Solar & battery projects

Off-grid household – 3kWp

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We have started a new 3kWp solar system this week which will have 12 x 270W RenewSys panels connected to a 5kVA Victron EasySolar with 100A MPPT and a 10/7 Freedom Won lithium ion battery. Its taking up a tiny corner of the clients storage container and will feed the house, the farm and two pressure pumps. With the EasySolar unit, the remote monitoring system in built-in, so off-site monitoring will assist in ensuring the system is updated and running smoothly.
Grid-connected household with 2kWp solar74386263_2602366256548830_1161482516889075712_o (1)     73280688_2602366333215489_5712907769036668928_oThis small home system sustains most of the household load with 2kWp on the roof and a 3kW EasySolar with built-in 70A MPPT connected to a Freedom Won 5/4kWh lithium ion battery. Victron’s remote monitoring system is also built into these units, allowing easy off-site monitoring of the system. The house reverts to mains power when the solar cannot provide enough.
Lithium ion upgradee8849f03-4ed6-484c-8b27-7c4d70688a4cThis 30kWh Freedom Won battery replaced a bank of 1600Ah (48V) lead acid cells. While not a solar installation (the batteries are charged daily from a generator), the lithium ion battery is able to be charged at a higher rate and, with its better recharging efficiency, we are able to reduce generator run time. To achieve this, there is a stand-alone 50A charger in addition to the 70A charger in the Multiplus 5kVA unit, giving 120A of charging capacity.
Lithium ion upgrade for a 3kWp solar installationimg_20191003_143517.jpgWe upgraded this old lead acid pack (24V / 1400Ah) with a 10kWh (52V / 200Ah) lithium ion battery. Increasing the system voltage to 48V allows us to double up on the solar system without the need for any more charge controllers – there are two 70A controllers in place handling the 12 x 250W panels. Future plans are to add another 12 panels and another battery when more accommodation is added.The old battery bank in the yellow cases makes for an useful comparison
Off-grid house and cottage (8kWp)Image may contain: sky, house, tree, outdoor and natureIMG_20190806_091433    This 8kWp system feeds into a 16kWh BlueNova lithium ion battery through two Victron charge controllers. Power is provided by two 5kVA Victron Multiplus-II units. Remote monitoring with the Victron Colour Control unit is standard on such installations to provide real-time analysis and historical usage data.
Off-grid household – 1kWp (to start!) and now 2kWp as of November 2019Marico solarThis system has been designed to be upgraded, so we’re starting with 4 panels for now with the plan to upgrade to a 4kWp in future and as it grows. This is linked to a 3kW Victron Multiplus-II and a 5kWh Freedom Won lithium ion battery. In addition, it has a remote monitoring system to keep track of usage.This system has been upgraded with another 4 panels in November 2019
Off-grid household – 3kWpBeaglesolarIMG_20190516_101742This system operates a household out of town with no mains power. The off-grid system has a 3kWp solar array connected to a 10/7 Freedom Won lithium ion battery and linked to a Victron EasySolar 3kVA unit, complete with remote monitoring access.
Off-grid cottagesIMG_20190218_113108IMG_20190218_113138This small system runs two off grid cottages. It has an 800W Victron Multiplus inverter/charger and 4 x 200Ah batteries (and a battery balancer). There are two such system on this remote farm running two sets of cottages.
Office backup (with some solar)This is a 5kVA office and workshop backup system with an 8kWh lithium ion battery from Blue Nova. For extended daytime outages, we’ve included a 1000Wp solar system on the roof. 
Remote camp site – 4.5kWp
This remote 4.5kWp system with 5kVA Victron inverter and MPPT keeps a remotely located camp site operational. We’ve linked in a 12kWh Blue Nova battery to easily handle the overnight loads.
Off-grid office in Maun – 4kWp
New 4kWp
Old 2kWp
Just upgraded this 2kWp to a 4kWp system to add a small aircon unit. The new Victron MPPT charge controller (with up to 250V input) allows us to string up to 6 panels in series for an easier upgrade in future (currently we have 5 in series).We also upgraded the ailing lead acid battery with a Blue Nova 4kWh lithium ion battery to handle the small overnight loads for security lighting and refrigeration.
Safari Camp – 55kWpThis 55kWp solar array is connected to Fronius 20kVA grid-tied inverters and Victron Quattro units. At the heart of the system is a 195kWh Blue Nova lithium ion battery bank.WhatsApp Image 2018-02-10 at 11.34.35 IMG_6830 IMG_6829
4kWp off-gridThis off-grid system provides all the power needed for a remote anti-poaching unit in the Okavango Delta – with a 16kWh Blue Nova battery and two 3kVA Victron Multiplus units. It also has a remote monitoring system to allow offsite monitoring.IMG_6710IMG_6727
Lithium ion upgrade: Blue Nova 16kWhIMG_6410.JPGWe used a 16kWh 52V (310Ah) Blue Nova lithium ion battery to replace a 900Ah lead acid battery bank. So far, the change has been dramatic, with the batteries getting to a 100% SOC on a daily basis despite cloudy weather – mainly due to the efficiency (96%) of the lithium ion system compared to 70% of a lead acid battery.
Blue Nova Retrofit – 32kWhWe replaced an ailing lead acid battery bank with a two Blue Nova 52V 16kWh lithium ion batteries for a 32kWh system. The original bank was a 76kWh bank with 24 x 2V 1600Ah lead acid batteries.IMG_5224.jpg Work in progress – busy installing and programming the new 32kWh system
Residential 1.5kWp (upgradable to 2kWp)IMG_5569.jpgThis small 1.5kWp residential system has a 20kWh lead acid battery system and 3kW inverter to cope with fridges and power tools (occasional use). We’ve allowed for an additional 750Wp of solar for future needs.June 2019: We’ve upgraded the battery bank to a 10kWh Freedom Won lithium ion battery and added 3 more panels!
Residential 3kWpimg_4522img_4520This residential installation has just had a 16kWh lithium battery bank installed

Update: March 2018 – we’ve now added another 4 panels, pushing this to 3kWp

Safari Camp in the Okavango DeltaDSC_0167.JPGThe main part of the camp is powered by a 4kWp solar system with 2 x 3kVA Victron Multiplus invertersDSC_0147.JPGEach of the tents have a 200L solar geyser and a 500Wp solar system with a 800W Victron Phoenix inverter housed in a lockable and weatherproof enclosure.
2kWp system in Maun and KasaneIMG_2622.jpgA set of two 2kWp solar installations at the UNDP offices in Maun and Kasane with a 1200VA inverter to provide power to the computers, main server and security lighting. We are also in the process of replacing all the flourescent lighting with LED tube lights.
6kWp Residential solar system in MaunFlood waters solar2 6kWp rooftopunadjustednonraw_thumb_3f1 10kVA inverter system
Residential solar in Chanoga (30km from Maun) 
This plant was initially a 1kWp system (left) and was upgraded to a 2kWp system