Daystar Power Group

How many grid-tie inverters do I need for my solar system? Grid-tie solar inverters are one of the most important components of a solar panel system. Commonly referred to as “the brain” in any set-up, they convert DC electricity to AC power that powers your appliances. The number of grid-tie PV inverters depends on two things: 1️⃣ the size of your solar system  2️⃣ the DC and AC rating of each inverter A typical residential AC-coupled solar panel system requires one grid-tie inverter, with a power output rating between 5kW and 25kW. But some larger systems may require multiple inverters. For example, for a solar panel system rated at 50kW, we install two inverters, each rated at 25kW. Are you looking to switch to solar? Contact us for custom solutions to your business needs: https://lnkd.in/d5SVA7Z9 

How do I know my roof can support a solar installation? Before installation, our team carries out a simulation analysis to check if your roof can hold the required number of solar panels in our designed system. Here are a few things we check: 1️⃣ Optimal orientation and tilt: We check to see if your roof has the right tilt angle for maximum sunlight exposure. 2️⃣ Shading assessment: We identify and look for ways to mitigate shading from trees, nearby structures, or other obstructions to optimize power production. 3️⃣ Roof size and shape: We measure the available roof space and customize panel layouts for complex roof shapes. 4️⃣ Roof slope optimization: We explore options for optimizing panel angles on roofs with steeper slopes. 5️⃣ Structural integrity check: We check to see if your roof can support the additional weight of solar panels and mounting equipment. 6️⃣ Electrical configuration: Lastly, we measure the distance to the electrical service panel and plan for optimal wiring routes. Are you ready to add solar to your energy mix? Contact us: https://lnkd.in/d5SVA7Z9 

We’re resharing this behind the scenes look into our recent solar installation for Flexipack, which produces packaging material at its world-class factories in Agbara in Ogun State, Nigeria. Are you looking to solarize your operations to save on energy costs and reduce carbon emissions? Get in touch: https://lnkd.in/d5SVA7Z9

Today, let’s take you behind the scenes of our solar installation for Olam’s rice farm and mill in Nasarawa state in Nigeria. It’s a textbook example of how African agribusinesses are saving costs on energy and driving towards net zero carbon emissions. Olam is a Singapore-based agribusiness with a long-established presence in West Africa. They wanted to reduce their reliance on diesel generators and their carbon footprint by integrating solar into their energy mix. As a team, we’re always up for challenging projects — and this one didn’t disappoint. Like many agribusinesses in Africa, the Olam rice farm is located in a remote location. A 227-drive from Abuja, it’s a bumpy 7-hour drive to the site given poor road conditions. We spent an extra two weeks to have the land cleared and ready for the solar installation. But once it was empty, we moved fast to mount the solar panels, connect the cables and inverters, and perform QA testing. We seamlessly integrated the solar plant to work with the turbine powering the rice mill. Despite complicated logistics, we’re proud to say we delivered the project in 10 weeks. Are you ready to add solar to your energy mix? Contact us: https://lnkd.in/d5SVA7Z9

At Daystar Power, we provide two services: solar-as-a-service (SaaS) and power-as-a-service (PaaS). Under the SaaS model - the most commonly requested service at Daystar - we maintain solar PV, inverters and batteries, meaning one less worry for our clients. In the PaaS model, our clients pay a monthly fee and we provide a combination of technologies. This includes solar power and battery storage that can be integrated into the client’s existing power setup. To learn about the differences between SaaS vs PaaS, check out our blog post. We even include a handy checklist that you can use to decide which system is the best fit for you. https://lnkd.in/dGxKyBgM

At Daystar, we guarantee 99.9% uptime to our clients. Behind the scenes, our Maintenance and Operations team works tirelessly to make sure our clients have a steady power supply. We follow the strictest maintenance practices to ensure that our solar plants reach their 20-year lifespan: ✅ Every two months, we check air conditioners to make sure they’re working properly. AC can drive up to 80% of energy consumption, so we want to guarantee their efficient use. ✅ Every quarter, we inspect key solar equipment (solar panels, inverters and batteries) and test their performance. ✅ During our regular maintenance checks, we inspect cables that connect solar panels to inverters to make sure there is no overheating and mitigate any fire risks. To do this, we use heat mapping software to monitor thermography of all our solar equipment. ✅ Any increase from regular temperatures (35°C for solar PV & cables and 65°C for batteries) triggers an alarm in our system and alerts us to fix any issues in advance. ✅ And, our team cleans solar panels six times a year – even more during the Harmattan. Are you ready to add solar to your energy mix? Contact us: https://lnkd.in/d5SVA7Z9

The future of Africa’s energy sector is distributed. Last month, The Economist wrote a must-read piece on Africa’s rapidly growing solar industry. Leading the charge are Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) companies, like Daystar, which are providing captive power to businesses across the continent. DRE companies have grown at such a clip that in Kenya they provide six times more jobs than the largest utility and in Nigeria almost as many jobs as the oil and gas sector -- that is stunning growth! And, we were delighted to see our acquisition by Shell was mentioned in the piece. https://lnkd.in/gtcuJByp

How sturdy is your factory roof? In our 8 years experience in the solar industry, we find that nothing hinders a solar installation as much as unreliable roofing. Before we can start mounting solar panels, we need to determine whether a roof needs fixing. Enter the water leakage test. Bringing a water tanker to the site, we pour water on the roof to identify problematic areas. The reasons for water leakage are plentiful and can be due to dents in the roofing sheets, poor quality (usually insufficiently thick) roofing sheets, and the old age of existing roofing. Bad-quality roofing sheets are a problem found not only among small-scale manufacturers but also large industrial operations. From a bottling factory in Lagos to a major dairy producer in Ogun State, we have encountered this problem countless times. If you are unsure about the integrity of your roof, make this fix your number one priority. Are you interested to read more? Check out our blog post: https://lnkd.in/dR5gmhCU

Over the last three months, we’ve been working hard on a number of large projects for our clients in Nigeria: ☀️ Nigerian Breweries (Lagos) — 4.1MW solar system & 2,000kWh battery storage  ☀️ The Wood Factory — 614kWp solar system & 600kWh battery storage ☀️ Krones - 830kWh battery storage for our existing 540kWp solar system We’re excited to integrate battery storage into more of our solar installations. Are you interested in switching to solar? Get in touch: https://lnkd.in/d5SVA7Z9

Last month, Victor Tobenna Ezenwoko, our Nigeria and Ghana Country Head, spoke with The Africa Report on our new grid-tied hybrid solar model in Nigeria as well as developments in the solar industry. “We have seen a lot of people more willing to switch. No matter what type of business you are in, you need to manage your power cost. This pushes people to look for more alternatives, and why solar becomes a lot more attractive.” https://lnkd.in/gKhhN789