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Wisdom/BSL battery, Sigineer inverter, Jinko Tiger Pro, and RoofTrac install in Belize

JAndle

Mad Scientist
Joined
Mar 1, 2021
Messages
43
Location
Belize, off grid on Corozal Bay
A year ago I was researching and planning. I settled on Wisdom/BSL 10kWh 51.2V LFP (6 total), Jinko Tiger Pro 530W (pallet of 31), Sigineer 230V single phase 5kW off grid inverters (4), Victron auto transformers (2), and various glue parts and mechanicals.

In September I got Belize PUC approval and started the order, which shipped around Christmas. I used An Yun Logistics, which is who BSL uses, to aggregate the order. It reached Panama in a timely manner, where it hung out a little longer than planned. It then did a loop around the Caribbean, reaching port March 23.

A really poor choice of customs brokers jackknifed the shipment and I had to involve a new broker/trucker to get them... this week (June 13th).

Yesterday I mounted 6 panels (300V) on rails on top of the 20' container and ran 4mm cable into the shed next to it. I had already wired breaker/midnight solar surge arrestor/fuse/small surge arrestor block but identified a polarity inversion and fixed it. Issue one arose - Sigineer defaults to SLA so no BMS cable... Wisdom was supposed to send BMS cable but only sent battery to battery jumpers. PV to AC worked with 267V actual (cloudy) at no load. Battery wouldn't even try.

Odd things were battery read 17.5V dsconnected and 0V connected. Turns out a good voltmeter will read leakage current of the BMS in OFF state but the battery terminal protection circuit of the inverter is enough load to see it as 0V. Tried the rest button a few times, but it was hot and 1000% RH so I was too impatient to hold it long enough...

Today I took an Ethernet cable and the Sigineer manual and... nope. still no... decided to sit on the battery reset button and... it's alive!

Will take photos of the very kludgy wiring (cable trays to be added) and the panel rail mounts later today.

This is the backup system for the house, still under construction. Mid July I will put three strings of 7 panels (350V/) feeding three paralleled inverters sharing 5x 10kWh batteries. BSL made me a custom combiner for 5 batteries and 4 inverters and shipped (most of the) cables for the rack.

The main system will feed 230V to shedable loads (AirCon, 230V appliances if we ever convert from gas stove and dryer) and to a Victron autotransformer. Autotransformer and remote system will feed an ATS and that will feed a 'standard' 115V split phase distribution box for the main loads of the house.

Sigineer support and documentation are top notch.
Wisdom/BSL workmanship is great but I am neutral on their support or clarity of communications. The combiner box and cabling system exceeded expectations.
Getting the panels I wanted was like pulling teeth and every company that took the order then tried to substitute. Lost two panels (they were spares) just due to horrid road conditions here even in the factory crating.
Ordering spools of PV cable and ATS was easy on Alibaba...

... pics over the rest of the project duration.
 
Roof picture shows bolts for future panel rails. Welded bolts onto the container and then attached solar rails on wedges
 

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The professional, in-house version. 3/8 stainless rod epoxied into T-beams of the flat roof. Fitted with alternating nuts and washers and cast into 3" cement and steel mesh slab plus 1.5" thinset + ceramic tiles. Solar wedge 5 degree supports (Belize is 18N and I want peak summer power for air conditioners) and Rooftrack anodized aluminum channel supports. 7x3 array of Jinko Tiger Pro 530W panels, earthed and conduited to floor below by #6 600V PV cable.
 

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Professional trunking of lightning protection and inverters. 3x 350Vdc in with breaker, midnight solar surge, fuses, smaller surge then into 3x Sigineer 5000W EU style inverters. Far right panel has 3x 40A 230V inputs from the 5kW inverters (10kW surge capable) and 2x 100A 230V outputs. Left panel is shedable 230V loads (air conditioners, future wires for electric stove and dryer - now propane, and backup to solar hot water). Other 100A feeds an ATS that is also backed up by the ugly 5kW/10kWh/5kW diesel previously posted. ATS feeds the Victron 100A autotransformer which feeds the 115V split phase center load panel. Anecdotally, the autotransformer not only gives load balancing but the large transformer buffers a single Sigineer inverter from starting surge of power tools at the end of a 50' extension cord... interesting side benefit. Batteries to be installed pending tile cure this weekend.
 

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Floor and tile prep for 5x 10kWh Wisdom/BSL battery rack... Corner of 2 12x16" cement reinforced cast beams at a 12x12 post sitting on a 36' driven piling to bedrock. Floor is 5" prestressed T-beams on 2' centers with foam plugs and 3" cement slab with steel mesh. Area under the battery rack has dense #4 rebar reinforcement. over 1" of thinset and 30" x 30" ceramic tile.
 

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JAndle,
I'm close to puling the trigger on BSL Batts and I am in Belize too. Any long term updates on your system and speciifcially battery performance. I'm planning Victron Quattro II but trying to make final decision on batteries. Feel free to PM
 
They did not (long story but still do not) talk to the sigineer inverters. BSL has been responsive and helpful but getting the *correct* RJ15 serial dongle to upload firmware took a while. Now I am just too busy to do it. Short answer, order programming cable 'just in case' and refer to Jeff Andle and Belize.

Even so, setting Sigineer to control by voltage works great. I don't pay much attention to the single inverter, single 10kWh backup system except that I did trip over to it running AC all day and all night during very overcast August weather...

Aside from that the 21x panels, 3x inverters, and 5x 10KWh battery system has been working without issues.

I would have asked BSL to conformal coat the boards (maybe they do) and I may ask Sigineer about doing so to the inverters. I did lose a comms board on one inverter - likely a gecko suicide. I had my AirCon boxes all coated because a friend fried a gecko.
 
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