Solar Charge Controller | What is it and How it works in a Solar Power System
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- Опубліковано 13 лип 2024
- Shop solar charge controllers at altE: www.altestore.com/store/charg...
Find out the basics of a solar charge controller, what it does, how it works, and how to select the correct size for an off grid solar power system. A charge controller is an important component in a battery based solar system and are not used in straight grid tie systems. The primary role is to manage charging the battery bank, prevent it from overcharging and many control the rate of the current and voltage at which it charges.
We'll cover related topics such as Bulk Charging, Absorption, Equalization, Float, Low Voltage Disconnect, PWM and MPPT types of charge controllers.
Learn more about solar charge controllers here: www.altestore.com/store/info/s... - Навчання та стиль
This is an excellent basic explanation of solar panel voltages and how they interact with battery charge controllers. I haven’t found this explained so clearly anywhere else.
I know, right? BEST VIDEO EVER
i have been looking all over for information on how to size the charge controller. thank you so much.
SHE EXPLAINED EVERY THING SO WELL
I know this is an old video, but it ws super helpful. Thanks
Excellent explanation!
thanks got most of the information i have been searching on net at one goal, thank again
thanks for this!!! now i know the difference between charge controllers!!! great help!! i will go to mppt charge controllers!!
Thank you for being such a wonderful teacher!
Great video and presentation...I run the highest voltages possible on my arrays.
That was way more better than I expected
Awesome 👏 thanks for this extremely helpful and clear video ❤
Dang Woman You're Knowledgeable Asf! 😁 I think with a little more specifics I can understand my Solar panel system. Thank you so much 🥰
Fantastic presentation
Thanks, this is really good
Thanks for giving in detail. Very nice
Very educative love it!
Good educational video as always from the alte store.
A great help. Many thanks.
Thanks for the knowledge buddy friend
As always great videos!!Respect to you Ma'am...
Good and informative
Great video!
Very nicely explained especially MPPT charger and PWM charger concepts. You are very good teacher.... madam
You've got talent!! :)
Great info.. tqvm
I really miss the queen of solar so very much it saddens my heart that she's no longer around to share the passion of solar
Thank You!
Great information thanks
Good explanation....❤🎉
Well done.
Excellent
Thank you
Very good
thank for info
On my sail boat with variable shading from the boom Can I parallel a 24v 100w and a 24v 200w panel to a 100/30 controller to a 12 volt house bank
Could you please make videos on how to size wind system and hybrid wind-photovoltaic system?
great thanks
good info
I have 2 300w panels. I've noticed the 40a controllers are a lot cheaper than the 50's. Not sure how to go about it.
Also the 600watts are 24v so I wasn't sure if I should make the whole rig 24v or not.
Any help would be much appreciated.
In that MPPT charge controller example we are having a 30V panel charging a 12 V battery what should be the voltage of charge controller ?
Hi, Mrs. Amy!
Wonderful your explanation!
Would it be possible for you to make a video explaining the MPT-7210 Minghe charge controller. I put one in my electric car. It seems that it's working fine but I would be much happy if you make a video explaining how it works and I would understand it better.
Thank You and have a nice day.
Best regards!
Emmanuel.
I'm glad you like the video. Unfortunately, we don't carry that charge controller, so I am not familiar with it. I will be making more videos on some of the charge we do carry, since they all work on the same principle, it may help you with yours.
one question.
will mppt charge controller work if the voltage from panels are not in the mppt range what is mentioned in the mppt charge controller manual? i mean TO ask will mppt totally shut off giving Power or it will work like PWM? thank-you for your answer in advance.
I counted and have one 60 cell solar pannel. I have 1 brand new 12v agm deep cycle battery. Should I have 2 batteries for this?
can I take alternator voltage send it to a charge controller to regulate battery charge?
I am interested in the LOAD. This didn't cover the most important part. I am not installing solar panels to only charge batteries. I want to use that power. How to I use the LOAD portion?
Hi all loved the video, clear and concise. We have an urgent problem, we have a 120 watt panel on the Land Rover, there is power going into the control panel but not going out to the battery. What would cause this please
See if there is a fuse or breaker between the charge controller and battery that tripped. If not, temporarily take the charge controller out of the system and just connect the solar panel to the battery, see if that is charging it. If so, ten the charge controller is dead.
Nice explanation, I have one fundamental question. I understand that the PV power will always go from the charge controller to the battery before it goes on to the load. This means the load is always fed by the batteries.
My question is: Let's say the load is 100 W, and produced solar power is 200 W. Would the battery still be charged or will the power just go through the battery and directly to the inverter without charging the battery. Or will the PV power first charge the battery, and then deliver the necasarry power? When the battery is fully charged I assume PV power will still provide power to the load while keeping the battery fully charged, and only start discharging the battery when the load exceeds the PV power?
Excellent question. The answer can be a bit complex. We did discuss this with Schneider when we talked about the advantage of using equipment that talks to each other. This may give you the answer. ua-cam.com/video/Cppfil5h0hU/v-deo.html
Can I parallel different size 12 volt batteries into the controller without over or under charging the batteries ?
+altE store thanks so much for the info,i would like to know what is the limit to the number of panels that i can connect in series for a 12v system so that i can have lots of charging current using an mppt.Can i have 114v into an mppt charging a 12v battery
That depends on your charge controller. What is the highest voltage it can handle? Wiring panels in series increases the voltage. Many MPPT charge controllers can handle up to 150V, so you would only be able to have a string of one panel. Any additional panels would have to be wired in parallel to increase the amps. The output of the charge controller will drop the volts down to the 12V, so if your panel is 200W, the output of the charge controller would be 200W / 12V = 16A. If you had a 60A charge controller, you could wire three in parallel (60A / 16A = 3.750.
Hello,
I'm slightly confused about your two calculations when sizing the mppt controller.
In your first example you give a 1panel 30Vmp, 9Imp, 270W. You then divide 30Vmp/14V (voltage controller outputs)= 2.14. Then multiple this by the 9Imp to find current output by the charge controller stepping up the Amps = 19.28 to the batteries, correct? so to take into consideration the 1.25 possible increase in voltage at colder temps you would do 30*1.25= 37.5 V/14V= 2.67, then multiply by 9Imp =24.1A
In the second calculation you then simply take 4 x 270W panels / 24V battery bank x 1.25 for safety to determine rating for the controller. = 56.25
Given the scenario of 4 X 270W panels using method one 60Vmp * 1.25= 75 /28V =2.67, mutiply by 18A = 48.21A max output by mppt.
Can you explain why you wouldn't use the first/last calculation to determine the Amp rating for the controller?
Thanks!
After talking to MPPT charge controller manufacturers, they told me I was over complicating it. Just divide the watts of the solar array by the voltage of the battery bank, and you get the amps that the MPPT charge controller has to support. For PWM, you do want to take the Isc of the array and multiply by 1.25 to get the size of the PWM charge controller.
Stellar Package your tutorials market to every institution making believe they can teach solar energy instalkations
Very good. I have à confusion, I live in indian States Uttar Pradesh. The highest temperature is recorded 43 degree C. I want to use Monocrystaline solar panel or should I use polycrystline panel. I mean temperature is between 15 degree C to 43 degree C. Please suggest. Thanks
If the PWM charge controller with matching nominal voltage between PV and batt, the efficiency is equal to the MPPT CC since there is no voltage drop?
Like most of my answers, it depends. MPPT charge controllers monitor the output of the solar panel and adjust itself to maximize the output. However, MPPT charge controllers tend to use more power to do this. So on small systems, the increased output may be offset by the higher power usage. But once you get to above perhaps 500W, an MPPT charge controller, even with matching voltages, can increase the total output of the system. Once spring comes along, we'll be doing some demos showing this outside in the sun.
super cool video! Does anyone know how a charge controller handles the excess power if its not transferred to the battery. (like after the batter is full?) Does the solar panel just stop generating without a place for the excess to go? does the controller burn it all of as heat or something? I'm really curious to find out what happens to all that uncaptured energy if it can't be put to use somewhere. Could an excessive solar panel array melt a charge controller if its producing way beyond your storage capacity?
Michael n. It depends on the charge controller, but most simply open the connection between solar panels and batteries when the batteries are full, breaking the circuit. With an open circuit, there is no current flow. With no current, no power. If you did want to make use of the extra energy, you could also have a dump load controller, that connects the battery bank to a heater, usually a water heater, to burn off energy to make room for more. This is commonly done with turbines, that can't simply be disconnected like solar panels can.
Is it alright to use 4 of 100W 12v solar panel in a 100VOC/50amp MPPT?
Yes. Depending on the voltage of the battery bank, you have options for wiring them. If it is a 12V, 24V, or 48V battery bank, you can wire them all in series, and the charge controller will adjust the output voltage for the battery bank. For a 12V bank, the output will be around 30A, for 24V bank, 15A, and for 48V, 8A.
Amy,, thank you for all your videos you are really our solar queen 60 A
so is it ok to follow their recommendation about the 1600 W PV maximum input for 24 V battery???
TriStar TS-MPPT-60 is good example
It is fine to oversize the array a little bit.
Aha...
So using 62.5A on a 60A MPPT CC
you see it will be ok?
Yes. Remember the panels are rated at perfect test conditions. It is very rare that they will actually output the whole 62A, and if they do, it will just get clipped to 60A. No big deal.
Amy
You are the best 💙💙😢
doesn't most panels these days have a blocking diode to prevent that reverse current flow at night?
Also are there solar setups that use this reverse current flow to melt ice build up the the panels? in this case that blocking diode would have to be removed? what charge controllers have this function?
can you talk about sometime the relationship between windturbine and charge controller like the midnite classic?
thanks
john
+Rev John O'Toole The diode on most solar panels is a bypass diode to keep shading on one row of silicon cells from shutting down sunny rows of cells, not a blocking diode. A blocking diode has power loss across it, so you would be unnecessarily throwing away power if all of them had blocking diodes as well. Since only the very smallest solar panel could get away without a charge controller, it makes no sense to include them in all solar panels. We do sell stand alone blocking diodes, but the biggest one we carry is for up to a 50W panel, www.altestore.com/store/Enclosures-Electrical-Safety/Miscellaneous-Electrical-Parts/Diodes/Blocking-Diode-for-Solar-Panels-5A-60V-DC/p196/.
Midnite Solar has been working on a reverse flow option on their Classic charge controller to melt ice, but from what I've heard, it uses so much battery power, the gains aren't worth the loss.
Great suggestion for the wind turbine, I'll add that to my list of videos to create.
+altE Store thanks, I have used external blocking diodes in my offgrid campsite to reduce the wind turbine from sending electrical spikes to my panels, though it will reduce the reverse power flow from batteries to panels.
I will read up on bypass diodes.
thanks
Are the 24V,100W solar panels available n market? And are they efficient to give the required voltage. I want to charge a 48V battery pack but not getting the panel of 24V 100W capacity in market. Please suggest ideas.
We do have a 100W 24V panel available, www.altestore.com/store/solar-panels/alte-solar-panels-p40768/#ALTS-100W-24P. You could charge the 48V battery bank with 2 in series. Most 24V, 72 cell panels are much higher wattage. How many Ah is the battery bank? Could you use a more commonly available 300+W panel instead of a small 100W panel?
i have 12 volt 5 watt solar panel...so what would be suitable solar charge controller for me? please suggest me specific charge controller!!
ANKIT TRIPATHI Morningstar SunGuard would be plenty big enough. www.altestore.com/store/charge-controllers/solar-charge-controllers/pwm-solar-charge-controllers/morningstar-charge-controllers-pwm/morningstar-sg-4-sunguard-45-amp-12-volt-solar-charge-controller-p793/
This has been AWESOME. But I'm still confused about sizing. I have 6, 320W panels. Does it matter how I arrange them, or is wattage wattage, regardless? So at 1920W total, divided by a 24V battery, I end up with 80A x 1.25 = 100A. Does that mean I need an MPPT rated at more than 100A? Or 2 controllers? Or does configuration matter? If I put 2 strings of 3 parallel panels (36Vx10A per panel) each, in series, for example, I should have a system total of 72V@30A. Does this mean I actually just need a controller rated at 100V/40A? And would it be taking the 2160W input and putting out 80A at 24V?
You are right, watts is watts, regardless of their configuration. 320W x 6 panels = 1920W in / 24V out = 80A minimum MPPT charge controller. MPPT charge controllers already calculated the 1.25 safety margin. The only time the controller would care about if the panels are wired in series or parallel is voltage input. If the charge controller is 150V input, I'd recommend 2 parallel strings of 3 in series.
altE Store THANK YOU. I’ve been researching feverishly and finally realized that the controllers are rated by solar array voltage IN, but BATTERY BANK voltage-based amps OUT. You’ve confirmed and have helped immensely, and I appreciate it.
I have 3 strings of 260wattsp(4*3 wired in series) with my 24v 600amps battery bank. I am using flexmax 80. The voc of each is 36.72v, the isc is 9.01A,Imp-8.50A and VMP is 30.60A. will I enjoy maximum operation?
I'm a little confused how many panels you have. Three or four strings of 3 in series? The Flexmax 80 can handle about 2000W of solar at 24V. So that's 8 260W panels max (4 parallel strings of 2 in series). More solar than that will clip the output, so you will not get maximum performance.
Hi, nice video, thanks !
I have a question :
If you connect the solar panel to the charge controller and the load to the charge controller too. On a sunny day should your load get power ? Note there are no batteries !
What do you feel ?
Most, if not all, charge controllers get their power from the batteries, not the solar array. SO they won't work without batteries. You would be able to connect your load directly to the solar panel if it can handle 17V DC.
altE Thanks. Could there be a provision that the 20V from solar panel in the morning power the charge controller atleast during the morning. Then i may not depend on the batteries and freely connect my 12v DC load to the charge controller and run it on the solar panels atleast during the day.
The charge controller has to be connected to the batteries to turn on. But if the sun is still up, and you are connected to the charge controller load circuit, as long as the charge controller is still connected to the batteries, you will be charging the batteries as well as powering your load. If you want to power your load directly from the solar panel, you will have to disconnect the panel and the load from the charge controller and connect the load right to the panel.
altE Perfect. Thank you.
what happen if the battery is fully charged, does the power coming from the pv module directly supplies the connected load?
It depends on the system. Most of the time, it just opens the connection from the solar panels and turns off the flow. But you can install a diversion load controller to send some of the battery power to a DC load, like a water heater, and burn off the extra energy to make room for more from the panels. This is usually done for turbines, but can also be done for solar if you want.
How do I turn on and off my cnswi 5000 watt inverter at home from any remote location with android phone?
How do I know outback flex80 is fully charged?
I got a free grid-tie 20V nominal 60 cell 250W panel that has a smashed glass but is still working, can I safely use it with a PWM controller to charge a 12V battery bank (even though I'm loosing efficiency?) My first thought was to use it with a 24V battery and a UPS that I have lying aroung but then I learned that the 60 cell won't top off the battery.
You could, but know that you would get possibly 100W max. If you are not in a hot area, you could use it for your 24V battery, but you are right, when it is hot, it won't properly charge it. Not sure if you saw our video of doing that, ua-cam.com/video/HILkFEVKLw8/v-deo.html
Thank you for your reply :)
I am working on a camper solar system. I have C60 21.8% eff, vmpp (v) 0.574 cells, i am thinking to put on as much solar as I can fit. Here is my question: I am considering volts vs. amps, is there anyone who can tell 30 cells would produce enough volts to charge 12v batteries? Thanks in advance.
Tom Bo Ros 36 cells are needed, especially if you are in a hot location.
Please help me I want to charge two different batt 175 and 250 ah 12 v each with a single 50 A PWM and separate wires to each batt
The best way to charge 2 battery banks with 1 solar panel is the Morningstar Sun Saver Duo, www.altestore.com/store/charge-controllers/solar-charge-controllers/pwm-solar-charge-controllers/morningstar-charge-controllers-pwm/morningstar-ssd-25rm-sunsaver-duo-25a-dual-battery-charger-with-meter-12v-p5600/
+altE I must say this is a fantastic video and an eye opener for me. I currently use twelve 130W solar panels on a 12V inverter system. The solar panels are connected in 2 different arrays with each array connected to its own PWM solar controller and then to a 12V battery bank. The solar controllers are each 12/24V 60A . Now I want to change my inverter to a 24V inverter, which means I would upgrade my battery bank to 24V. Since my solar controllers can handle 24V, how do I connect my solar panels to the charge controler. Do I need to increase the number of charge controllers? How will the modification affect the charging rate of my batteries, will it charge them faster or slower?
You didn't say how many amp hours your battery bank is, or what the batteries are, or how many, so I'll have to make some assumptions. It is not recommended to add new batteries to old batteries, as it will shorten the life of the new batteries. So if your battery bank has enough storage, and you have an even number of batteries, you could just rewire your existing battery bank to be 24V without adding new batteries.
I'm guessing your solar panels have an Isc (short circuit current) of around 8A, and they are wired in 2 groups of 6 in parallel, with each group going to a charge controller. 6 panels x 8A Isc =48A x 1.25 oversizing for safety = 60A for each group, so 2 charge controllers. Perfect. Now, if you want to rewire them to be 24V, you would wire 6 sets of 2 in series, plus from one to the minus of the other, then wire each of those 6 sets in parallel. That will give you six parallel strings of 24V. Since volts increase when wiring in series, wiring them in sets of 2 gives you 24V with 8A in each string. Wiring the 6 strings in parallel gives you 6 strings x 8A = 48A x 1.25 safety = 60A charge controller needed for the whole array! You end up not needing the second charge controller.
Since I don't know the size or type of your battery bank, I can't really comment on the speed of charging it, but the original configuration of 120A going into the bank seems very extreme. Unless you have a very large battery bank, you may be trying to charge it too fast. Rewiring it to 24V will potentially be healthier for it, by charging at 60A instead. Let me know the details of the batteries and your loads, and I can give more useful advice.
+altE thanks for your prompt response. My batteries are 2v 500AH deep cycle type. On the solar panel connection why can't I just connect the two arrays of 6 batteries in series to make 24V
Can you clarify your last statement? How many batteries do you have? 6 or 12?
You need to wire twelve 2V 500Ah batteries in series to make 24V 500Ah. The 12 solar panels wired as 6 parallel strings of 2 in series will probably output around 45A, which is a perfect charging rate for a 500Ah battery bank.
Thanks again for the enlightenment, but will there be any reason why I can't wire my solar panels as 2 parallel strings of 6 in series?
Since in every solar panel there is a diode to prevent reverse flow of charge. Without a charge controller reverse flow of charge if prevented.
Now from all info I've picked up from your video's the system I was looking to buy is just not going to work or did I get lost in the mppt's and series /parallel . Can you tell me if this system will work? 8 Renogy 250 w 24 v panels (voc 30.37,vmp 30.20, vmp 8.29, isc 8.84) with a Midnite Classic 200 (79 amp output) with a 24v battery bank.From what I found it should be a 48v battery bank and that controller wont work. I'm confused
I would suggest 4 parallel strings of 2 of the panels in series, and use a Classic 150 with 96A output. There's no reason to get the 200V version if you are doing strings of 2. 250W x 8 = 2000W / 24V = 82A. However, if you do decide to do 48V, double check that they really are 24V panels. Those voltages you listed are 20V panels. Voc for a 24V panel is around 44V, and Vmp is around 36V. I think they are mislabeling them as 24V when they are really 20V. They will be fine for a 24V system with 2 in series and an MPPT charge controller, but would not work well with a 48V. Then you'd need to do strings of 3 with the Classic 200. Take a look at some of the solar panels on our page to see the difference. www.altestore.com/store/solar-panels-c541/?sort=price_watt
If I get this right the 150 controller will work charging the 24v system but would have to be wired in the 4 strings as you said because the 200 wont work for 24v bank. www.renogy.com/renogy-2000-watt-24-volt-monocrystalline-solar-cabin-kit/ This is what I'm looking into. Looks like they are 20v panels
Ah, I see what they are doing, they threw me off by incorrectly calling them 24V panels. They have 2 parallel strings of 4 in series, which they can do with the Midnite Classic 200 since they are 20V panels (they could not do that with 24V panels). They are slightly overloading the Classic input, which is allowed, but the output of the charge controller will clip it to 79A, even if under perfect conditions more is available. That is fine, it wouldn't happen often. So yes, that design does work for 24V and 48V. Slipping on my sales cap, I can tell you we can do a larger system than theirs for that same price with Canadian Solar 275W panels, and provide free technical support so you don't have to ask for help on UA-cam ; )
I'll be sure to check out your site for those systems or is it something that has to be built Thanks so much I glad I found your video's I think I'm coming around to how it all works
We have several kits pre-designed, www.altestore.com/store/solar-power-systems-c447/, but most systems are designed personally for your needs, as no two situations are exactly the same. That way you get the exact right system for you. Give us a call, I built a system to 100% match the Renogy one, and told Sales about it, so they have the right starting point. Then they can add the right mounting, batteries, and inverter to meet your needs. In USA and Canada, call 877-878-4060 weekdays 9 - 6 Eastern Time. This concludes the commercial part of the program.
Hi, Friend!
I need your help, please. As I told you I am using Minghe mppt charge controller and here in Israel now is very hot. The display is showing that the voltage of the two Batteries is 31volts nearly 32, is that normal? Can the voltage of one battery reach more than 15 volts and is there any danger? When I turn off the charge controller or at night the voltage goes down to 26.4 volts? What should I do? Can you explain to me what us constant current and what is constant voltage?
Thank You very much!
Best regards,
Emmanuel Távora Freire.
Sorry, I really don't know anything about that model. I was about to point you to a video online reviewing it, but I see you just commented on it. Hopefully they'll be able to help you out.
Thank You!
Your charge controller may be bad, or your wiring is hooked up wrong to the charge controller or within the solar system/set-up and it is overcharging your batteries.
Do NOT hook any of the minus (-) wires together, no jumpers/connections from minus solar panel to minus battery etc etc , such thing will bypass the controller and the controller can not control the power that goes to the batteries nor can it turn off the power to the batteries. Most charge controller have a positive common, which means that inside the controller all positives are connected together and the negatives are switched on and off or/and controlled as needed.
Start over to connect the controller to your system. Unhook all your wires from the controller including solar panel,batteries.
1. Hook the battery to the charge controller terminal marked battery first, respect polarity.
2. Hook the solar panel to controller marked solar or panel, respect polarity.
Like I said before, do NOT hook the minus of the solar panel and the minus of the battery together anywhere in your system. Do NOT put jumpers between the minus terminals on the controller.
i have a 48v 18ah battery bank ( 4 batteries in a series) . i power a 48volt 750 watt (max draw) motor. i want to recharge this system using solar.....i simply cannot find anyone who can or will explain this to me. can i wire the solar panels to the controller...not use the controller for output..have the batteries wired to both the solar controller and the motor controller ? do i need to turn off the solar to use the motor ? i am completely lost in this regard......
also- my solar array would only be 50 watts...two 25 watt panels @ 12 volts....unless i can mix wattage of the panels-- due to the area available for the placement of the panels.....
i looked at a mppt converter or two on amazon and i saw a couple that accept assorted input voltages and will give the 48volt output for my battery bank...
i simply do not wish to buy a bunch of solar related equipment just to simply watch it all go poof the 1st time i try it out.
I am lost...need help...
OK, I've got you on this. Don't mix wattages, use the two 25W panels. You need a charge controller that can increase the lower voltage from the 12V panels to the 48V battery bank. That would be the Genasun GVB-8-Pb-WP (www.altestore.com/store/charge-controllers/solar-charge-controllers/electric-vehicle-golf-cart-chargers/genasun-8a-48v-mppt-boost-charge-controller-for-golf-carts-p11000/) If you may have shading on one panel and not the other, wire them in parallel, pluses together and minuses together. If shading is not an issue, you can wire them in series, plus to minus. So you'll have the 2 panels wired together, then wired to the charge controller. The charge controller will be connected to the battery bank. It will only be charging it at about 50W / 48V = 1.04A, so it will only be a bit of a trickle charge. Depending on how much you use the motor, you may need another charging source to keep up with demand, but it should at least give you more time between charges. To use it as your only charging source, you need more solar. You should have a DC fuse or breakers before and after the charge controller. There you go, no poof!
Madam, if I have 12 volts DC lights and 12 volts DC motors. Where should I connect it? Should I connect it directly to the battery or connect it to SCC?
If your solar charge controller has a load control or low voltage output, you could connect the lights to the charge controller to turn them off if the battery gets too low. That is if the total current of the lights is within the range of the charge controller. DC motors would probably have too high of a current draw, especially at start up, so should be connected through a breaker to the battery.
Thank u very much, madam!
Hi Amy I have a smart harvest charge controller SCCM20-100 MPPT outback is it ok to wire up 3 x 100watt 12 volt panel in parallel to a 300 to 400 WH battery bank Many Thanks.Brian
The maximum input for a 12V battery bank is 300W, so you are in good shape. However, if you don't have any shading issues, it may be easier for you to wire the three panels in series, and have the charge controller drop the voltage down for the battery. That will give you lower amps int the charge controller, allowing for smaller wire and less voltage drop. If there are shading issues, then yes, wire the three in parallel. Both ways will output the max 20A of the charge controller.
Hi Amy thank you for getting back to me so soonBrian.
Hi Amy
If I wire the panels in series do I have to wire the battery bank in series or parallel I thought you could only wire them one way or another but if I wire them In series won't it change the volts to 24 volts and I only want a 12 volt system. Thank you again Brian.
If each solar panel has its own wire (which is the case with Harbor Freight amorphous panels), then it doesn't matter much if they are series or parallel connected, cuz the current flow in them should be about the same, such as 12V 1.5A (each panel) or 48V 1.5A all 4 panels in series. You mentioned higher voltages reduce the current but that is misleading. There is no current reduction in this case, especially if you have 4 separate charge controllers, one for each of the four 12V batteries.
You know that the charge controller prevents the battery from getting discharged, that is it prevents the current flowing from the battery to the PV panel and instead lets the battery supply current to the DC load via charge controller in the night-time or in the absence of sun. In the daytime, the charge controller allows the battery to get charged via PV panel and at the same time, powers the DC load. Now the question is: if the battery gets fully charged in the daytime, then will the battery gets discharged during the daytime? Or does the charge controller disconnects the battery from the system? Please let me know asap because I'm extremely confused about it.
During the day the charge controller will manage how much power goes into the battery. If the battery is full, it will disconnect the solar panel from the battery, preventing both overcharging and discharge.
If a had a 12 volt battery and provide it 30 volt through a PWM charge controller, only 14 volt will reach the battery meanwhile the other 16 volt is wasted? Correct me if I'm wrong
Correct. You can see us doing that exact example in ua-cam.com/video/V2b7z2eTb5o/v-deo.html
Wish I had a smart intelligent woman like you
I really need your help here. I have a small solar panel that I would like to use just to keep a charge on one 12 volt battery. I will give you all the information from the back of the panel, and hopefully you'll be able to tell me what type of controller I will need in order to use the panel. Panel Information: Zamp Solar Panel: Model # ZS-M-20Cell Type: Monocrystalline Peak power (Pmax): 20 WattPower Tolerance Range: (%) -3% to +5% Open Circuit Voltage / Voc (V): 21,0 Max Power Voltage / VMP (V) 17.5 Short Circuit Current / ISC (A) 1.23 Maximum Power Current / IMP (A) 1.14 Maximum System Voltage (V) 600 V DC Dimension (MM) 345*470*25
Above Specification At Standard Test Conditions
(STC) 1000W/m* , cell temperature 25*C,am1.5
This is all of the information from the label on the panel. I'm sure this may help you to figure out what type of charge controller I need in order to put the solar panel to use. Thank you very much for your time, and all of your videos. I hope to learn from all of them.
+Roger Sayers The panel you have is a nominal 12V panel (you can tell from Voc (V): 21), so it can be used with a PWM charge controller. To determine the size needed, take the ISC (A) 1.23 x 1.25 = 1.5A minimum charge controller. So a very small
charge controller like the Morningstar SunGuard 4.5A will do the trick. www.altestore.com/store/Charge-Controllers/Solar-Charge-Controllers/PWM-Solar-Charge-Controllers/Morningstar-Charge-Controllers-PWM/Morningstar-SG-4-Sunguard-45-Amp-12-Volt-Solar-Charge-Controller/p793/
Also check out our blog where I discuss deep cycle batteries and charge rate. www.altestore.com/blog/2015/10/understanding-deep-cycle-batteries-part-2/ A small panel like that can really only be used with a fairly small battery, unless it's just a trickle charger to keep it topped off when not being used.
Thank you for helping me out with all this information. I have checked out the blog and will be reading more information. I have two batteries that I would like to use, Both are 12 volt, One is a 35Ah, and the other is a 17Ah.
These batteries will be used for 12 volt L E D Lights and maybe to charge a phone or mp3 player.
+Roger Sayers You can't use 2 sizes of batteries in the same system. Imagine the energy going into a battery like water filling a glass. If you are pouring into 2 glasses at once from the same pitcher, one of two things will have to happen. You'll have to stop pouring when the smaller glass gets full, causing the bigger glass to never get filled up, or you'll keep pouring until the bigger glass is full, and the smaller glass overflows. Both situations are disastrous for your batteries.
You have 3 options.
1.) You could use a charge controller that is designed to charge 2 battery banks, like the Morningstar Duo, www.altestore.com/store/Charge-Controllers/Solar-Charge-Controllers/PWM-Solar-Charge-Controllers/Morningstar-Charge-Controllers-PWM/Morningstar-SSD-25RM-SunSaver-Duo-25A-Dual-Battery-Charger-with-Meter-12V/p5600/.
2.) You would have to use 2 charge controllers and 2 PV panels, keeping the 2 systems completely separate.
3.) You can manually switch out the batteries, charging one at a time.
altE Store
Ok, Got it... I looked at the other charge controller but that is out of my budget at this time. May get one in the future, but for now I'll settle for the small controller. now if you don't mind, I do have another question. Do I have to disconnect the battery from the charge controller befor I use the battery ? Or can I leave the battery connected to the solar charger while using the 12 volt L E D lights ?
+Roger Sayers The charge controller is designed to stay connected to the battery. That way it can recharge any time sun is available. No problem using the battery while it is being charged, that's actually a good thing, makes more room for more power.
Beginner here, my controller says 66.6 not sure what this means or if something is wrong.
Mrs Miller I'd need to know a lot more before offering any advice. What charge controller do you have, how many watts of solar, and what size battery bank.
plz help i am a litttle confused i have alino inverter 3024e by outback and it has a built in charge controller of 80a it supports 24v plz see its datasheet www.outbackpower.com/products/integrated-systems/alino/item/alino-tl. its datasheet says that with72 cell panel i can make 5 to 10 panels in series and max of 2 paralel combintions if i connect 5 panels in series and make 2 paralel combinations my total watts wod b 3300w(10*330w panel) and 3300/24=137a so ineed 137a charge controler but the inverter has 80a mppt cc .similarly 24v*80a=1920w but it says i can conect up to 4000w i followed the datasheet kindly comment on this
2) with same inverter same 10panels of330w making 3300w total and with 2 12v 100ah batery plz tell that what portion of this3300w is going to charge my battery and what proportion is going to run my load at day.and how much time these batteries take to charge cmpletely thanks
The datasheet says up to 3000W for 24V battery bank. However, it will limit the output to 80A. It is common to oversize the solar array to provide more power earlier and later in the day. But mid day, if conditions are perfect and the panels are putting out full power, the charge controller will limit the output. However, what I am concerned about is if your batteries are lead acid, your battery bank is much too small for 80A. You should have at least 4x that battery bank. Charging a 100Ah lead acid battery bank at 80A will damage them. If it is lithium, I would still recommend at least 200Ah.
What happens to the electricity from the solar panel when the battery is full
When the battery is full, the charge controller simply opens and stops the flow of electricity from the solar panel. The solar panel can sit open like that all day long with no problem.
Would it be possible to send you some photo of the charge controller working so you can tell me if it is really working in mppt mode? So you will see our Kalnoit( Electric Vehicle) Direct from Israel! Maybe by email or Whatsapp?
Thank You and best regards!
Emmanuel
Perhaps one of these videos will help. Be careful if you do try to measure the current in line. I don't know how many amps you are working with, be sure your meter can handle it.
ua-cam.com/video/V2b7z2eTb5o/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/0Rb77J1bI94/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/_a8OMBTolxg/v-deo.html
Is there not a very SIMPLE Video on HOW TO READ a Solar Charge Controller?
7:06 you said "Panel" instead of "Battery".
Yup, you're right. Meant battery.
thank you very much , i appreciate all your efforts ..
knowlodge for knowlodge
www.sultan.org
as long as solar is marketed in the diy or a-la cart fashion by breathless geeks it will never be embraced by the public at large... all your vids are excellent and informative. but when buying a car does the average shopper need to contemplate compression ratios, cam lift, brake chamber viscosity, cooling cavitation... no they want seating, color, leg room etc... solar needs a deep rethink on how to package and sell.itself...
We cater to both those who like to dig deep into the what and how, as well as providing pre-designed solar power systems that the customer doesn't need to do the design work for themselves, we've already done it for them. www.altestore.com/store/solar-power-systems-c447/ Something for the geeks and non-geeks.
most wild shit I've ever seen. top score. certified review.
Amy looks like the Stereotypical super achieving Female Nerd, but a cool nerd that we envision when we think of someone like the astronaut Sally Ride, or many other heroins in the field of Science, Medicine, Sports, etc. It wouldn't surprise me if she had a PHD in Thoeretical physics, and/or electrical engineering and graduate some ivy league college like MIT or UC Berkeley.
Thank you for your kind words. Being compared to Sally Ride is about the greatest compliment I could imagine. My background was a Carpentry major in a vocational high school, and a a couple of years as a cabinet maker. I then went back to school for Engineering and worked in the telecom industry for years before moving to solar 11 years ago.
@@AltEStore I knew you had a scientific background! Also, growing up with roots in construction is a very strong foundation especially where design is concerned!
dam! helo
Bulk charging mode doesn't mean you can send the battery bank all of the available power. A large solar array can easily "overpower" a small battery bank for example. Also, you are misleading people that you need 48V rated solar panels (or some combination such as four 12V panels), to charge a 48V battery bank. This is not true. They have boost converters such that a 24V panel (for example), can be used to charge a 48V battery bank. I have one of these boost solar charge converters and it works quite well. Very bad Amy that you are giving out wrong information. Downvoted for wrong information.
U see -5 degrees F "all the time"? I don't think so. Sounds like BS to me.
Pretty much every winter morning on my way to the ski slopes in Maine.
The math annotations in the video are weird at 7:15... the way it's explained is terrible. The example should read, if you want to run 1500w heater for an hour, you need to generate at least 1500w in one day. Since you only make 300w, you will need 4 more panels (totaling 1500)to generate the 1500w your heater consumed.
the formula should be 1500w demand - 300w supply = 1200w deficit... 1200w (deficit) / 300w (generated per panel) = # of panels needed to get 1500w
the second example is worse. 1500w x 5hrs = 7500w demand. 7500w demand / 300w supply= 25 PANELS not 2500w. 2500w is the total W generated for you system...again it's the same information but annotation doesn't match the explanation.
I think you wrote this comment on the wrong video, we don't talk about sizing the solar array in this one, just the charge controller. However, you are mixing up the terms watts (W) and watt hours (Wh). A 1500W heater for 1 hour requires 1500Wh of energy. The amount of panels you need to make this varies based on location, but lets say you get 3 sun hours a day in the winter. 1500Wh / 3 sun hours / .65 losses = 769W, or round up to 800W of solar needed to make 1500Wh to run the heater for 1 hour. Running it for 5 hours would require 5 times as much solar.
audio is bad
Thats a lot of hair lol