SolarPro – Your Solar Expert

Hi, I'm Ray 👋

Your certified solar technician with 10 years of field experience — specialising in Deye and Solis inverter systems.

Deye Expert Solis Expert 10 Yrs Exp

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98% Panel Efficiency

74% Battery Level

ON Grid Status

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Your Inverter

Solar Education

How Solar Power Works

Solar panels (photovoltaic cells) convert sunlight into DC electricity. The inverter converts DC into AC power usable in your home. Excess energy can be stored in batteries or exported to the grid.

1Sunlight hits PV panels, freeing electrons (DC power)

2Inverter converts DC → AC electricity

3AC power supplies your home appliances

4Excess stored in battery or fed to the grid

System Types

Grid-Tied

Connected to utility grid. Exports excess energy. No battery backup.

Off-Grid

Fully independent. Requires large battery bank. No grid connection.

Hybrid

Grid + battery. Best of both worlds. Most popular for homes.

Key Metrics to Know

Watt-peak (Wp)Max panel output under ideal conditions

kWhEnergy unit — 1000W used for 1 hour

Inverter EfficiencyTypically 95–98% for quality inverters

DoD (Depth of Discharge)How much battery capacity can be used safely

STC ConditionsStandard Test Conditions: 25°C, 1000W/m² irradiance

Solar Panels

Monocrystalline panels offer 20–22% efficiency — ideal for residential use. Polycrystalline (15–17%) are cheaper but need more space. Half-cut and PERC technology further improve performance.

TypeEfficiencyCost

Monocrystalline20–22%High

Polycrystalline15–17%Medium

Thin Film10–13%Low

PERC Mono22–23%Premium

Deye Inverters

Deye hybrid inverters are renowned for reliability. Popular models: SUN-3K/5K/8K/12K-SG04LP3 series (3-phase low voltage) and SUN-5K-SG03LP1 (single phase).

Built-in MPPT charge controllers

Supports lithium & lead-acid batteries

Wi-Fi monitoring via SolarmanPV app

Zero export / grid feed-in modes

Parallel operation supported

Solis Inverters

Solis (Ginlong Technologies) produces reliable string and hybrid inverters. Popular residential models: S6-EH1P(3-6)K, RHI series (hybrid), and mini series for smaller systems.

Dual MPPT trackers (most models)

Solis Cloud monitoring platform

Compatible with major battery brands

Wide input voltage range (90–560V)

IP65 rated for outdoor installation

Battery Storage

ChemistryCycle LifeDoD

LiFePO43000–600080–90%

NMC Lithium1000–300080%

Lead-Acid300–70050%

Gel/AGM500–100060%

Installation Overview

1Site Assessment: Roof angle, shading, structural load, orientation

2System Sizing: Calculate daily load (kWh), peak demand (kW)

3Equipment Selection: Panels, inverter, battery, mounting, cabling

4Mounting: Rail systems, roof penetration with waterproofing

5Wiring: DC array → combiner box → inverter → AC distribution

6Commissioning: Set inverter parameters, test operation

7Compliance: CoC from qualified electrician, grid application if needed

System Sizing Guide

To size your system correctly:

Daily kWh ÷ Peak Sun Hours = kW of Panels needed

Daily kWh × Days Autonomy ÷ Battery DoD = Battery kWh

💡 Example: 20kWh/day ÷ 5 sun hours = 4kW panels. For 1 day autonomy at 80% DoD: 20 ÷ 0.8 = 25kWh battery.

Safety & Compliance

Only qualified electricians should do DC/AC wiring

Use DC-rated circuit breakers and fuses

Earth all metal components

Install surge protection devices (SPDs)

South Africa: SANS 10142 compliance required

NRS097 standard for grid-tied systems

Maintenance Schedule

Monthly

Visually inspect panels for damage/dirt
Check inverter display for error codes
Review monitoring app data trends

Quarterly

Clean panels with soft cloth + water
Check all DC/AC connections for tightness
Test battery state of charge levels
Inspect mounting hardware for rust/looseness

Annually

Full thermographic scan (IR camera) of panels
Professional inspection of all wiring
Update inverter firmware if available
Check earth continuity and bonding
Test SPDs and circuit breakers

Panel Cleaning Tips

Clean early morning or evening (avoid hot panels)

Use deionised or soft water to avoid streaking

Never use abrasive scrubbers

Never use high pressure on panel edges

Never walk on panels

Troubleshooting

Error Codes

Battery Settings

SOC – State of Charge

SOC (%) measures how full your battery is. All thresholds below are based on SOC % and directly control when the inverter charges, discharges, or shuts down.

0–20%

20–35%

35–50%

50–100%

■ Critical ■ Warning ■ Caution ■ Good

Core Thresholds

Shutdown SOC

Inverter turns OFF to protect battery

20%

Low Battery Warning

Alert shown on display / app

30–35%

Restart SOC

Re-engage inverter after shutdown

45–50%

Charge / Discharge Current

Lithium ≈ 0.5C (50% of Ah capacity)

0.5C

Example: 100Ah LiFePO4 battery → Max charge/discharge current = 50A (100Ah × 0.5C = 50A). Sweet spot for longevity: 0.3C–0.5C.

Grid Charge Settings

Grid Charge Start SOC

When grid charging begins

40–50%

Grid Charge Stop SOC

When grid charging stops

90–100%

Critical Warnings

Never set Shutdown below 20% — causes permanent damage to lithium cells
Do not max charge/discharge unless your battery BMS explicitly supports it
If using CAN/BMS communication — let the battery BMS control all voltage settings

Loadshedding / Outages

Best for backup power — keep lights on

Critical

Work ModeLoad-First / Backup

Min SOC Reserve40–60%

Stage 4–6 Loadshedding60–70%

Shutdown SOC20%

Low Battery30–35%

Restart SOC50%

Grid ChargeON

Grid Start / Stop40–50% / 90–100%

Time-of-UseENABLE (charge before shedding)

Maximum Bill Savings

Maximise solar self-consumption

Savings

Work ModeBattery-First / Self-Consumption

Min SOC Reserve20–30%

Shutdown SOC20%

Low Battery25–30%

Restart SOC40–50%

Grid ChargeOFF

Time-of-UseOptional (if tariffs apply)

Hybrid Mode

Balanced savings + backup — recommended

⭐ Recommended

Work ModeLoad-First / Smart

Min SOC Reserve30–40%

Shutdown SOC20%

Low Battery30–35%

Restart SOC50%

Grid ChargeON (controlled)

Grid Start / Stop25–30% / 80–90%

Real-World Strategy: South Africa

Tailored recommendations for SA solar users dealing with loadshedding, high electricity costs, and seasonal sun variation.

Normal Daily Use

Use Hybrid mode with 30–40% reserve

Schedule heavy loads (geyser, washing) 10am–2pm

Set Time-of-Use to charge before evening peak (5–8pm)

Review daily generation vs consumption on SolarmanPV / Solis Cloud

During Loadshedding

Increase reserve to 50–60% before shedding starts

Stage 4–6: increase to 60–70% reserve

Enable Grid Charge to top-up before scheduled slots

Reduce non-essential loads (TV, gaming PCs) to extend battery

Do NOT run geyser + air-con simultaneously on battery

Away From Home

Reduce reserve to 25–30% — maximise solar export

Disable Grid Charge to avoid unnecessary electricity costs

Enable remote monitoring alerts (low SOC, fault codes)

Schedule geyser timer for mid-day solar surplus only

Winter / Cloudy Days

Increase Grid Charge Stop to 100% on overcast forecasts

Raise Low Battery threshold to 35–40% (less solar available)

Use Time-of-Use: charge from grid at off-peak rates (10pm–6am)

Panel output drops ~15–30% in winter — factor into planning

Priority Logic (Deye)

Solar

Load (Essential)

Battery

Grid (last)

In Load-First mode: Solar → Load → Battery → Grid. In Battery-First: Solar → Battery → Load → Grid.

Advanced Settings

Max Charge Current

Sweet spot for LiFePO4 longevity

0.3C–0.5C

Time-of-Use Scheduling

Charge 02:00–05:00 / Use battery 18:00–22:00

TOU On

Grid Peak Shaving

For small breakers or high peak tariffs

Enable

Voltage Settings (LiFePO4 48V)

ParameterDeyeSolis

Bulk Charge Voltage57.6 V57.6 V

Float Voltage54.4 V54.4 V

Min Discharge Voltage46.4 V46.4 V

Overvoltage Cutoff58.4 V58.4 V

Low Voltage Cutoff44.8 V44.8 V

⚠️ If using BMS communication (CAN/RS485), let the BMS control these values automatically — do not override.

Daily Health Check

SOC Level — Should be ≥30% at start of day

PV Production — Compare to yesterday's output

Load Usage — Check for unusual consumption spikes

Error Logs — Any new fault codes overnight?

Temperature — Inverter temp normal (<65°C)?

Ray's Fast Diagnosis (30 seconds)

Battery SOC OK?

PV producing normally?

Load usage normal?

No error codes?

All ✓ → System healthy 🟢 | Any ✗ → Investigate that area first

Default Installer Passwords

BrandCommon Passwords

Deye0715, 1234, 0001

Solis0010, 1234, 1000

⚠️ Always change default passwords after commissioning.

Ray Solar Expert · 10 Yrs Exp

Hey there! I'm Ray, your solar expert. I've been installing and servicing solar systems for 10 years, with deep expertise in Deye and Solis inverters. Ask me anything — voice or text! 🌞

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