Solar System Tutorials
Iron or Ion ???? Lithium batteries explained...
Are you also confused? Is it Lithium Ion or Lithium Iron? And what is LiFePO4? A lithium-ion battery (or Li-Ion) is rechargeable kind of battery with a variety of cathodes, for example, a Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Dioxide (LiNiMnCoO2) cathode for NMC batteries or a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) as a cathode for LiFePO4 (LFP) batteries.LiFePO4 and NMC batteries are currently the most common lithium battery types installed in residential solar installations in the country. A lithium-iron battery is also a...
Cleaning your Solar Panels
Why clean solar panels?Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels require minimal maintenance once they are installed, and are designed to operate for a really long time. However, it is still important to keep them clean to continue achieving optimal power generation. Accumulated dust, dirt, leaves and other debris on solar panels can result in energy losses, from 10 to 25%.When to clean?The most obvious way to tell when solar panels need cleaning is when the efficiency of the system begins to decline,...
DC Fuses and how to size them
DC Fuses and how to size them.What is a Fuse?A fuse is an electrical safety device. It protects an electrical circuit against high currents. The fuse is placed in the supply cable to an electrical device. As soon as current flows through the fuse that is higher than its current rating, for a certain amount of time, the fuse will blow. Once the fuse has blown, no more current will flow into the circuit.Higher than expected current situations can occur when...
How to compare Solar Installation Quotes
Lithium batteries are cheap!! Comparing LiFePO4 with Lead-Acid
(Read more about Lithium batteries here) People often claim that Lithium (LiFePO4) batteries are expensive, and although initial costs are higher, Lithium batteries are cheaper over a longer period. In this article, we will try and compare batteries that use Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) chemistry with Lead-Acid batteries, in terms of capacity, longevity and price over an extended period of time. We will conclude that LiFePO4 batteries are about 40% cheaper in the long run, next to having a range of other benefits. We...
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