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About Sonop Solar

Sonop Solar in the Western Cape, Cape town supplies and installs Solar products.

24 Oct
Stories

Sonop Solar knows the ways to finance your solar system

Sonop Solar knows the ways to finance your solar system

Don’t stress about the costs of an Solar System.
Sonop Solar has a financing solution for your renewable energy project.

Whether you need financing for a

  • Rural, 
  • Agricultural,
  •  Residential or 
  •  Commercial 

solar system, Sonop Solar has got a solution for that too.

Get in contact with Sonop Solar for a financing solution for a solar system by contacting us:

Mail: info@sonopsolar.co.za
Number: 022 001 0049

10 Oct
Stories

Hybrid Storage System with a Freedom Won LIFePO4 Lithium Ion Battery.

Hybrid Storage System with a Freedom Won LIFePO4 Lithium Ion Battery

 

Sonop Solar installed a Hybrid ESS System with 4.2kw PV Power, charging a 15kw Lithium battery with a Victron Smart Solar MPPT.

This is Hybrid ESS(Energy storage system) system consists out of an:

This Hybrid system is used for daily running the household and charging of batteries.

The Property is running of the batteries when solar is not available anymore.

When battery reaches a certain SOC(State of Charge) loads are bypassed to the grid again.

For more information on installation contact Sonop Solar directly at: 022 001 0049 or send an mail to info@sonopsolar.co.za

To find out about prices and product visit the online shop and start shopping: www.sonopsolar.co.za/shop/

03 Oct
Stories

Solar Power, Sun Energy or Renewable Energy for your home.

Solar Power, Sun Energy or Renewable Energy for your home.

Whether you call it solar power, sun energy or renewable energy. We know the only thing you really care about is to have something that works for your home.

Sonop Solar can help you step by step with this process of understanding the green world that you want to enter.

The different Solar Energy systems.

  1. Grid-Tie System
  2. Off-Grid System
  3. Hybrid System
  4. Battery Backup System
  5. Solar Pump System

 

Grid-Tie System:

Grid-Tie Systems (1.5 kW – 1 MW)

This is a system where you are connected to the grid. DC power from the PV modules is converted by the grid-tied inverter to AC power to feed your consumption during the day and feed excess power back into the grid. There are no batteries involved – the utility is the battery. So when the utility is off, your system is also off. This system offers massive savings on your electricity bill. Batteries can be connected at a later stage with an additional inverter.

Example: Average house uses 1000 units per month

1000 units ÷ 30 days ÷ 5.5 sun hours = 6.06 kW/h

6 kW grid-tie inverters

24 x 255 W polycrystalline solar panels

Railings, cable, connectors, breakers, fuses, etc.

Stand Alone System / Off-Grid System

If you are living in a remote area where you are not connected to the main electricity grid or want to be 100% independent in your power use, installing an off-grid solar power system for your electricity needs could be the best solution.

If you decide to go off grid, you will need solar panels, a charge controller, an inverter and batteries where you can store excess solar electricity. These batteries will supply you with energy even when there is no sunshine. The sun shining onto your solar panels will generate DC (direct current) electricity, which is fed into a regulator. Once your batteries are charged, you can run your electrical appliances directly off the batteries or route the direct current through an inverter which converts the electricity and will let you run all your standard household appliances.

Example: 5 kVA Stand-alone system

5 kVA inverter/charger

100 Amp charge controller

12 x 255 W polycrystalline solar panels

24 x 1660 Ah 2 V batteries

Combiner box, fuses, breakers, cable, railings, connectors.

Backup power : 40 kW @ 4kW = 10 hours

Hybrid System

Hybrid solar systems combine the best from grid-tied and off-grid solar systems. These systems can either be described as off-grid solar with utility backup power, or grid-tied solar with extra battery storage.

Hybrid non-grid feed in, which is for backup and self-consumption, are connected to the PV modules, utility or generator, batteries and to the load. There is no need for a charge controller/regulator.

Example: 5 kVA

5 kVA hybrid inverter

12 x 255 W polycrystalline solar panels

12 x 260 Ah 12 V batteries

Combiner box, railings, fuses, breakers, cable, connectors, etc.

Backup power : 18.7 kW @ 4 kW = 4.5 hours

Battery Backup/UPS

We have UPS or backup solutions for when the utility fails. When the utility fails the UPS changes over automatic within milliseconds. The inverter is sized by your load you want to use and the batteries are sized to the backup time you want when the utility fails.

Example: 5 kVA (4000 W) load for 3 hours backup

Inverter/charger 5 kVA

8 x 12 v 260 Ah batteries

Cable, breakers, etc.

12 480 kW/h ÷ 4000 W = 3.1 hours backup @ 50% depth of discharge

Solar Pump System

This pumping solution is used where there is no utility and is too expensive to get the utility on the site. A normal existing 230 V or 380 V pump can be used for pumping. A solar pump controller is used to convert the DC, of the solar panels, to 230 V or 380 V AC. The system runs only during normal sun hours. Applications from 0.75 kW – 250 kW can be used. The PV modules for this system is sized 1.8 – 2 times the size of the motor. Your pumping cost will be zero for 25 years.

Example: 11 kW pump + motor

11 kW solar pump controller (solar VSD)

86 x 255 W polycrystalline solar panels

Railings, cable, connectors, etc.

And your pump is running for FREE!

Now that you understand the basic systems you can contact Sonop Solar to help you with your home solutions.

Going Green is going to be fun!

01 Oct
Stories

How an Inverter works in layman’s terms.

How an Inverter works in layman’s terms and one of the reason behind System “problems”.

Before reading further ask yourself – how many times have you called an IT guy to help you or your business with a computer related problem?
Keep in mind that Solar Energy works with the same ever changing technology, so chances are you might have to call support for software issues as well for you solar related products.
So here we go…

Lets try to explain an inverter in an easy way:

Suppose you have a battery in a flashlight and the switch is closed so DC flows around the circuit, always in the same direction, like a race car around a track. Now what if you take the battery out and turn it around. Assuming it fits the other way, it’ll almost certainly still power the flashlight and you won’t notice any difference in the light you get—but the electric current will actually be flowing the opposite way. Suppose you had lightning-fast hands and were deft enough to keep reversing the battery 50–60 times a second. You’d then be a kind of mechanical inverter, turning the battery’s DC power into AC at a frequency of 50–60 hertz.
Of course the kind of inverters you buy in electrical / Solar stores don’t work quite this way, though some are indeed mechanical: they use electromagnetic switches that flick on and off at high speed to reverse the current direction.
Inverters like this often produce what’s known as a square-wave output: the current is either flowing one way or the opposite way or it’s instantly swapping over between the two states.
This above is a short and easy version of how an inverter works in layman’s terms, but to try and explain the different Solar ( DC to AC) inverter with its technology is like trying to explain how a computer works to your great grandmother.
With that said, we at Sonop Solar know it is time to start educating our clients.

So to the first step in inverters educations:

Inverters work with programs / software, like an computer work with programs and software, these programs or software sometimes needs upgrades or ‘tweaks’ and this is a major reason behind most System installations not working immediately or failing after a while .
It can take seconds, minutes to weeks sometimes to get the programs between component to communicate or work.
The above is also the reason that we at Sonop Solar sometimes would recommend certain products above other, because of the version of software and capability of upgrading that software easy and efficient as well as get support.
Note that the product support team available could be the reason behind putting a 10 k more down for a product. So that when the installer or client has a problem that there is a team ready to give accurate and immediate support and solve the problem as soon as possible.
Technology is an ever changing ball game and it would be unfair to expect everyone to always understand.
Please let us know what questions you have by sending us an email to info@sonopsolar.co.za
01 Oct
Stories

Small off Grid System for mountain cottage in the Cederberg.

Sonop Solar installed a small Off Grid System in the Cederberg.

System Specs:

  • PV Power/h : 2.475kwh
  • Total PV Power/day : 12.375kwh
  • Battery Capacity : 11.52kwh
  • Usable battery Power @ 50% DOD : 5.76kwh
This System can be used for the following power consumption if battery are 100% SOC(State of Charge) and not discharge more that 50% DOD(Depth of Discharge):

500w Load @ 50% DOD : 11 Hours
Example: 10 x 10w LED Lights, 1 x Fridge/Freezer 200w, 1 x LED TV, Surround Sound + Router +- 200w

This Off Grid system includes the following:

  • 9 x 275 w PV Modules
  • 1 x 5 String PV Combiner + SPD
  • 1 x Axpert Inverter 48/500 with 80A MPPT
  • 1 x Battery Fuse Disconnect + Fuses
  • 4 x Omni Power 12v 240ah AGM/Gell Batteries
  • 3 x Intercell Connectors 50mm x 360mm
  • 2 x Intercell Connectors 25mm x 360mm
  • 2 x Lead out Cables 25mm x 1500mm
  • 120 x Solar Cable 6mm
  • 1 x AC protection Box
  • 12 x MC4 connectors

Average price for this size off grid system starts from: R 55 000 Excluding vat in Oktober 2018.

For more information visit the online store: www.sonopsolar.co.za

For installation quotations: info@sonopsolar.co.za

27 Sep
Stories

Victron sold online in South Africa at Sonop Solar

Victron sold online at Sonop Solar.

Victron is a professional choice for independent electric power. Sonop Solar offers a wide range of quality renewable energy Victron products online with the best price and quality.

Sonop Solar supplies the following Victron products online: Anti-Islanding Device Single , Anti-Islanding Device Three Phase ,Victron Battery Monitor,Victron Blue Smart Charger with Bluetooth,Victron Bluetooth Smart Dongle VE.Direct, Victron Charge Controller MPPT , PWM, Victron Color Control GX ,Victron EasySolar ,Victron MPPT Control,Victron MPPT SmartSolar ,Victron MultiPlus inverter, Victron Phoenix Off Grid Inverter,Victron Quattro Off Grid Inverter, Victron RS485 to USB ,Victron SmartSolar Pluggable Display,Victron Temperature Sensor,Victron VE.Direct ,Victron Venus GX,Victron Wifi Module Long Range and  Victron Wifi Module Short Range.

Victron offers a wide range of quality renewable energy products designed in the Netherlands. Their products include sinewave inverters, sinewave inverters/chargers, battery chargers, DC/DC converters, transfer switches, battery monitors and more. Victron Energy has a strong, unrivalled reputation for technical innovation, reliability, and build quality. Their products are widely considered to be the professional choice for independent electric power.

You can now remotely monitor Victron Energy equipment all over the world. The Victron Remote Management is a free service provided by Victron Energy.

Sonop Solar supplies the following Victron products online: Anti-Islanding Device Single , Anti-Islanding Device Three Phase ,Victron Battery Monitor,Victron Blue Smart Charger with Bluetooth,Victron Bluetooth Smart Dongle VE.Direct, Victron Charge Controller MPPT , PWM, Victron Color Control GX ,Victron EasySolar ,Victron MPPT Control,Victron MPPT SmartSolar ,Victron MultiPlus inverter, Victron Phoenix Off Grid Inverter,Victron Quattro Off Grid Inverter, Victron RS485 to USB ,Victron SmartSolar Pluggable Display,Victron Temperature Sensor,Victron VE.Direct ,Victron Venus GX,Victron Wifi Module Long Range and  Victron Wifi Module Short Range.

Shop online to order at: www.sonopsolar.co.za

All products can be delivered nationwide.

For more information send us an email to info@sonopsolar.co.za or call at : 022 001 0049

16 Jun
Uncategorized

New home decor from John Doerson

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16 Jun
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The big design: Wall likes pictures

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14 Jun
Uncategorized

Sweet seat: functional seat for IT folks

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