I hope this chat finds you well. I have been planning to go off- grid for a while now, and the intension is to take PV solar route for simplicity and financial gains.
I sourced an MPPT hat has 4000 max with 20A , to power my normal 3kw element, 150l geyser
I found five star solar panels at a reasonable price of 1800 each with 650w, which im considering to purchase and 4 of them to be with my geyser specifications, eventhough there would be a short fall of 400w
The question to you members is : would it be enough for me to be in temporary off grid or i should go for max 4000v with 4kw element
The best panels are 21.5% efficient at 1000W/sqm.
(Is there a recognized bifacial measurement convention, I think not ).
That means 215W per square meter.
2279 x 1134 = 2.2584 sqm.
2.2584 x 215 = 555Kwp.
That is only if you think Fivestar are cutting edge tech panels already.
Chinesium call it whatever wattage methinks.
Yeah, rather go with something reputable like a JA, Jinko, Canadian etc. It’s not worth installing re-labeled no-name panels. Even if they do reach the claimed specs, it’s quite likely that they will fail in some way before 20 years.
Googling SWHC-4k gives lots of different brands for what looks like the same device. It actually just looks like a grid-tied inverter. However, 3kg for a 4kW inverter seems a bit unlikely. I would rather just get a Solis grid-tied inverter.
I’m with the others here. I would run away from those Five star panels very quickly.
Outside of that observation: 4 x 650W panels, puts you at a peak of 2600W, and in South Africa you can multiply that by about 5 (on average) to get the average daily production, or 13kWh. A 150 liter the geyser needs about 8kWh to heat the tank once from completely cold to hot, so it seems you are at least on the right side of making enough energy. At least when the sun shines.
I doubt you’d be able to go “off grid” (which means no grid connection). Two days of clouds, and you’ll have a cold tank I suspect.
