2023 at 4:39 PM, Pink7 said:

Whole order was  USD 4051 for 32 batteries and 2 x bms ($206) included delivery ($485) and custom etc.

 

Pink

 

I like to talk kWhs in Thai Baht. 

 

Please correct my maths if I get this wrong

 

32 batteries @ 0.28kWh = 8.96kWh for 146,924.49  Thai Baht

https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=4051&From=USD&To=THB

 

16,397.82 Baht/kWh

 

I was expecting more of a saving for going DIY

 

[Crossy]

54 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

I like to talk kWhs in Thai Baht. 

 

Please correct my maths if I get this wrong

 

32 batteries @ 0.28kWh = 8.96kWh for 146,924.49  Thai Baht

https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=4051&From=USD&To=THB

 

16,397.82 Baht/kWh

 

I was expecting more of a saving for going DIY

 

 

Aren't the cells 280Ah?

So, 280 * 3.2V = 896Wh per cell.

* 32 = 28kWh ish.

 

146,924/28 = 5,300 Baht / kWh.

[Pink7]

8 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

Aren't the cells 280Ah?

So, 280 * 3.2V = 896Wh per cell.

* 32 = 28kWh ish.

 

146,924/28 = 5,300 Baht / kWh.

Yes its 280Ah

 

Pink

 

 

[Bandersnatch]

49 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

Aren't the cells 280Ah?

So, 280 * 3.2V = 896Wh per cell.

* 32 = 28kWh ish.

 

146,924/28 = 5,300 Baht / kWh.

Thanks should have had my coffee before doing any sums ????

[Crossy]

11 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

Thanks should have had my coffee before doing any sums ????

 

If I had a dollar for every basic maths error I've made ...

[Crossy]

Years back I attended a contract bid-opening meeting, this was for an underground railway.

 

One tunnelling bid was literally half the price of the others. Of course, there was muttering amongst the assembled bidders whose other bids were all in the same ball-park (and close to the contract estimate).

 

The Contract Director quietly whispered (ok a stage-whisper really) to the "winning" bidder's representative "You do realise this is a two-bore tunnel?".

 

Cue a hasty withdrawal of the bid and an embarrassed exit from the room.

 

[Pink7]

Today I got the ATS up and connected to grid and Inverters so one step closer..

[Pink7]

Im setting up a routine for startup and closing down the whole setup. If any have some corrections or improvements pls let me know:

 

START UP

1 Check BMS Its Turned ON - Precharge 10 sec - Open Battery Breakers

2 Open breakers For Solar

3 Open Inverter ONE - Open Inverter TWO

CLOSE DOWN

1 Close Inverter TWO - Close Inverter ONE

2 Close Breakers For Solar

3 Close Battery Breakers

 

 

Pink

 

[Crossy]

Looks OK, verify with the inverter manual.

 

Note that normal terminology is that a switch or breaker is Closed = On, Open = Off.

[Pink7]

8 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Looks OK, verify with the inverter manual.

 

Note that normal terminology is that a switch or breaker is Closed = On, Open = Off.

Yes i remember that from some earlier post..very confusing but very correct.

 

Pink

[Crossy]

3 minutes ago, Pink7 said:

Yes i remember that from some earlier post..very confusing but very correct.

 

If you look at an actual switch you can see where the terminology comes from.

 

 

[Pink7]

8 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

If you look at an actual switch you can see where the terminology comes from.

 

 

Very good point.

 

 

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[Pink7]

Just got all up and running with the 2 growatts in parallel, so right now im on solar power !!!

 

 

Pink

[TimeMachine]

On 8/8/2022 at 6:57 PM, Pink7 said:

After some long research it was time to get this solar project started. Today i ordered 11x 330 Sunergy Poly at B2990. I could not resist this offer, best deal i see in long time, Waiting for delivery tomorrow. 

 

Pink

 

 

Lay panels out in sun and check the spec. Sellers starting to BS on spec sticker.