Solar System Installation, Longi Solar Panels LR5-72HBD-545M, 5KW Setup
Table of Contents
Solar System Installation:
Solar System Installation, Longi Solar Panels LR5-72HBD-545M, 5KW Setup- Today’s article is about the installation of a 5KW solar panel system. I will walk you through the entire process of going solar, from start to finish. We will cover everything from solar panel selection, the installation process, the inverter that converts solar power into usable electricity, the mounting system to secure the panels to the roof, and, of course, the load test.
Note: Read my article on House Wiring, Complete Guide.
I will also give you a pro tip that will reduce the cost of your solar setup and ensure you have no worries in the long term.
So, without any further delay, let’s get started!!!
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Solar Panel Selection:
Let’s first start with the solar panel selection. To be honest, I don’t have much experience with solar installation, so I started asking people who already have a solar setup. Most of them recommended Longi Solar Panels LR5-72HBD-545M.
So, I downloaded its datasheet, and I was amazed.
The 182mm size is larger than some previous standard wafer sizes. Larger solar cells can capture more sunlight and thus generate more electricity, improving the overall efficiency of the solar module.
And another thing that literally blew my mind is the bifacial energy.
Bifacial Technology: This model utilizes bifacial PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact) technology, allowing it to capture sunlight from both the front and rear sides. This feature can significantly increase the total energy yield, especially in environments with reflective surfaces like snow or sandy areas.
Longi Solar Panels are capable of capturing sunlight on both their front and rear surfaces. This dual-sided design allows these panels to harness more solar energy compared to traditional monofacial panels, which only capture light on their front surface.
So, the bifacial solar panels can generate more electricity from the same installed capacity. This can lead to an increase in energy yield by 10-30%, depending on the installation environment. The Bifacial energy thing is just incredible.
12-year Warranty for Materials and Processing and 30-year Warranty for extra linear power output. Impressive.
I also checked the mechanical parameters and under the Electrical Characteristics, you can see we have different module types. The one I am interested in is the LR5-72HBD-545M. I can see the STC “Standard Test Conditions” and NOCT.
The maximum power is 545W, the open circuit voltage is 49.65V, the short circuit current is 13.92A, voltage at maximum power is 41.8, the current at maximum power is 13.04, and the module efficiency is 21.3%.
I also checked the Operating parameters, Mechanical loading, and temperature ratings. So, based on these technical specifications, I think the Longi Solar Panel is an efficient choice for both residential and commercial solar installations.
For my 5KW solar setup, I have purchased 8 Longi solar panels. Each solar panel cost me around 25,000Rs (Pakistani).
You can see these are the LR5-72HBD-545M model panels. This is the rear surface, and you can clearly see the solar cells. These cells can capture reflected sunlight and diffused light from the environment, such as light from the ground, nearby buildings, or other surfaces.
And this is the Front surface or front side to capture direct sunlight.
And this is the 5KW Sunlite Solar System; a monitoring system to track the energy production. We will talk about it in detail later in this video, how to connect it, and how to use it. I will also explain why I chose this particular solar inverter. You will get answers to all your questions.
Anyway, you will also need a mounting system to secure the solar panels to your roof. The frame is a crucial part as it provides support and protection to the solar panels. Make sure it’s made of high-quality aluminum, which is strong and lightweight. Now, let’s go ahead and start the installation.
Note:
For the complete step by step installation; watch the video tutorial given at the end of this article. In the article, I have skipped the installation setup.
You will find terminals like these on the back of each panel.
You don’t need to worry about, which terminal is the positive and which one is the negative, they have labeled the terminals with the + and – markings. We will connect the positive terminal to the ground terminal of the next panel to make a series connection.
We will follow the same connections for the remaining 6 panels.
Installation of all 8 Solar panels has been successfully completed. I must say, this was the difficult part.
Now, we have 4 groups of panels. Each group has 2 panels, and I have already explained how to connect them in series. Now, we will also connect these 4 groups in series.
All the panels are now connected in series. You can see the main ground and the main voltage wires in the connection diagram above. Connecting panels in series is just like how we connect battery cells in series. I have written several articles on lithium-ion batteries and lead-acid batteries, where you can learn about series connections. Anyway, let’s go ahead and check the voltage.
350 volts pretty impressive.
A Pro Tip:
If you want to avoid troubleshooting later, I recommend checking the voltage with a digital multimeter as you connect each panel in series. This way, if there is any problem with a connection or connector, you can easily fix it right away. Because after making all the connections, troubleshooting becomes quite difficult.
Anyway, our Solar panels are now ready for final connections. We just need to connect the main voltage and ground wires to the input of the solar inverter, and that’s it.
I have placed the inverter right next to the changeover switch.
The Solar V and Solar G wires are coming from the Solar installation. And the AC Voltage Output wires, I have connected to the bottom side of the changeover switch. The upper side of the changeover switch is connected to the grid (WAPDA).
Before this, I had connected the generator wires on the bottom side of the changeover switch. Anyway, I am sure you already know about the changeover switch, so I won’t talk much about it.
Before turning ON the solar system for the first time, make sure to turn OFF all the loads in your house. No load should be on. So, let’s turn it ON and see how much load our solar setup can handle.
Right now, 5 ceiling fans, 2 room coolers, 5 lights, a fridge, a 24V UPS inverter with 2 batteries connected, a TV, and a pedestal fan are on. You can clearly see the complete load and voltage. Last summer, I was paying an average bill of 50,000 Rs. After two months, I will show you my electricity bill and share some tips on how to further improve the efficiency of your panels.
Pro Tip:
Now, I will give you some pro tips.
- Try to buy a local solar inverter. As, it is much cheaper, and if something breaks, you can easily fix it. I will make a video on solar inverter making very soon.
- The best time to use the water pump and iron is between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
Our load is much higher than an average home, and still, this 5KW solar setup is working amazingly. After the load test, I can confirm that a 5KW solar setup is more than enough for an average home. I have tested it with more than 2KW load and I didn’t see any issues. So, that’s all for now.
Watch Video Tutorial:
