7 Of The Best Solar And Power Accessories For Off-The-Grid Living

We all want to save money. And that’s especially true if you live off-the-grid and without an electricity bill. There are times when there will be a lot of sun, or even a lot of wind, but then there are other days where the clouds thwart even your best efforts at producing enough energy to meet your needs.

So how do you make sure that you have enough power, even on those days when the weather is unsuited to harvesting? I’ve been living in my cabin for nearly four years and during that time I’ve tested a variety of different solar and power accessories.

Off-grid living is not always easy, but it can be very rewarding in many ways. When you are self-sufficient and responsible for your own utilities and power, you will save money and live a healthier lifestyle. Making the choice to live off-grid is an option that more people are exploring today.

And now, after all this time, I can say that these seven accessories are the best for making sure you have enough energy to meet your needs If you are interested in moving off grid or just desire a backup power source.

1. Solar Panel

Solar panels are one of the most popular accessories for off-the-grid living. They’re a way to harness the power of the sun for electricity, which is a big help when you don’t have access to grid power or can’t afford commercial energy prices.

Solar panels are the most common type of solar power accessory. They convert sunlight directly into electricity and can be installed on a roof or in an open space. Solar panels can be used to charge batteries or directly power appliances.

2. Solar Charge Controller

A charge controller prevents batteries from overcharging, which can damage them or shorten their life. It also prevents batteries from discharging too quickly, which can damage them or shorten their life. The best kind of charge controller for off-grid living is one that has built-in storage for excess power produced by your solar panels during the day so that it can be used at night when there’s no sun. This can be a great way to save money on batteries as well as keep battery backup systems running smoothly all year round!

3. Battery Bank

A battery bank is made up of multiple batteries connected with cables and fuses. Batteries store electricity for later use, so if you have power at night from your solar panels, you can use it during the day when nobody is home by storing it in your battery bank. You can also use this stored energy to run appliances at peak times (when everybody’s home). A battery bank can be charged while you’re away from home by using a generator or other charging method (like a wind turbine).

4. Inverter

An inverter changes DC (direct current) electricity into AC (alternating current) so that it can be used for appliances that require AC power like lights, TVs, computers and refrigerators. Inverters are very important if you want to be able to use all of these appliances off-grid, but they’re not necessary if you’re only interested in using solar power for low-power items such as radios or cell phones (which can run on DC).

To get a durable inverter with great performance, I recommend one of Nigeria’s leading solar panel dealers, luminous whose products such as  Luminous EcoVolt Inverter, Luminous Cruze Inverter 4KVA/48V, Luminous Wet Cell Tubular Battery-150AH/12V etc, are promoted by Crosstech

5. Wind Turbine

A wind turbine is one of the most efficient ways to generate electricity from the wind. The problem with these turbines is that they require a lot of space. They also need wind speeds of at least 10 mph in order to work properly.

6. Solar panel cover

 This is the most basic accessory on this list and also one of the most important. A solar panel cover helps protect your panels from snow accumulation and other debris, which can reduce their efficiency by up to 30%. The best solar panel covers are made from polycrystalline material because it’s more durable than monocrystalline or amorphous silicon materials. Some covers come with built-in vents for better airflow, which helps reduce overheating when the sun comes out after dark or when temperatures rise during the day.

7. Solar Panel Extension Cables

If you want to increase the length of your solar panel, you’ll need to use extension cables. These cables come in different lengths and can be used to connect multiple solar panels together. If you have an array of panels but don’t have enough space for them all on one roof, then extension cables can help by allowing you to spread them out across multiple roofs or mount them on walls. You could also use extension cables if you want to connect multiple arrays together for increased power output and reliability.

Conclusion

If you’re planning to go off the grid, you’ll need to have some solar powered equipment to take with you. These items will help you stay connected and keep your power source going, no matter where in the country you decide to make your home base.

Luminous Inverter – Shopping guide to solar power accessories

Are you thinking about installing a solar power system? Or are you just curious about how it works? If so, consider reading our article on shopping guide to solar power accessories. We will cover the basics and tell you about different types of accessories from reputable brands like luminous.com, that are available for your solar panels.

1. Solar panels

Solar panels are the building blocks of a solar energy system. They convert sunlight into electricity and transfer it to an inverter, which converts it to AC current that can be used in your home.

Solar panels come in a variety of sizes — from small panels that can power a small appliance to large panels that can power entire homes. The size of your solar panel depends on the amount of power you need, as well as where you live.

The most common type of solar panel is crystalline silicon (c-Si). This is the same material used for computer chips and other semiconductor devices. C-Si panels are more efficient than thin film (TF) panels, but they’re also more expensive.

Thin-film solar technology uses amorphous silicon and cadmium telluride instead of crystalline silicon, which makes them less expensive but less efficient as well as more fragile than c-Si modules.

A solar inverter changes direct current (DC) electricity generated by your solar panel into alternating current (AC) electricity that’s compatible with household appliances and equipment like lights and televisions.

2. Inverters

Solar panels are the building blocks of a solar energy system. They convert sunlight into electricity and transfer it to an inverter, which converts it to AC current that can be used in your home.

Solar panels come in a variety of sizes — from small panels that can power a small appliance to large panels that can power entire homes. The size of your solar panel depends on the amount of power you need, as well as where you live.

The most common type of solar panel is crystalline silicon (c-Si). This is the same material used for computer chips and other semiconductor devices. C-Si panels are more efficient than thin film (TF) panels, but they’re also more expensive.

Thin-film solar technology uses amorphous silicon and cadmium telluride instead of crystalline silicon, which makes them less expensive but less efficient as well as more fragile than c-Si modules.

A solar inverter changes direct current (DC) electricity generated by your solar panel into alternating current (AC) electricity that’s compatible with household appliances and equipment like lights and televisions.

Luminous is Nigeria’s leading dealers and suppliers of solar panels and Inverters. Some of the prices of Inverters produced by luminous are listed:

• 900va 12V eco inverter: Price N50, 000.00
• Luminous eco volt 1.5 kva 24V inverter N85, 800.00
• Luminous hybrid inverter 1500va 24V N88, 900.00
• Luminous 1.5 kva 24V pure sine wave inverter N88, 000 .00
• 900va automatic pure sine wave 12V inverter: Price N70, 000 .00
• Luminous 220 ah 12V tubular battery N120,000.00
• Luminous inverters battery 12V 200 a h N132, 000.00
• 900va automatic pure sine wave 12V: Price N71, 909.00
• Eco volt 1050va 12V pure sine wave inverter Price: N81, 500.00
• 5 kva solar hybrid inverter Price: N82, 000.00
• Luminous 2.5 kva 36v Cruze inverter N179, 00
• Microtek Pure Sine Wave Inverter 2.3KVA
• Luminous Icruze 2.8KVA/24V Inverter
• Luminous Cruze Inverter 4KVA/48V

3. Batteries

For solar power systems, batteries are a key component. They store energy that your panels generate during the day so you can use it at night. There are two main types of batteries: lead-acid and lithium-ion.

• Lead-acid batteries

Lead-acid batteries are the most common type of battery in the world. They’re relatively cheap, but they also have some drawbacks. For example, they can be heavy and bulky, making them difficult to transport or install. They also require regular maintenance and are susceptible to corrosion if not properly maintained (and even then).

• Lithium-ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries don’t suffer from many of the same issues as lead-acid batteries — they’re smaller, lighter and more durable than lead-acid batteries. However, they’re still expensive and can be damaged by extreme temperatures or overcharging.

Quality batteries with high performances can be purchased from crosstech, who are promoters of luminous products like batteries, such as Luminous 220AH/12V Wet Cell Tall Tubular Battery

4. Charge controllers

Charge controllers are the most important part of a solar power system, since they protect your batteries from being overcharged. Without a charge controller, you run the risk of damaging your batteries or even causing an explosion.

A solar charge controller is a device that regulates the amount of energy that goes from your solar panels to your batteries. It makes sure that your battery doesn’t get overcharged and damaged, and stops the flow of electricity once it’s reached its maximum capacity. The controller also protects your batteries from discharging below a certain voltage (usually 12V).

Solar charge controllers come in different shapes and sizes, but the most common type is the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller. This type of controller uses pulse width modulation technology to provide stable voltage regulation for your battery bank. A PWM controller uses pulses to control how much power goes into your batteries at any given time, ensuring that each cell gets an equal amount of power and stays within safe operating limits (voltage range).

5. Cables and wires

Cables and wires are a major part of any solar installation. They allow you to connect your panels to your batteries and inverter so that they can provide power to your home. The shortest cable runs between each panel will be about 15 feet long, but the longest runs could be 150 feet or longer if you have multiple panels wired together in series. Make sure you have enough cable on hand so that your system works properly.

If you’re installing battery back-up power for an off-grid home or cabin, then it’s important to get cables with thicker gauges than those used in grid-tied systems because they carry more current at a lower voltage drop over distance. Thicker cable also carries more heat away from the battery bank during charging cycles, which helps protect against overcharging damage.

Solar power accessories can be confusing to shop for, but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Conclusion

In general, solar power accessories can help a home or business run more efficiently and reduce one’s energy costs. These lights, charge controllers, and solar panels can be used in a number of ways to make the most out of the sun’s rays. We hope that our shopping guide helps you find just what you’re looking for.

Why you need to Pick Up An Extra Set Of Batteries For Your Home’s Backup Solar System

Backup systems are a great way to help your home stay powered during the inevitable outages that take place. They are also popular among those who want to be prepared for natural disasters or other scenarios that could leave them without power. There are many different types of backup systems, each with their own benefits and disadvantages.

If you have ever felt like your home is not being protected as well as it could be by the local power company, then a backup system might be right for you. Backup systems can provide peace of mind when there is an outage and they can provide comfort in knowing that if something happens to go wrong with the main grid, your house will still have electricity!

If you have prepared your battery backup system properly, it will be able to power critical appliances for days at a time. The key is to make sure that the batteries are properly charged up and that they can stand the test of time without losing their capacity. Another thing to consider is where the battery backup system will be located in your home.

Here are some important features that you should consider before buying:

• Type of Battery
• Capacity and Voltage
• Size and Weight

The type of battery that you choose for your home’s backup solar system should depend on how much energy you want to store when there is no sunshine outside, as well as how long you want it to last without having to recharge it. This will help determine whether a lithium ion or lead acid model would best suit your needs!

If you are confused about hot to get the right back up battery type, for your home solar  system, look no further than Crosstech, Nigeria’s number one dealer of different kinds of solar panels and inverter battery from different brands such as MTEK Power 200AH/12V Tubular Battery, Luminous 220AH/12V Wet Cell Tall Tubular, K-Star Inverter Battery 200AH/12V | Deep and so on.

Remember that your backup solar system should include enough batteries to keep at least some of your critical appliances going for several days.

Now, if you want your backup solar system to be able to keep your home functioning during a power outage lasting more than a few days (and who doesn’t want that?), you’ll need enough batteries to store the energy needed for things like refrigerating your food and charging phones and laptops. That’s why it can be helpful to have an extra set of batteries on hand, so that when the lights come back on, you can recharge them while still having one set already charged in case the lights go out again.

If you’re in a natural disaster, it’s very likely that your entire neighborhood is affected. In this situation, all the batteries connected to your solar system will discharge at approximately the same rate as yours. Once all of the power is gone, everyone will be left in complete darkness until power is restored. If you have an additional set of batteries stored away in another location (and you can safely get to them), then with one quick swap, you’ll be able to get those lights turned back on and feel more secure again.

It’s important to keep in mind that while your battery backups may need to last multiple days, they will also need to recharge when the lights come back on.

You may need to use your battery backups for multiple days, and you’ll also need to recharge them when the lights come back on.

For most people, the best way to charge their batteries will be to hook them up to a solar panel and inverter system. This can charge one or two batteries at a time on demand, or continuously during daylight hours, so they are always ready for use. If you have a small system set up in your home that only provides lighting after an outage or emergency situation, then it’s best to hook your batteries directly into this system so that they can charge simultaneously with powering the lights in your home.

Rechargeable batteries should be maintained at full capacity whenever possible, so it’s important to make sure that they are fully charged before putting them into storage with your emergency supplies. The best way to keep rechargeable batteries at full capacity is by using a deep-cycle battery charger/maintainer. These devices are designed specifically for keeping these types of batteries fully charged over long periods of time without damaging the cells inside of them.

In order to maximize the effectiveness of your backup solar system, it’s important to make sure that you have fully charged batteries in your backup system and spare batteries. If you don’t have any extra battery backups, you need to buy some immediately. Otherwise, you could find yourself without adequate power when a storm hits.

If anything is worse than being without electricity during a storm, it’s knowing that you had an easy way to prevent that very situation from occurring—and failing to do so.

• As a backup for an already effective system, consider buying an extra set of batteries.
• Make sure you have enough backup energy to last through an emergency.
• You may be competing with others for your supply, so be prepared for the worst.
• Make sure you have enough to cover your own needs!

In a nut shell, it is always advisable to have a back up battery for your home solar system, and Crosstech are always on hand to supply you with durable inverter battery for your home solar system.

An uninterrupted power supply is such a rare sight in the country that many Nigerians begin to worry when they go twenty-four hours with no power interruptions. ‘What’s wrong?’ they ask. ‘Are we safe? Have the power guys fallen asleep?’

It’s funny yet serious. Africa is globally known to have an energy shortage issues and Nigeria, though one of the biggest economies in the continent is doing extra poorly in this area.

Nigeria has one of the worst energy shortage situations in Africa and experts predict that the country loses about 23 billion dollars annually because of its energy /electricity problems.

This has led to a search for alternative sources of energy by households and businesses. Nigeria depends on hydro and thermal power to generate its electricity, this has not been enough to generate enough electricity to serve and service the entire country, apart from hydro-power and fossil fuels (natural gas and coal) there are other sources of energy which can be utilized and which people are currently adopting as alternative sources of energy to that which is already available.

These multiple alternative sources of energy available today include wind power, solar power, bio-energy, geothermal energy and marine.

The focus of this article is on the sources of energy which are an alternative to what is already in use by the general Nigerian public today. However, before that, let’s provide a basic explanation of all the available sources of energy.

Sources of Energy

Wind power: Wind power consists of the building of onshore or offshore wind turbines which harness the power of the wind to generate electricity or energy.

Solar electricity: It makes use of two types of solar panels; photovoltaic and solar-thermal solar panels.

Bioenergy: This involves the use of biodegradable or organic matter like plants and animal waste exposed to bacteria in an anaerobic environment to produce methane gas which can be used as fuel.

Geothermal power: This is the harnessing of heat energy from within the earth to produce electricity while Marine energy is harnessing of tidal waves to generate energy.

All over the world,  hydropower has been the highest provider of energy, followed by wind-solar, bio, geothermal then marine energy. Hydropower plants worldwide have been said to generate a total of 1172 gigawatts while onshore and offshore wind turbines combined provide about 564 gigawatts. Solar panels both photovoltaic and solar-thermal panels combined provide 480gigawatts, bio-energy provide 121gigawatts, geothermal energy provide 13 gigawatts while marine or tidal wave energy provides 0.5 gigawatts, from all these data we can see that hydropower energy provides the highest amount of energy to the world but Nigeria is still lagging in utilizing this source of energy properly which has led to the introduction of alternative sources.

The good news though, is that currently, Nigerians are gradually beginning to utilize bioenergy, inverters and solar energy in Nigeria. Biodigesters for the production of biogas are being built in place of the traditional soakaway, inverters are starting to take the place of generators, although some of these alternative forms of energy or sources of energy are not mainstream yet, they are starting gain popularity. Businesses are switching from buying generators to now buying inverters to avoid epileptic power supply and cut costs. Some of these alternative energy sources can be gotten cheaply while some are expensive, sometimes, even more, expensive than the regular energy/electricity we get.

Here is are some of the cheap and available alternative sources of energy

Biogas energy is generated by living or once-living organisms, the most well-known biomass materials used for the production of the biogas are plants, human and animal waste. Biogas can be used for cooking, heating and to generate electricity.

Biogas is fast becoming a common method of energy generation through the use of gas generators. So rather than have the regular LPG gas, biogas is used to power gas generators instead, it is a lot more affordable than the regular gas and more readily available. Furthermore, rather than buy PMS daily for your generator, you can produce your gas to power your generator yourself cutting cost and increasing productivity you can make your gas from your food waste, from the waste of your animals or grasses. You can also convert a regular generator into a gas-powered Generator by buying a gas carburetor which costs about eight to Ten Thousand Naira in Nigeria gas carburettors can be gotten on Jiji, olist or in the open market place at any regular spare parts shop. You will need a mechanic to convert the generator from petrol to gas-powered, by changing the carburetors which would cost you about an additional thousand.

Production of biogas can be cheap or expensive depending on the individual energy needs. For the production of biogas for household use, producing enough for cooking and lighting can cost from N20,000 to N50,000.while production on a much larger scale or for commercial use, which would require a bigger gas chamber would cost from N200,000 to N3,000,000.

Inverters

A power inverter is a device which changes DC power from a battery into conventional AC power that you can use to operate all kinds of devices such as kitchen appliances, electric lights, power tools, microwaves, computers, TVs, radios.

Power inverters are one of the alternative sources of energy which has gained popularity in recent years. Many businesses and homes in Nigeria, have resorted to this alternative energy source.

There are two general types of power inverters. The true sine wave or modified sine wave which is also known as the square wave inverters. True sine wave inverters produce power that is either identical or sometimes slightly better than power from the public utility power grid system.

There is also the solar inverter also known as a PV inverter which converts the direct current(DC) of a photovoltaic(PV) solar panel into an alternating current(AC) allowing the use of ordinary AC systems.

Over the years inverters have gained some form of popularity amongst Nigerians, probably making it one of the most used sources of alternative energy in Nigeria, today, inverters are also being made locally by companies and individuals, minor fees of N3000-10000 are being paid for inverter making tutorials and it has helped in boosting its popularity among households and businesses.

However, the type of inverter being made locally is the block wave inverter which is not very good for home appliances because of the frequency interference it causes in them, producing a minor buzzing sound from your TV and radio sets.

Furthermore, some years ago, inverters came in space-consuming sizes, but recently, we have inverters of different shapes and sizes and these devices are also much cheaper than they used to be.

Inverter Brands in Nigeria

There are multiple brands in Nigeria that sell and distribute some of this alternative energy equipment, some of which are listed below.

Sekum,xantrex, victron,mercury, mickrotec, mopower, genius, preg etc.

If you’re looking to get an inverter to take care of your electricity shortfall, you might want to consider getting Sukam. But first, you need to conduct thorough research to find the prices of the various models of Sukam inverters.

You can find Sukam Inverters for sale at various prices depending on their capacity, size and design. Here is a glimpse at the prices.

Prices of Sukam Inverters in Nigeria

• Sukam 2.5kva/48v Inverter + 4 X 200ah Batteries + Rack + Installation which costs N721,800.00
• Sukam pure sinewave inverter 5kva/96v 1-phase ‘colossal’ which costs N454,300.00
• Sukam pure sinewave inverter 25kva/360v 3-phase ‘colossal’ which cost N2,580,000.00
• Sukam 5kva/48v Inverter + 4 X 200ah Batteries + Rack + Installation costing N1,013,800.00
• Sukam 10kva/180v Inverter + 15 X 200ah Batteries + Rack + Installation costing N2,853,000.00

Other Inverter Prices

• 900va 12V eco inverter: Price N50, 000.00
• 900va automatic pure sine wave 12V inverter: Price N70, 000 .00
• 900va automatic pure sine wave 12V: Price N71, 909.00
• Eco volt 1050va 12V pure sine wave inverter Price: N81, 500.00
• 5 kva solar hybrid inverter Price: N82, 000.00
• Luminous eco volt 1.5 kva 24V inverter N85, 800.00
• Luminous hybrid inverter 1500va 24V N88, 900.00
• Luminous 1.5 kva 24V pure sine wave inverter N88, 000 .00
• luminous 220 ah 12V tubular battery N120,000.00
• luminous inverters battery 12V 200 a h N132, 000.00
• luminous 2.5 kva 36v Cruze inverter N179, 00