looking towards 3KW solar power system---in need for help & guidence

[maxtshirt]

Hello every one

im a newbie here. i am located in Yemen. currently we are at a war that saudi waged against the rebels and thus all sources of power are scars. no gas, no petrol so no point of buying a power genarator. even the utility company, main power supplier, supplys the residents with electricity for roughly 2 hours a day and sometimes less.

therefore i have made up my mind to purchase a 3KW solar power system. now, i dont really know much about what to buy. therefore im here seeking info and guidence with this regards.

now im thinking to get 10x 300w solar but some have 156cells and less...i dont know what to get

i think i will need a charger controlar-----i dont know what to get

inverter-----i dont know what to get

off grid solar power system is what im aiming to get. but i want the solar system to be connected to the utility power source. in a way when the battery runs out of power it can still get power charge from the utility power source.

all your thought and sharings will be highly apprecaited

[russ]

Hi Maxtshirt - Welcome to Solar Panel Talk!

Your part of the world is suffering greatly these days - we all hope it improves.

Some of the members (first I wrote guys but one of the best contributors is Amy so I changed it) will be along to give you a hand son I expect.

Russ

[Amy@altE]

Gosh, there's a lot to cover with this post. Since the grid is only available a couple of hours a day, I would treat it like an off-grid system. You first need to figure out how much power you need a day, so do a loads list. Create a list of what equipment has to run, how many watts it uses, and for how many hours a day. From there you can determine the size of solar panels and battery bank you need. You can use an online calculator like we have on our page, http://www.altestore.com/store/calcu...ad_calculator/ . There are lots of them out there.

You will need a charge controller to manage charging the batteries from the solar. It is selected based on the size of the array. You will need an inverter/charger that can take an AC input from the grid when it is on, and charge the batteries when needed. I believe Yemen is 230V 50Hz, so make sure you get an export version that is capable of that output. Perhaps an Outback Power FX2348ET, it is sealed and can handle a harsh environment.

Once you determine how much power you really need, a list of equipment can be put together. Until then, it's just guessing.

[maxtshirt]

Gosh, there's a lot to cover with this post. Since the grid is only available a couple of hours a day, I would treat it like an off-grid system. You first need to figure out how much power you need a day, so do a loads list. Create a list of what equipment has to run, how many watts it uses, and for how many hours a day. From there you can determine the size of solar panels and battery bank you need. You can use an online calculator like we have on our page, http://www.altestore.com/store/calcu...ad_calculator/ . There are lots of them out there.

You will need a charge controller to manage charging the batteries from the solar. It is selected based on the size of the array. You will need an inverter/charger that can take an AC input from the grid when it is on, and charge the batteries when needed. I believe Yemen is 230V 50Hz, so make sure you get an export version that is capable of that output. Perhaps an Outback Power FX2348ET, it is sealed and can handle a harsh environment.

Once you determine how much power you really need, a list of equipment can be put together. Until then, it's just guessing.

Thank you Amy for sharing

In my case I believe that 3Kw solar power system will fit the purpose. I will not use the system for any of the heating machines. Will isolate all the machine that requires big watts such as heaters..etc

So Amy what type of solar panels can u recommend
What charger controller will suit 3 kw solar system
What inverter can u recommend for 3kw solar system
I was told that 200A deep cycle gel battery will be awesome for a 3Kw..what do u think

Again, thank you so much for ur enlightful thoughts

[maxtshirt]

Hi Maxtshirt - Welcome to Solar Panel Talk!

Your part of the world is suffering greatly these days - we all hope it improves.

Some of the members (first I wrote guys but one of the best contributors is Amy so I changed it) will be along to give you a hand son I expect.

Russ

Oh yeah man this part of the world is like a volcano at the moment. But sure it will improve....we are undergoing the process as it seems.just hope it wont take too long to get over with it

[Razer0]

Gosh, there's a lot to cover with this post. Since the grid is only available a couple of hours a day, I would treat it like an off-grid system. You first need to figure out how much power you need a day, so do a loads list. Create a list of what equipment has to run, how many watts it uses, and for how many hours a day. From there you can determine the size of solar panels and battery bank you need. You can use an online calculator like we have on our page, http://www.altestore.com/store/calcu...ad_calculator/ . There are lots of them out there.

You will need a charge controller to manage charging the batteries from the solar. It is selected based on the size of the array. You will need an inverter/charger that can take an AC input from the grid when it is on, and charge the batteries when needed. I believe Yemen is 230V 50Hz, so make sure you get an export version that is capable of that output. Perhaps an Outback Power FX2348ET, it is sealed and can handle a harsh environment.

Once you determine how much power you really need, a list of equipment can be put together. Until then, it's just guessing.

Amy I'm going to take advantage of you, I hope everyone can learn from this. Haha. Permission first, people!

For information sake..VFX3024E of Outback Power Inc., it's technical specifications are 24VDC with a continuous power rating @ 25 celcius to be 3000KVA.

Does this mean that to get the continuous 13amp AC RMS output, one would need either/and a bank of solar panels (24V to make easy) totalling to 3000W output or 125AH 24V (again, to make things easier to calculate) battery bank ?

Edit** After remembering a read in the off-grid section of the forums about batteries, the battery system would likely have to be higher than 125AH so as to supply the system continuously at 13amp AC (as above and if being recharged by solar panels) as well as keep "load levels" above a 50% usage limit for FLA's for example. Yes?

[Amy@altE]

This is a little tricky to explain. Since a battery based inverter gets its power from the battery bank, not directly from the solar panels, the size of the array doesn't have to match up with the size of the inverter. Likewise for the size of the battery bank. What does matter is that the array and battery bank are big enough to supply enough power.

If you are using 3000W continuously, you would need a battery bank big enough to provide that much power. In a 125Ah bank from your example, you'd be able to power that for about 1/2 hour before the battery would drop to 50% depth of discharge.

This is why a loads list is so critical. You need to know how much power needs to be stored. So if you have a 3000W load for 4 hours a day, that's 12,000Wh. Your battery bank would have to be 12,000Wh x number of days without a recharge x 2 for 50% depth of discharge x temperature compensation / inverter inefficiency / 24V. So as you can see, the battery bank gets big very fast. Likewise for the solar array. It needs to be big enough to refill the battery as fast or faster than the power you are taking out.

For the original poster, how are you guessing that 3kW is big enough for the array? How much power needs to be stored? Who is telling you a 200Ah battery? My guess, and it is only a guess without data, is that you'd need at least 8 of them. You may want to look at a 48V system instead.

There's just too many variables and unknowns to give a solid answer.

[Razer0]

What kind of advice I like to receive is exactly what I would need for the Wh usage I have.

It has nothing to do with lifestyle changes, although it may help.
It has nothing to do with money, if money doesn't matter.
And it has nothing to do with what solar panels, or how many battery banks, or what politicians rule the world :P Its about how you live your life, and the intentions you set for it

Thanks, Amy. Being brave to recommend 48V array with the drop of a hat is top of my list of awesomeness *thumbs up*

[russ]

What kind of advice I like to receive is exactly what I would need for the Wh usage I have.

It has nothing to do with lifestyle changes, although it may help.
It has nothing to do with money, if money doesn't matter.
And it has nothing to do with what solar panels, or how many battery banks, or what politicians rule the world :P Its about how you live your life, and the intentions you set for it

Thanks, Amy. Being brave to recommend 48V array with the drop of a hat is top of my list of awesomeness *thumbs up*

A bunch of blather from the unknowing?

[Razer0]

A bunch of blather from the unknowing?

That could be the name of a brand of shampoo!