I'm getting a SoFar system installed 4.35Kwh array, and I'm looking to add my own pylontech batteries, can you please point me in the direction with regards to installition?
@@cbflazaro 2.4 is only marketing number..2.2 is max number you can use with 90%discharge ,bud that will even kill your battery reducing life from 6000 cycles to only 4500. most inverter will be set up to 80% discharge, that will give you 2kwh per battery. have the same 4 battery.
@@cbflazaro maximum you can use is 2.2 kwh as the bms will shut the battery down at that point ,so the 2.4 is just meaningless maketing number...the real fact is it is 2.2kwh battery.
Good system, ours has been in almost a year now. ME3000 DC inverter & 9.6kWh battery storage that balances with our 10kWP of solar arrays. I think the 9.6 kWh storage is a bit overkill for the domestic size 4kWP of solar panels, but that's Dave's choice...the work the batteries will have to do will be a lot less than our system where the batteries max out every day, so longevity of his system will be better than ours (warranted battery cycles) Easy install....if you are competent with domestic wiring, then DIY The smartphone app is a bit clunky, but does the job...pain in the ass to get connectivity with the ME3000, but does work now. Latest ME3000 software is v1.8 available from Homeswitch on a miniSD card.
derek, the factory set passwords are 0001 for basic menu and 0715 for advanced. I do not recall ever having seen a menu to adjust these passcodes. Go to www.sofarsolar.com.au and you can find user manual for the ME3000SP....good luck Chris. 👍
Hi David, Please, advise if batteries are not reducing capacity due to be installed in the attic? If attic is not very well insulated and will be subject to temperature volatility would that not be affecting the batteries long term? Also, can you reply in PM the source of equipment used?
I am getting quotes for a solar system and am getting my head around what I need. I have asked for a 7 KW array. I understand that a 10 KW battery would fit best with an inverter of similar capacity. I am being told (by one supplier) that the battery is too large and I only need a 3.5 KW inverter which makes no sense to me. I assume everything needs to be the same rating.
Thanks for the info. I believe I am getting two strings one facing due east and one due west. Not ideal but that's life. I am also throwing up as much silicon in the air as I can fit. I am also UK based so no point in being half arsed. Thanks for the links as well.
If its an AC system then you will have two inverters on the PV the inverter must be 7Kw if you are installing 7Kw of PV however on the battery system you can have 10kwh of battery which is the size or amount of energy stored and the inverter just needs to be sized to deal with the maximum load you want to discharge the batteries at or the maximum load you are trying to cover in the property if you want some decent help call a company called Puredrive Energy Ltd they are more than happy to help there are lots of cheap batteries around and its good to understand the differences and the capabilities of the systems available.
The Sofar AC coupled battery system will only charge/discharge 3KW at most. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't have a higher output array though - it just means that at peak some electricity will be exported but either side of peak you'll have a higher output.
@Richard Phillips real great explanation here. I have had Solar with Battery Sofar Solar PV ME3000SP, back up for two years now, I have one battery Max Power 1.2kw and Capacity 2.4kwh and been looking if is a good idea to get a second one or not, as you said too much capacity might too much and not worth, also in winter time where there is less sun and short days the battery hardly gets fully charged.
Hello, how is this system holding up? I am considering isntalling a similar battery bank in Portugal where we have alot of sun. Do you have 7 or 10 year warranty on them? Thank you
Hi Michael, just watched the video of your system, I`m thinking of adding batteries to our solar pv system very soon, whats your thoughts on the sofarsolar me3000sp inverter, its been in a while now, you happy with it, any opinion on it greatly appreciated. Thanks
Thank you for the reply, has it been reliable, any issues with it at all? Have you had the need to contact Sofar for support, and if yes, how did they perform, were they helpfull. Sorry to ask all the questions, just trying to get an honestuser opinion of them. Thank you.
Arwel Evans I've been running a similar system for 6 months now. Just be aware that the usable capacity of the Pylontech batteries is about 2.2 KWh per module so four will give you around 8.8 KWh. It's aice system, only probelm I've had is with it tripping the RCD in my house when th sun comes up in the morning. Not usre whether this is an issue with the Sofar or my SAJ solar inverter so have moved them off the RCD and all is good. Worth looking at getting an immersion heater diverter for the Summer months too. You can see my public live detils here microchip.exosite.com/views/1073501101/3934931185
Sofar has been recalled in austrailia for not meeting the safety certs - its a ok inverter for the price but has basic features and if you have a problem you call china. i know it hits the price but I would pay a little extra - the Puredrive Energy system uses Victron who have been putting battery storage in boats for 40 years! www.puredrive-energy.co.uk
How have the batteries held up since the install 2 years ago? Have you noticed any degradation at all? I’m looking at a Sofar hybrid inverter with pylontech battery storage system.
I am not sure 4 batteries are good idea as I am not sure what will will happen in winter times where is little sun shine and short days, the batteries might not get a chance to fully charge. I could be wrong , I have only one and when there is no sun all day there is no chance ig being charged it charged by 30% to 40% and discharge very quickly. What I know if batteries are not charged and discharged fully it will not last long.
@@dinocitozi9216 hi there, I have 4 battery’s and in winter I charge them for 3 to 4 hrs in the night at the 9p rate and I’m then free electric all day until then next day
@@dinocitozi9216 I only buy in winter months, when it’s summer time it’s nearly free with 3 battery’s, I tried 3 battery’s and it keeps us free for 5 days then we use 1kw and then back to 5 day and same again, I now have 4 battery’s so it should keep us of grid completely in summer.
Inverters do not charge batteries from solar panels - the solar controller does that DC to DC. An inverter produces AC from the DC output of the batteries
@@MrDoran656 hybrid inverters still charge batteries from DC to DC from panels or AC to DC from grid. doesnt convert dc from panels to AC to then convert back to DC and charge batteries,. that would make no sense
I'm getting a SoFar system installed 4.35Kwh array, and I'm looking to add my own pylontech batteries, can you please point me in the direction with regards to installition?
PYLONTECH batery has 2.2kw avaliable capacity so you have 8.8kw battery not 10kw.
2.4 each
@@cbflazaro 2.4 is only marketing number..2.2 is max number you can use with 90%discharge ,bud that will even kill your battery reducing life from 6000 cycles to only 4500. most inverter will be set up to 80% discharge, that will give you 2kwh per battery. have the same 4 battery.
@@mirop8864 if you use 80%/2kwh, doesnt change the fact that's a 2.4kwh battery. I didnt say you should use 2.4, i said it was 2.4
@@cbflazaro maximum you can use is 2.2 kwh as the bms will shut the battery down at that point ,so the 2.4 is just meaningless maketing number...the real fact is it is 2.2kwh battery.
A very untidy wiring installation. I would be asking the installer to redo it...
PV inverter appears to be missing DC isolators too? There is an AC isolator however
how long can the house be run on the batteries I'm getting the 7kw pylontec
Good system, ours has been in almost a year now.
ME3000 DC inverter & 9.6kWh battery storage that balances with our 10kWP of solar arrays.
I think the 9.6 kWh storage is a bit overkill for the domestic size 4kWP of solar panels, but that's Dave's choice...the work the batteries will have to do will be a lot less than our system where the batteries max out every day, so longevity of his system will be better than ours (warranted battery cycles)
Easy install....if you are competent with domestic wiring, then DIY
The smartphone app is a bit clunky, but does the job...pain in the ass to get connectivity with the ME3000, but does work now.
Latest ME3000 software is v1.8 available from Homeswitch on a miniSD card.
What’s the app called plz
derek clarke it’s called SolarMAN 2.0 from IGEN Tech Co Ltd
Charcoal Wales I was wonder if you no how to reset the password back to admin on the sofar solar invert for solar panels please ?
derek, the factory set passwords are 0001 for basic menu and 0715 for advanced. I do not recall ever having seen a menu to adjust these passcodes. Go to www.sofarsolar.com.au and you can find user manual for the ME3000SP....good luck Chris. 👍
Charcoal Wales ok cheer,
No joy even logging onto the app you told me to down load
Would you be so kind to do a video of how you did the cabling to the main electrical panel from grid & to the essential loads?
NO
Good day Sir. Did you know how to configure an HYD 3K~6K-EP in off grid mode? Thanks!
Nice setup. How are the batteries holding up? Did you notice any degradation?
Hi David, Please, advise if batteries are not reducing capacity due to be installed in the attic? If attic is not very well insulated and will be subject to temperature volatility would that not be affecting the batteries long term? Also, can you reply in PM the source of equipment used?
I am making a new video today and will explain everything
I am getting quotes for a solar system and am getting my head around what I need. I have asked for a 7 KW array. I understand that a 10 KW battery would fit best with an inverter of similar capacity. I am being told (by one supplier) that the battery is too large and I only need a 3.5 KW inverter which makes no sense to me. I assume everything needs to be the same rating.
mbaker335 my sys 4.2kwpanels 4kw inverter and 10kw storage system
Thanks for the info. I believe I am getting two strings one facing due east and one due west. Not ideal but that's life. I am also throwing up as much silicon in the air as I can fit. I am also UK based so no point in being half arsed. Thanks for the links as well.
If its an AC system then you will have two inverters on the PV the inverter must be 7Kw if you are installing 7Kw of PV however on the battery system you can have 10kwh of battery which is the size or amount of energy stored and the inverter just needs to be sized to deal with the maximum load you want to discharge the batteries at or the maximum load you are trying to cover in the property if you want some decent help call a company called Puredrive Energy Ltd they are more than happy to help there are lots of cheap batteries around and its good to understand the differences and the capabilities of the systems available.
The Sofar AC coupled battery system will only charge/discharge 3KW at most. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't have a higher output array though - it just means that at peak some electricity will be exported but either side of peak you'll have a higher output.
@Richard Phillips real great explanation here. I have had Solar with Battery Sofar Solar PV ME3000SP, back up for two years now, I have one battery Max Power 1.2kw and Capacity 2.4kwh and been looking if is a good idea to get a second one or not, as you said too much capacity might too much and not worth, also in winter time where there is less sun and short days the battery hardly gets fully charged.
Hello could you tell what's the real capacity of this batteries? Are the specifications true? I would apreciate your feedback related this batteries.
2400w each on manufacture site. I dont have equipment to test
Watt is not a unit for the capacity of a battery
Hello, how is this system holding up? I am considering isntalling a similar battery bank in Portugal where we have alot of sun. Do you have 7 or 10 year warranty on them? Thank you
Hi Michael, just watched the video of your system, I`m thinking of adding batteries to our solar pv system very soon, whats your thoughts on the sofarsolar me3000sp inverter, its been in a while now, you happy with it, any opinion on it greatly appreciated. Thanks
Im happy with sofar solar
Thank you for the reply, has it been reliable, any issues with it at all? Have you had the need to contact Sofar for support, and if yes, how did they perform, were they helpfull.
Sorry to ask all the questions, just trying to get an honestuser opinion of them. Thank you.
Arwel Evans I've been running a similar system for 6 months now. Just be aware that the usable capacity of the Pylontech batteries is about 2.2 KWh per module so four will give you around 8.8 KWh. It's aice system, only probelm I've had is with it tripping the RCD in my house when th sun comes up in the morning. Not usre whether this is an issue with the Sofar or my SAJ solar inverter so have moved them off the RCD and all is good. Worth looking at getting an immersion heater diverter for the Summer months too. You can see my public live detils here microchip.exosite.com/views/1073501101/3934931185
Sofar has been recalled in austrailia for not meeting the safety certs - its a ok inverter for the price but has basic features and if you have a problem you call china. i know it hits the price but I would pay a little extra - the Puredrive Energy system uses Victron who have been putting battery storage in boats for 40 years! www.puredrive-energy.co.uk
Use a pip5048... Only one device to control, invert, charge batteries
How have the batteries held up since the install 2 years ago? Have you noticed any degradation at all? I’m looking at a Sofar hybrid inverter with pylontech battery storage system.
I am not sure 4 batteries are good idea as I am not sure what will will happen in winter times where is little sun shine and short days, the batteries might not get a chance to fully charge. I could be wrong , I have only one and when there is no sun all day there is no chance ig being charged it charged by 30% to 40% and discharge very quickly. What I know if batteries are not charged and discharged fully it will not last long.
@@dinocitozi9216 hi there, I have 4 battery’s and in winter I charge them for 3 to 4 hrs in the night at the 9p rate and I’m then free electric all day until then next day
@@derekclarke4964 I see because you buy from National Grid. Which is fine that will work. But not from Solars dependent all the time.
@@dinocitozi9216 I only buy in winter months, when it’s summer time it’s nearly free with 3 battery’s, I tried 3 battery’s and it keeps us free for 5 days then we use 1kw and then back to 5 day and same again, I now have 4 battery’s so it should keep us of grid completely in summer.
@@derekclarke4964 how do you switch that is that done dynamically or manually?
Inverters do not charge batteries from solar panels - the solar controller does that DC to DC. An inverter produces AC from the DC output of the batteries
it's a hybrid inverter so it does
@@MrDoran656 hybrid inverters still charge batteries from DC to DC from panels or AC to DC from grid. doesnt convert dc from panels to AC to then convert back to DC and charge batteries,. that would make no sense
th-cam.com/video/S8msn8zjzfA/w-d-xo.html
Nice to see an Irish solar vid. Did you get off solartricity?
Sourced em myself.from.here and there
@@wicklowhusky nice one looks like a tidy setup.
Who installed that - stevie wonder ?
Why. What do you think is wrong with it?
@@wicklowhusky The wires are not neat. Looks like a self install.
@@3dmotormaker they all supported and well sized, positioned in an attic where nobody goes. In operation 3 year+
@@wicklowhusky Just saying it looks amateur - thats all. Whether it works or not is not my point. Did you install this yourself ?
from Ireland myself,how is your system holding up and who installed this for u
I did most except the Panels
I had to change the controller
@@wicklowhusky what controller would you say is best
@@lennyrossa834 luxpower is the one we have now and its amazing!!
@@wicklowhusky Hi David, What was wrong with the original controller? they seem to be sold together on Ebay.
... storage is 60% energy only from whole capacity. This battery is cheaper shit only
how long does it usually take to charge the batterys to full
Message to all. Do not put solar gear in a loft or attic not even a cable. Not safe.
kWh not kW