Newbie here - planning on going solarin the Philippines

[GoetzSaCebu]

Hello forum, as I live in Cebu-City (Philippines), now with 3weekswithout power after the last typhoon I thin about a long term solution to become more grid independent, but not totally off-grid.

I live in a rented townhouse, so a fixed installation is a no-go.
Also after the typhoon I realize that anything that is not properly fixed will be ripped off.

I thought about a generator, but living 3 weeks without aircon I now realize that this bit of luxury is nice to have.
Especially when the 1st floor of the house stays above 30degrees Celsius on regular sunny days and we have lots of them here.

I thought of buying a generator that can deliver 5KW upwards to power all appliances plus maybe our 1.5HP aircon.
But as it runs on diesel/gas/ it will be used not so much and than the money isn't spend best.

That's why I think of a electric generator that can run my house appliances including aircon. As these are Inverter Aircons they usually need a higher input on startup and then run idle at around 500W to keep a room cool. With my actual cost for electricity at around 100EUR per month I think if I invest 4000-5000 EUR now in a good system I save much in the long run.

I found the EcoFlow and other generators and now my question is- how easy are to install to my home?
Then I came across the Blueetti AC300 series and like it very much.But which brand is best in reliability and warranty - as I live here in the philippines. Just think about shipping cost when something happens within warranty...

I plan on getting the generator(s) so I get the necessary 220V we have here in the philippines.
Then I want to put it between the grid and my home so that all appliances usally run from the battery.
I see that I can add 400W Solar Input, and as Im in the Philippines I guess that would be perfect here to minimize cost of the system.
And only if the batteries run too low or I need more power the grid power gets used as additional input.

What I didnt find was, which batterie generators supply me with 220/240V - as all the US websites only show 120V units wich isnt enough in the philippines.
I can buy the EcoFlow system locally here,but how "easy" would it be to install it "between" the grid and my existing home cabeling to all applications?

I hope you get what I mean to ask.

 

[Johnson]

Your first question would be to howuch power do you need per day. Running all your needs from a.generator for a day will give you a bit of an idea, but humidity, wind speed, cloud will affect the estimate as houses there are not always insulated.

Your next step will be determining how big your battery will have to be, you will. Want something like 3 - 5 times your dayly consumption and from there you figure out how much solar power you need.

Building a new house there, properly insulated, would be a more realistic option then installing massive temporary solar on a rental property.

 

[GoetzSaCebu]

Yeah, I have to look up my old bills to see the monthly consumption over a year.
Usually the aircons (inverter) use most of the power, then there's the fridge with inverter and the washing machine. But that's all the "high power" appliances.

I haven't looked at solar cells now to see how much space I need, but I look for removable ones that I can put on my roof and take off in case a storm is coming.

What I look for is a generator that can maybe run with 2000W continuous supply and has 1000W solar installed to charge. The rest then comes from the grid first, but if possible solar can be added later to max use the sunlight here in the philippines.

But yeah, I will check how much I use per day and then calculate my needs.

I think about an invest of 6000US$ first.
Building a house is no option as I don't get one for just 6K, and with 6K I still have a flexible solution that I hope can use for 10+ years.

 

[GoetzSaCebu]

Ok my monthly consumption is around 500KW so 17KW per Day. Mostly from the fridge and the aircons. But its allinverter aircons. The 500KW cost me round 120US$ each month.

The new solar generators are big and maybe oversized for what I need?
So I also ask, which older model could do the job?
Like 600-700W continues and 1500W peak.
I plan first to install 800W Solar and see how my usage will be. Or would 1000W better to really charge the batteries?
I know that "5 hour sun" number but im in the Philippines and have 12h sun every day - so I sure get more out of the panels during a day. I dont need long backup times as I still can use the grid power.
Only i a typhoon hit again like 3 weeks ago it would be bad but then at least during day I could run 1 smaller aircon only.

 

[Johnson]

There are two main components in the system. The solar panels and the battery. If you make the solar panel array huge, you won't need much in the way of batteries. If you make your battery huge, you can make your solar array smaller. The solar array will have to be large enough to charge the battery to an acceptable level from empty in the time frame you choose and support the load at the same time.

In ideal conditions sun every day, you would look at a 13 kWh battery and a 3 kW array

There are of course other considerations, like how willing are you to forgo airconditioning when the sun does not shine?

 

[GoetzSaCebu]

I dont realy get the calculations,I dont need much backup as I will fall back to grid power in the first time.

If I need 600W over night for 12 hours it adds up to 7200Wh for the battery.
To charge the 7200Wh battery in 6 hours sunlight (I guess I get more in the Philippines) I need 1200W solar - plus 600W to run my appliances.
Yeah there will be cloudy days too - but then I will fall back to grid power.
So usually with that I run my appliances all day from sunlight PLUS in the night from battery.
Half of what you calculated

 

[Johnson]

Only way to find out what works for you is to try. I started of with 1kW of solar and a 7kWh battery, I have since increased my solar to 3kW and my battery to 14kWh. Reason was that in hot weather rhe solar panels produced about 80% of the rated output and 14 kWh is enough to run my airco overnight. Any over production is just not used. My panels are shaded by trees until about 10:30 AM and again from 4PM.

 

[Johnson]

But the smallest system would be something like 1.5kW solar with a small battery for smoothing over passing clouds. With the panels being removable, you might want to consider theft.

 

[GoetzSaCebu]

I cant rush things anyway. Still no power and internet where I now live here in Cebu (Typhoon Odette 3 weeks ago). Plus the AC300 is sold out and before I order I need to check how warranty and delivery is in the Philippines.
But I guess I get some cheaper panels over here, just found a 540W panel with good recommendations on lazada, so for 800$ I could get 4 of them to start with. Just not flexible ones, but I guess I need to hire a guy to install them, still better than no panels hahaha

Theft is no issue here as our subdivision is safe even without a guard. And they would have to climb on my neighbors roof, so he and his dogs will surely wake up...

 

[GoetzSaCebu]

Anyone could give me info on these panels

Reesun 540Watts Half Cell Monocrystalline Solar panel 144cell sunking solar sunkingsolar mono PERC | Lazada PH

Solar Panels for Whole House Set: 540w monocrystalline solar panel is far more energy-efficient and durable than conventional full cell solar panel. Solar Panel for All Appliances: Free of harmful uv rays, sunlight on the roof, campers, cars, boats, bicycles, marine boats, yachts, power lines...

www.lazada.com.ph

 

[12VoltInstalls]

The new solar generators are big and maybe oversized for what I need?
So I also ask, which older model could do the job?
Like 600-700W continues and 1500W peak.
I plan first to install 800W Solar and see how my usage will be. Or would 1000W better to really charge the batteries?

First you should visit the FAQ and use that information to calculate for actual Wh needs. You sound like you have some basics understood really well. Therefore the energy audit and panel calculations will be very enlightening for you.

I dont realy get the calculations

By doing the above then you will
Plus you won’t make mistakes like this:

Only way to find out what works for you is to try.

That is necessarily so. The inefficiencies and other losses are factored into the self-help guidance in the FAQs.

When I assembled my first system I calculated my expectations and duty cycles based on my own prior electrical knowledge - this site I don’t think existed then.
Other than EEs, electricians, and certain hobbyists - most people do not know the information needed or how to use it to predict their needs.

The FAQ info is invaluable for this. And may save you a lot of money by helping assure that you purchase appropriate equipment.

 

[Johnson]

It is hard when you first start, after a year you will wonder why you found it so hard.

 

[Johnson]

It is hard when you first start, after a year you will wonder why ou found it so hard. Don't worry to much and just start, it will work.