Solar User's Nighttime Struggle Goes Viral
A young Nigerian man who invested in a solar power system has shared a distressing experience that has captured widespread attention online. The individual, identified as Prince Don, revealed that his solar inverter setup with tubular batteries works perfectly during daylight hours but fails dramatically once the sun sets.
The Heartbreaking Revelation
Prince Don took to social media to explain his predicament in a viral post that included photographs of his solar equipment. "Good day, please I'm having this issue," he wrote. "In the afternoon my solar is fine, but immediately the sun goes out it runs down, and I'm using tubular battery."
The man described how his system functions adequately throughout morning and afternoon periods when sunlight is available. However, as dusk approaches, the entire setup becomes ineffective, leaving him without reliable power during evening hours. His desperate plea for assistance concluded with: "Please help me, house, what should I do???"
Community Reactions and Technical Analysis
The post generated significant engagement, with numerous respondents offering technical explanations and potential solutions. One commenter, Ajia Olayemi Sofiullahi, suggested: "May be your battery is becoming weak or your energy consumption in the day time is much more than what your panels generate."
Promise Mathias provided more detailed analysis, stating: "Tubular battery is the worst type of battery you can get for your solar system reason being that. Most of the tubular batteries in the market are expired and fake. Not every installer knows how to install it because if you use anyhow charge controller consider your battery gone."
Victor Abraham offered systematic troubleshooting advice: "If the system is new, the main issue could be that the system was not properly sized to meet your load needs, wrong connection, inverter is not charging your battery or panel not enough. Tell me the full system components."
Broader Solar Energy Discussions
The conversation expanded beyond Prince Don's specific case to address broader issues in Nigeria's renewable energy sector. Ziggy Ibeh commented: "Tubular batteries are problematic. Encourage your customers to embrace new technology using lithium batteries, a technology far better than deep circles. Honestly, my challenges have been very less using lithium batteries."
This incident follows recent reports about solar energy challenges in Nigeria. A solar expert previously cautioned business owners against using solar-powered freezers for commercial purposes like ice block production or cold drink sales, recommending inverter-freezers with solar support instead.
Contrasting Solar Experiences
Meanwhile, another Nigerian man recently shared his successful solar installation story online. He documented his purchase of a 6kW solar system including panels, lithium batteries, and an inverter, with total costs reaching approximately N600,000 for panels, N880,000 for batteries, and N560,000 for the inverter. After installation, he expressed satisfaction with achieving independence from the national power grid.
The contrasting experiences highlight the complexities of solar energy adoption in Nigeria, where proper equipment selection, installation quality, and technical knowledge significantly impact system performance and user satisfaction.
