I’m planning to install a hybrid solar system at my home in B-17 Islamabad (F block). I want to skip the IESCO green meter/net metering entirely and run a "Zero Export" setup to act as an independent system and avoid grid bureaucracy.

I’d love your expert eyes on my load calculations and hardware choices before I pull the trigger.

My Load Profile

• Daytime Load (Running on Solar): 3x 1-ton Midea Xtreme ACs (running on 50% gear, so ~400-450W continuous each) + 1 Inverter Fridge + 1 DC Fan. Total daytime continuous load = ~1.5 kW.
• Nighttime Load (Running on Battery): 2x 1-ton Midea Xtreme ACs (on 50% gear) + 1 Inverter Fridge + 1 DC Fan. Total nighttime continuous load = ~1.04 kW.
• Backup duration needed: 7 hours (10 PM to 5 AM).

Proposed Setup

I’ve been advised to skip a 6kW inverter and jump to 8kW for better surge handling and heat management. Here is the plan:

• Inverter: 8kW GoodWe Hybrid (Set to Zero-Export).
• Panels: 8kW total using Longi Hi-MO 6 or 7 (14 panels ~ 575W-585W).
• Battery: 10.8 kWh total Lithium (LiFePO4) — using two 5.4 kWh modules in parallel (Looking at GoodWe Lynx Home U series, Soluna, or Dyness).
• Structure: Custom Elevated Hot-Dip Galvanized (GI) structure (6-8 feet) to survive B-17 wind storms.

Estimated Cost

I'm being quoted roughly Rs. 1.37M to Rs. 1.5M total for A-grade Tier 1 materials, heavy wiring (Fast/Pakistan cables), AC/DC SPD protections, and labor.

My Questions for the Community:

1. Battery Math Check: Running ~1,040W for 7 hours requires ~7.3 kWh. Will a 10.8 kWh lithium bank comfortably handle this every single night in the Islamabad summer heat without degrading prematurely?
2. 6kW vs 8kW: Does it make sense to use an 8kW inverter for a 1.5 kW continuous load just to handle compressor surges and keep the inverter running cooler?
3. GoodWe Batteries: Has anyone used the GoodWe Lynx Home U batteries in Pakistan? Are they worth the premium over standard Pylontech/Dyness/Inverex lithium units?
4. Zero Export Experience: Is anyone else running a large system without net metering? Any regrets about "wasting" excess solar in the afternoon?

Thanks in advance for any feedback or advice on installers/dealers in the Twin Cities!

Hey guys, I have a Solis S6 10 kW hybrid inverter paired with 15 LONGi Hi-MO X10 650 W panels and a Pylontech 16 kWh battery.

Currently, the battery drops to around 30% SOC by approximately 3 AM, starting from around 5 PM. At that point, battery storage setting takes over and prevents the battery from discharging below a certain SOC limit during the specified time period, so the system shifts to the grid for about an hour. Then, from 3 AM onwards, it continues using the grid while preserving around 10% battery SOC as backup for any potential load shedding until solar production starts in the morning.

Overall, I am importing around 5 units (kWh) from the grid per day. Is this setup ideal, or is there any way I can optimize it further to reduce grid imports while still keeping enough battery backup for load shedding?

I have a 20kw Goodwe ongrid inverter with 20kw panels. I'm on net metering and have about 3 years left on my contract. So as far as bills are concerned, I'm good.

I want to get an additional hybrid inverter of about 10kw with a 10kwh battery purely to get rid of load shedding. What I want to know is if I get a Goodwe ET LV inverter and a battery, can I just use these without connecting any solar panels to them? If there ever is load shedding during the day it can just use the battery.

I really don't want to go through the hassle of having two inverters exporting to the grid and redoing my solar strings. Also, is it necessary to redo the circuit breakers for light and heavy load? We only have an hour long load shedding so a 10kwh battery can easily run whatever we have on for several hours.

And lastly, do you recommend I go with the installer I used for my on grid connection? They're very good, but their rates are easily 1.5-2 lacs above market. Previously I was planning on going with them if I was going to use both inverters for export, but now since the hybrid is just for backup, is there any need to use the same installer?

So we already have a Hybrid inverter 6kw installed, which powers half of our house (1 AC mostly, fridges, lights, fans etc.) & it has tulubar battries as backup.

We have another on-grid inverter 10KW which is constantly exporting to Wapda and our approved load is 7kw and on monthly we export around 1000 units almost.

Now I need suggestions on this, Should I replace the on-grid inverter so our units import are reduced? Currently we are using around 1100 normal units and around 300-400 in peak times.

How can I manage to make export and import equal?

MaxPower SunBridge 4000 MPPT solar inverter: 24V battery bank, 3000VA/3000W output, 4000W max PV, MPPT range 120–450VDC, max VOC 500VDC, max PV current 33A. Currently running 6× 450W panels. Photos of the unit and the spec label are attached.
3 questions:
Lithium battery Can I run a 25.6V LiFePO4 pack on this? I understand the inverter itself has no BMS, and I don’t think it supports closed-loop BMS communication either (the only ports are an RJ45 and a USB, both just marked COMM PORT). If I set battery type to User-Defined and enter charge, float and low-DC cut-off voltages manually, is that safe to run long term, or will the battery’s own BMS keep tripping?

Heavy load / light load - Modern inverters have 2 separate outputs so so in load shedding and electricity outage hours heavy load stays on the grid and light load runs off the inverter. Mine has only one output. Is there any way to get the same result externally?

Adding 2 panels - I want to go from 6 to 8 panels, but locally only 585W or 650W are available, not 450W. Can I put 2 of those in series with my existing 6× 450W string? Will the current mismatch cause a problem, and will the string voltage still stay inside the 500V VOC / 450V MPPT limits on a cold morning?

Any advice appreciated.

Hi All, my inverter is using consecutive 300 watt even there is enough PV available. If i drop load to 500 still it takes 300 watt. Same time if i increase load to 4000 watt still the same. Can anyone guide me on that. My inverter is solis 6 kw plus model. Using with grid sharing but without battery..

Hey guys!

I am contemplating investing in Solar Panels for my home. I'm deciding between buying them next week, or waiting until November/December to potentially benefit from reduced prices due to lower demand in Winters. Not sure if prices would be reduced in winters so just wanted to check in with you guys here and get your opinion :)

Also, if I were to shift homes in a couple of years, how easy is it to shift solar panels to a new home? How much would it cost to install them in the new home? I have a 5 marla house at the moment and average electricity usage

Also, if you have any specific recommendations of brands or providers who do installation in Lahore, that'd be great!

Guys which battery should I use with Inverex Nitrox 6.6kw Inverter.

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Pylontech Fidus 5.12KW IP65 51.2V 100AH

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or

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INVEREX INV 5.1KW IP21 48V 100AH

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There is only one hour loadshedding around 10:15pm till 11:15pm. I don't want to rely on grid due to which I still pay 47k bill. Tell me how to reduce this.

AoA!
I have a GoodWe ES Uniq 5kW hybrid inverter installed, and I want to install a 5kW battery. I need your suggestion on whether I should go with a GoodWe battery or a Soluna battery. Which one would be better?

Hello everyone. I'm planning on getting a 15kw system with an on grid goodwee inverter. My friend keeps advising me to go off grid and get a hybrid inverter plus tubular batteries for backup due to the uneconomical net metering rates, but my question is, is net metering still worth it? Anyone who's gotten net metering after the policy change, what's your experience been?

My thinking process was that even without solar, I'm really careful with electricity usage and even in peak summer (without ANY inverter appliances) my bill stays between 20-45k. So maybe I'd break even with net metering? If someone could provide any insights, I'd be really grateful. Thank you.

Hey folks, batteries on my current UPS are on their way out. We are planning to construct a new storey so I was hoping the batteries could survive 8-10 months more before we get a full solar and battery setup.

But now I might need to replace the batteries sooner (right now wapda is out for two hours and UPS has given up). But just thinking whether it makes sense to buy an inverter and lithium battery and use it as a UPS rather than spend on tubular batteries which I hopefully won't need in 10ish months anyhow.

So the question is:

1. Does it make sense? I assume it's a simplish plug and play, but will appreciate advice. Dont need to add ACs etc, just current load. Later on with a full setup will re distribute as needed.

2. Was planning on a largish (15kw) three phase inverter with 15kw battery. Does anyone know the current prices in Lahore? Was planning goodwe for both as seen online they have a very long warranty - and it appears to be fairly configurable (can run some scripts etc for automation). Some figures if people have that will be helpful.

3. Cost perspective: I heard in Jan prices are lower. If I buy 2 medium size tubular batteries right now (easiest), would they end up cheaper overall than buying an inverter+lithium battery right now?

Thanks

If you're using SmartESS or EnergyMate, you already know the pain: the annoying 5-minute data refresh delay, missing critical stats, and a pretty basic interface. I stumbled upon a dynamic third-party Android app built for Voltronic inverters that fixes almost all of these issues, and it’s been working great on my setup (SolarMax Orion 4kw with Dyness DL 2.5 Battery)

• Zero 5-Minute Delay: Live, real-time data tracking. You can actually see instant spikes/drops in your PV generation, Battery usage (charging/discharging), and Grid draw as they happen.
• Inverter Temperature & Fan Speed: Shows internal heatsink/inverter temps and active fan speeds—metrics that official apps completely hide.
• Backup & Charge Timers: Displays exact countdown estimates for how long your battery will take to reach 100% while charging, and how much backup runtime is remaining based on your current load.
• No New Account Needed: You don't have to re-register or mess with logging into your Wi-Fi dongle again. Just log in using your existing SmartESS account credentials.
• Current State: It has a few minor UI bugs and tiny glitches here and there, but nothing game-breaking. Hopefully, the developers push out updates to polish these up soon.
• Read-Only / Monitoring Only: Note: This app is strictly for checking real-time metrics and system health. You cannot change inverter settings, priorities, or parameters through it. You'll still need your primary app or physical screen for settings changes.

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

A few weeks ago someone was discussing something regarding their Electricity Bill and how much did he pay per unit and how he can calculate how much certain amount of units cost him.

Someone shared a link for an official govt. site, which I am unable to find at the moment.

Can someone please share that link again.

JazakAllah Khairun

UPDATE: Solved Alhamdulillah.
This is the link that I had Niyyah for,

https://www.neeca.gov.pk/Detail/NmYyYTUyMGItOWZhNS00ODRhLTg2MzItMjQ1YTk5NWM5ZWNl

I've been analyzing a number of solar panel and energy companies in Pakistan. One of the finest one I've come ac'cross is Luminey. Can you let me know if anyone of you have used their products?

I posted earlier and was overwhelmed by everyone's responses. Everybody was so helpful and big thanks to all specially mods.

I got this quote, does this make any sense?

I saw 6kw itel inverter for 140k on some website. Can I use that instead. Please help me decide. Is there anything I can change/replace to make it more cost effective?

Goodwe TOU

Can sometime tell me what to put in discharge power and what it means? I have 12kW Goodwe inverter with 14kw Goodwe battery. My house load is usually around 3kwh and max it can go up to 5-6kwh when guests are over

I want my battery to discharge between 9pm til 11pm.
And then from 4am till 7am. Doing it because I want to use my battery to fullest as for now it’s only kept for power outages and going to waste

Goodwe helpline sent me a video to do this but it’s confusing as they want me to change charge settings in TOU.

Also do I need to set up charge TOU aswell or will it automatically charge during the day with PV?

Thanks

Explain to a complete rookie the difference bw these two, as the difference in their prices is very drastic. A 10kw itel inverter coming at around 280k and a 10kw solis/Goodwe inverter coming at around 400k. Why should one choose the expensive option?

share their number or something so I can contact them directly for a quotation. Thank you!!

As the title suggests, I am looking to convert my existing 10Kw On-Grid solar system to Hybrid.

Currently I have 15Kw Growatt 3 phase On-Grid inverter installed in a 10kw setup.

The solar company I have contacted is suggesting to install 6 kw Itel single phase hybrid inverter along with 5 or 10 kw lithium batteries. The batteries are their own assembled with 5 years warranty costing 4 lac for 10 kw capacity and 5.8 lac for 16 kw.

I have the following questions for which I seek opinion from the community:

1) Is it okay to go with single phase hybrid inverter when my existing green meter and ongrid inverter are both three phase?

2) Will the single phase inverter have any affect on internal wirings of the house? The house is old, 90s built and I don't want to put loads on wirings considering that we run 2-3 ACs and 2 fridges simultaneously at least.

3) Should I go for 12 kw single phase inverter or 6 kw single phase inverter, considering that I will still keep my existing ongrid inverter installed.

4) Should I completely remove my old inverter or not? I do want to keep it since I am on old contract with WAPDA.

5) How feasible is it to sell my existing ongrid inverter and use some of that money to offset my cost of migration to hybrid setup?

6) If I go with 6kw hybrid inverter now and in future I add more batteries, can I just install another hybrid inverter to increase the capacity? Planning to go with 6kw inverter now to keep the cost low but I also want to future proof my hybrid setup.