The Best Solar Companies in Zimbabwe and The Recommended Solar System Products In Zimbabwe

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Investing in a solar system can have a great return in the long run when there is proper planning before starting the installation process. 

Most consumers find it difficult to determine the best solar products for their solar system due to a lack of understanding of the various solar products available on the market, which can be overwhelming.

At Solar Options Zimbabwe, we have taken our time to come up with a list of the best 5KVA Solar Products available on the market. 5KVA Solar Systems installations have become quite popular for both Commercial and Residential use, powering appliances such as Fridges, Laptops, Desktops, Lights, Home Entertainment, Server Rooms, Borehole Pumps e.t.c.
Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei
Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei
A Solar System has Three major components that are essential for a successful installation which we will explain more by looking at the different brands available on the market.
  1. Solar Panels, 
  2. The Inverters, and 
  3. Batteries.
The three elements make up the main components of a solar system and have different roles they play in ensuring that a solar system performs well. The solar panels convert sunlight into electricity, and the inverter then converts the direct current from the solar panels into the alternating current used to power appliances and charges the solar batteries which store power that is used when there is no sunlight and during load-shedding.

Solar Panels:

Solar Panels come in a variety of sizes in terms of the power each panel produces. The number of panels you install is determined by each panel’s power output, the capacity of your inverter, and the appliances you intend to power during the day.

The idea is that the combined power of the panels should be greater than the power being consumed by the running appliances. This ensures that during the day the battery stays fully charged and the more excess power the panels produce, the better.

Solar Panel efficiency is a measurement of a solar panel’s ability to convert sunlight into usable electricity. For example, if the sun shines on a high-efficiency solar panel with a 20 percent rating, then 20 percent of the sun’s energy will be converted to electricity.

When it comes to solar panels, this is far from an exhaustive list. However, it provides a good overview of what’s popular in the market.

So here the best panels looking at value for money are the Jinko 400 Watt Panels. These offer the lowest price per watt meaning you get more power for less.

It’s worth mentioning that Canadian Solar Panels can also produce power from the back side of the panel which is up to 30% of the power that the front of the panel can produce. Depending on how you mount it you can harvest more power through more of the day than with other panels.

Generally, if you can you want to buy bigger capacity panels so that you use less of them and save on roof space or maximize on a small roof. Bigger panels mean more area on your roof is dedicated to harvesting solar energy as there is less roof area being occupied by joints between panels. The bigger the panels the better.

To ensure the system is not too complicated it is also recommended you buy panels of the same size (Watts). This reduces complexity by eliminating the need for extra circuits and components to manage the power coming into the inverter. The less complex a system is the cheaper it will be and also the more reliable it is.

Lithium Batteries:

As stated in the intro we are looking at one type of battery which is the recommended battery for a 5KVA system. A 48V, 100Ah (4.8KWhr) Lithium Battery. In a well-designed solar system, no power should be drawn from the batteries during the day. On a sunny day, the power from the panels should be enough to charge up and keep the battery charged with excess power to run any appliances you need to run.

The best way to ensure that the battery lasts as long as possible is to run high-power appliances during the day. These can be appliances that generate heat/have a heating element, such as kettles, microwaves, and hair dryers, or appliances with heavy-duty motors, such as borehole pumps. or
The Best Solar Companies in Zimbabwe and The Recommended Solar System Products In Zimbabwe
The Best Solar Companies in Zimbabwe and The Recommended Solar System Products In Zimbabwe
Just a few pointers on battery life. Apart from the load connected to the battery, there are other factors that may affect that time. These include temperature as well as the efficiency of the inverter connected to the battery. It’s not a big problem but if you are trying to match battery life to the minute then remember that.

Pylontech and Huawei Batteries:

In terms of which one is the best battery, Pylontech and Huawei offer the best flexibility when it comes to how much power you can get out of them. Huawei also has a built-in theft detection system where if it detects that it’s been stolen it will not work when connected until the theft detection is disabled. It’s a nice trick.

That is not to say the other batteries are terrible. In fact, if you are not a tech head they help you with prolonging their life because of how restrictive they are. In other words, they will do the job for you. Whichever battery you choose from these ones will perform well enough.

It’s also a recommendation that if you are buying multiple batteries you need to buy the same type at the same time. It’s not advisable to connect multiple batteries of different ages together. If you wish to do this then you need to have provisions for that in the form of a separate inverter with its own battery so the different batteries don’t mix.

It’s also advisable that batteries be stored in a well-ventilated area. That way they operate at a good temperature for the best performance and also reduce the risk of fires from overheating.

Solar Inverters:

The brains to the whole thing. An inverter is an amazing invention that does quite a lot including:
  1. Use the power from the panels and the electricity utility (Zesa) to charge the batteries.
  2. Automatically switch between solar and power utility for good backup or better energy saving.
  3. Convert energy stored in the batteries (DC) into usable energy for our appliances (AC).
  4. Control charge and discharge of the batteries.

Inverters are now very advanced to the point of some of them have apps and communication tools that allow you to monitor the state of your solar system and manage the parameters of the system. For those that love tinkering this is a very exciting feature. You can even see if you have electricity even when you are not at home.

Victron Inverter:

Looking at specs alone very little separates the inverters except for the most extreme case which is the Victron Inverter. It is modular so most of the components that are missing from the main unit are bits that the rest of the inverters have built-in such as the Mppt Charge Controller.

As much as it can be used in domestic applications, where it’s best suited in commercial settings where it has to operate in a less-than-ideal environment because it can take it. If the charge controller fails on any of the other inverters then you need to buy a new one. 

With the Victron Inverter, the charge controller is externally making it easy to replace if it fails.

Deye Inverter:

Typically inverters are given a 2-year warranty by the retail outlets so if you get one that has a warranty longer than that it’s a pretty good inverter as in the case of the Deye Inverter which is a new 5KVA inverter on the market with a 5-year warranty. There is not much difference between the other listed inverters in terms of performance.

The Deye Inverter is one of the best from the listing as it has the capacity to split essential loads from non-essential loads meaning that it can power those loads that a client would want to prioritize on solar and the excess power is then used to power the non-essential loads that the client wasn’t intending to power on solar, this is a unique feature that the other inverters cannot do.

Something to note about these 5KVA inverters is that you can use multiple inverters for a bigger capacity. So you can take 2x5KVA systems and make a 10KVA system. You can also put multiple batteries on the same inverter for longer battery life. 

So depending on your energy needs you can configure your system to suit you.

If you are going fully off-grid you need to spend more money on batteries, a robust inverter, and panels to ensure the batteries are charged fully for the night and that they are big enough to last the night.

For those looking for just a backup solution for load-shedding then you can go a bit easy on the batteries and get a more affordable inverter to keep costs low. 

Since you can still charge the batteries with utility power you can even use fewer panels to further drive down the cost of the system.


About Solar Options Zimbabwe:

Solar Options Zimbabwe Empowers People To Make Smarter Solar Systems Decisions, Through Simplicity, Transparency, and Choice. Solar Options Zimbabwe gives you access to transparent information so you can make informed decisions, confidently. We connect you with The Best Solar Companies in Zimbabwe who are competing to earn your business.

Solar Options Zimbabwe is the go-to marketplace for making confident energy decisions and gaining control over the buying process.


Contact Solar Options Zimbabwe:

Solar Options Zimbabwe gives you access to transparent information so you can make informed decisions, confidently. Get in touch with us directly via WhatsApp by clicking the Chat with WhatsApp below.

Solar Systems Sales: +263 78 922 2847
Solar Systems Sales: +263 78 864 2437
Borehole Solutions Sales: +263 77 389 8979
Borehole Solutions Sales: +263 71 961 3479
Water Systems Sales: +263 71 884 5891

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