How to Size a Solar Charge Controller for a DIY Camper Van Solar System
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- Опубліковано 4 лип 2024
- This video will teach you how to size a charge controller using a solar charge controller calculator I made.
Here is a link to the Calculator: explorist.life/solar-charge-c...
Here is a link to my solar consulting services: www.explorist.life/consulting
Here is a link to the Solar Wiring Diagrams: explorist.life/solarwiringdia...
Here is a link to a metric F ton of my other free solar resources: explorist.life/diy-campervan-...
So, Nate. 2 years later, and- here I am sitting, watching & feeling incredibly grateful! Not only are you highly focused, right on stream & quick (thank you!) but, additionally, you use Victron equipment (mine's marine- Victron required-almost!) and explain detail (fitment, temp. ranges, max voltage). Finally, space restrictions, wire runs, proper contacts at equipment- all priceless details that PREVENT releasing the magic smoke inside the wires & charge controllers (That's my biggest worry, can't put the Genie back in the bottle once it's been freed!)
Wow, I wonder how many people have been helped with you & your wife's channel? I bet it's up to tens of thousands? Free calculators, Excel spreadsheets... Thank you is certainly NOT enough.
How this video has so few likes is beyond me. This calculator is amazing! Thank you for putting it together.
Hey Nick Cranston, Thanks so much! Cheers!
Thank you for being an AWESOME teacher. We are in the beginning days of building our Shuttle Bus and your videos are helping us understand solar and what we need to purchase. Sincere Thanks.
I been looking for this kind of information without the bs glad I finally found you.
Thanks for the info, we are off grid “Victron gear”
I constantly monitor our usage and as you say the difference in winter / summer is easy to see when looking live on the VRM, we have a duel axis array setup, consists of 6 x 335watt LG panels in 2 strings, (2010 watts total)
it’s looking at the sun all day sun up - sun down, I have seen in colder days it reach 2430 watts, on real hot days eg: 39c it only pumps out 1700 watts, big difference, MPPT is 150/100. Inverter charger Mulitiplus 48VA - 35Amp.
Batteries agm 12 volt -220AH x two banks (48volts)
It gets us by no problems, il be using your method when upgrading later.
Thanks again👍🇦🇺
Sounds like a great setup! Glad it's working well for you. VRM portal is a great tool for sure.
The calculator is awesome and might really save some people a lot of headache and money from unknowingly undersizing their charge controller! Not to mention a lot of RVrs may find themselves in high altitude situations where cold weather can come during times of the year when the sun is high in the sky!
Great video! Just the right amount of focus, math and repetition for me to learn it. We all learn differently, and after watching countless videos from other channels this is the fellow that explains it just right for me to understand and learn.
Glad it was helpful. Cheers!
he is really a nice guy, i ask him help and he answer, he offer to help, amazing i have not use his good will but i will!
You should thank yourself. This stuff is a bit complicated when someone like me has absolutely no knowledge to start with. I've saved your video and worked out some numbers just to follow your demo, but I know when I get ready I'm going to want someone like you to double check my numbers. This won't be for 3 years when I retire. So in the mean time I'm going to be the most informed as I can be from rooftop to floor. You have been a big help. So thank you, i appreciate you. Pattie
Your content is simply amazing!! I stumbled upon your channel trying to learn more about a solar install into a skoolie, and every video you've posted is so far invaluable to me. Cannot thank you enough for making all of this so accessible
I will be upgrading my truck camper to a Lithium system and came across your videos. They are helpful beyond words!!! Thank you!
Thanks for the succinct information and the calculator! Greatly appreciated. Using this info to "check" the contractor we are working with to ensure we are not being under/oversold.
Be sure if the information differs that you tell him "...but this one guy from UA-cam said..."
Contractors love that. :D :D :D
Sorry, but on the current calculation you multiplied by 5 at moment "6:04" but you should take into account that the maximum current is only 9.22A as the panels are connected in series. Thanks for the video!
He's calculating the Amperage that would be supplied from the charge controller in the lowest temperature conditions. The current would be ca. 9.22A going into the controller, and ca. 46.14A coming out of it.
@Mike Jones unless the voltage changes you can't just produce more amps. Watts in has to equal watts out minus losses just like a transformer.
Your calculator saved me from making a grave mistake. A self-proclaimed solar nerd convinced me that his math was correct. It turns out that my amperage was WAY higher (42 amps) than I should be running. Thankfully, I had doubts. Liked and subscribed.
Finally found the info I was looking for regarding multi panels and the Victron MPPT 100/20.
Thank you
Awesome! Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!
This video and your tutorial is excellent. Thank you. I'm currently at the planning stage and your knowledge and calculator will be essential in planning my setup. I am planning on using Victron totally. Once again; awesome video.
Awesome! Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!
Way awesome, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO! giant help
Holly crap. That was an extremely well done explanation. I understood ! Of course by the time I add the period I will have forgotten everything, but that’s not your fault. Great job.
Great video! I am on a sailboat and your calc is great. Your stuff is great for the 'floating' RVs:)
You just saved me a bunch a digging around. I was searching for the right size charger to connect to a 540W panel. Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou.
just sad. i just happened to run across your channel while researching solar set ups for travel trailers ( glad i did by the way ) and i can't believe the dislikes !! why?, it seems the more information you give, the free resources, the time it takes to make videos of this caliber, everything short of doing it for them, people still have the nerve to thumbs down videos. you even take the math ( which is complicated for some ) and break it down to make it a heck of a lot easier. i just don't get it. thanks for all your hard work ( i know i appreciate it ) , read a few articles on your site as well... added to my favorites!!!
Fascinating video and your calculator is amazing. I only have a small teardrop camper with 100 W solar but I want to upgrade my batteries to lithium and the charge controller too.
thank just kidding you have learned a lot since your 1st video nice to see you have turned a hobby in to a business good for you good luck in the future
I’ve just found your channel and it’s gold dust. Please keep up the fantastic work.
Hey Roland Maraldo, Thanks so much! Cheers!
top notch dude..thankyou for Yoir time and effort..much needed help..big ups ..THANKYOU
Wow thank you so much for the quick to the point info and the tools you provide are awesome.
Hey Daniel, No problem! Glad it helped! :)
Hi great video. I have 140w single panel but might add more later. Can I use a MPPT that is bigger than I currently require so it’s good to go if I add more solar later?
Thanks for providing this information and calculator Nate!
Can I plug the flux capacitor directly into the orgonne generator or do I need to modulate the carrier wave output with a cascading field zener diode?
As long as the marshal vane is below the Voc, you'll be good.
But Captain Explorist . The Marshall Vane should always be calibrated against the Warp Drive -ve BUS differential with k-factor to maintain the hall effect constant at 0.02 % of sine magnitude !
I know because my nanna told me ~
Mark Yes my momma told me dat foosball is for the devil
Just learned that I need a way bigger controller for my set up than I ever imagined. This saved me money in the long run, as I will not blow the puny one on an over voltage/amperage.
With those 4x65W panels x 2 series it turns out I will have to go for a 150/60 controller.
Awesome! Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!
The diagrams are JAW DROPPING
Correction needed
Hey Nate. I would like to thank you for your time and effort to upload all those informative videos, keep it up.
When it comes to calculating the Max Amps coming out from the MPPT solar charge controller the answer in your video references the max wattage you calculated with the formula divided by charging voltage pushed, where as in the calculator on the website it references the Max Voltage Per Panel at Estimated Low Temperature x Solar Panel Maximum Power Current (Imp) / Charging Voltage Pushed the two approaches are different and lead to different answers… I think something needs to be fixed.
Noticed that same thing.
The calculator is awesome!
Thanks! 🙂🙌
What a legend 100% what I was looking for AND a brilliant free calculator :) thank you bud
Hey Pete Warby, No problem! Glad it helped! :)
you are a great guy and a good teacher thanks, god bless
Great info thanks, Question, I have 4 sunpower 170 flex panels 2 series 2 parallel, 4 battleborn batteries in parallel for 12 volt 400 amp hour bank, which of the Victron charge controllers would you recommend so that I can build up the system as well?
Hi Nate, Thank you for this, really helpful. My calculations based on the info you mentioned. I get 43V and 52Amps... This is based on a minimum temperature of -20ºC... Would the 100/50 MPPT be ok, so should I really need to go larger?
Thanks for all your input, They are quite helpful ..
No problem. Happy to help!
Wow u draw such straight lines and square corners :)
thanks for the info, but for total amp calculation, I suppose it refers to 5 panels connected in parallel? As current of panel suppose to be the same if they are connected in series.
cool. idol! yeah i found vitron product complete on this camper projects, i am planning victron all the way.. love ur content, mathwhiz!
Hey Nate. Thanks for the great information. Looking at my rich solar panels, some of the verbiage in your calculator isn’t the same so I’m not sure if I’m putting in the correct numbers. Mostly the coefficient numbers for temp. I’m looking to connect 5-200 watt panels to the new eco flo pro coming out. The only thing they say is max 1600 watts, 11-150volts/15 amps. I’m thinking I’ll be ok but still unsure. I’m in the south Denver area. I put -10 degree f for coldest at daylight to be conservative
Thank you for so much information. How do I get the following: 1) Temperature coefficient VOC and 2) Temperature coefficient of PMAX if this is not listed on my panel or my specifications sheet? Any help you can offer is rally appreciated.
yea...i agree... i dont know how to get those exact things aswell..good question...]
help.>!>>!
ultimately video left me confused on those 2 points
@@jamieshakeshaft5468 my spec sheet has the Voltage Temperature Coefficient in mV, but it is not clear if he used mV or V in his calculator
Great videos! I have a small Airstream with 1 90W Zamp solar panel. I plan to add 2-100W Renogy (pre-wired parallel) panels and have an external port for portable panels. I have 6-100W 24V Lion Energy panels that daisychain together in parallel. I would probably only use 1 or 2 of the portable panels. My question is can I get by with 1 mppt or should I use 2? I have a Victron 100/30 to install, however should I use a 100/50?
You created an excellent little tool, thanks for sharing.
Thank you very much! Glad it was helpful!
I will probably not watch another video because I got everything I needed from this brilliant video, you just deserve a sub anyway.
Top content lad
you calculator is fantastic ! THANK YOU !
Glad it was helpful!
You are a Bloody Legend Mate! Thanks so much! Your videos are Great!
Hey Matt Anderson, Thanks so much! Cheers!
So, these should be awesome on the prairies where it's cold, but sunny in winter?
Great video - you threw me off track with the Max Power Voltage (i.e. 22.65Voc Vs 18.90 volts) Had to go back to look at the solar panel label again to verify. Thanks for the videos - much appreciated!
Awesome! Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!
I love this! Been with ya since the beginning
Hey Gary Collins, Thanks so much! Cheers!
Great info, thank you. What I find missing in all these videos is determining the most efficient way to charge a battery, meaning not only the charge controller selection, but the various segments of wire and the guage. I think this is a safety issue as much as anything else. For example, is the fastest way to charge a battery higher voltage or amps? And once I have the charge controller and panel arrangement figured out, what is the most efficient (and safest) wire guage and type to use? I've yet to find a comprehensive video that help with that.
The most efficient way to charge the battery depends on what kind of battery and manufacturer of battery you use. Is it lithiumm, lead acid, etc. The selection and prroramming of a charge controller or inverter/charger is what gives you the voltages needed to do the charging correctly and efficiently. As for selecting wire size, that's mostly dependent on the maximun current that can possibly be put out by tge charge controller or inverter/charger. And, don't forget to make the wires larger than any fuses or breakers needed.
Majorly excellent... thanks again, Nate, maaaaaate!!
Amazing website to help with calculations and visualisation 👌⚡✨
That’s great thanks.
My question is, should I go up to above my ampage for the controller- my ampage works out at 52. Should I get a 60, or a 50 amp size controller?
Thank you
60 amps, always better to go more then less. If some accident happens and it goes over the controller limit, you're out a few hundred dollars
The amperage (current) won’t do anything to the controller. It will output as much as it’s rated for and waste the rest.
The voltage coming in will fry the controller if it’s over the rated capacity.
Really incredible. Thank you!
Awesome! Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!
Excellent video! Thank you very much for the great info.
Glad you enjoyed it!
can I have the reference of the equations used in this video? Thanks really need it in present time. EXPLORIST life - DIY Campers
Thank you for the video.
Thanks mate! An awesome resource you are.
Glad it was helpful. Cheers!
Great video and thanks for the calculator!!!
Hey Luton Van Man, No problem! Glad it helped! :)
Hello, great video, really well explained. But I have a question, not sure how to go with my setup. I'm planning to run 200-300ah 12v batteries. My solar will most likely be 2x320w solar panels. They each have 43 voc, so I will probably series connect them to get 86 volts. So 640w panels at 86 volts will push around 8amps into the controller. My question is, how do I konw at what volts will the controller be charging the battery? 14.4 always? I need to know in order to size the controller. I think a 100/50 victron will do the job. If the controller charges the battery at 14.4 volts, 640/14.4 = 44.4 amps, which is below 50. But if the voltage charge drops, I will go over 50amps, over the controller max..Am I getting this right? Thanks all that help!
Thanks for making the video.
Wow sharp fast direct information. Thanks.
Hey Phil Lalonde, No problem! Glad it helped! :)
Haha you caught yourself out when you where doing the editing! Awesome vidz👍👍👍
Thanks really helpful. What about if they are wired in parallel?
Hi Nate!!
Still loving all your videos but not getting my head right around it yet!
My panels dont seem to have all the info on them
im running 2x 300ah 12v lithium batteries in parallel for 12v 600ah, I then have 2x 300w solar panels with open circuit voltage of 24V and max power current of 15A. I just purchased the renogy 50A dc2dc charger with solar input which has a max solar input of 660W and 25V. Im unsure on how to safely wire these panels in to get the most efficiency or if maybe i need more solar and a different charger/controller to efficiently charge my 600ah battery bank..
also not sure if that makes sense or if im just really confused haha
Super useful information, I did not think about cold boosting my amps, You got my Sub and like
Hey jaycweingardt11, No problem! Glad it helped! :)
Many thanks for this, and more especially to all the work you've put into the calculator which I have been using for the last couple of hours. If you have time for a question for folks who live in the tropics, here goes! I crunched the numbers for low temp (10C,) 25C (STC?), and 40C using your low temp adjuster. I could well be misusing its design function, but my voltages kept rising with temp. I was lead to believe efficiencies go down somewhere above 25C, it's usually above 35C in these parts, how do you size MPPTs for hot climates? Thanks!
The STC, e.g. 25 C, is the temperature of the solar cells in the solar module itself, not the air temperature. As the modules generate power, that temperature goes up above the outside air temperature. But, not sure if the above information may help you figure out your question.
Yo the calculator is top tier! very good job
Glad it was helpful. Cheers!
Is 2g wire from the battery to a 2000w inverter okay?
100w 12v panel
10g wire to the 30amp controller
10g wire to the 36ah 12v agm battery
thanks for the video, i'm buy the 150/35
Great video Nate. Much appreciated. Hey on a related questions have you done any videos or a post on comparing the very expensive solar panels (eg:Gioco GSP ) to the newer on the market and much more reasonably priced models (eg: renogy 170 mono). With our installation it will only actually be outside for 1 month a year and I am having a hard time justifying the 2-3x price on durability alone. A local dealer is pushing me towards the more expense of the two, so curious to try to figure out why. Feel free to point me to anything you have pre-existing, or you have found out there that you like.
Hey, the calculator at the moment only allows for you to input battery bank voltage but not solar panel voltage. How much would the calculations change if you are using 24v as opposed to 12v panels? Can you use 24v panels with a 12v battery bank through a victron charge controller?
The calculator currently allows you to input ANY voltage of panel you can throw at it.
Good information, thanks.
Just curious after using your calculator and looking at the Victron charge controller, Amazon listed 2 different controllers. One is called SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 Charge Controller and the other is called Victron BlueSolar 12V or 24V MPPT 100/50 Charge Controller. what is the difference between a "SmartSolar" and a "BlueSolar" controller besides the price?
Good question! The main (only?) Difference is that the Smartsolar has bluetooth capabilities built into the unit and the Bluesolar unit requires an external bluetooth dongle. The bluetooth capabilities IMO are awesome and allow you to see not only how much power you are currently making, but also how much power you have historically made on a daily basis. It's great for making sure your system is actually performing how it should.
@@EXPLORISTlife
Thank you!
Not gona lie, my brain hurt for a bit there but came away knowing more. Great tutorial and will defiantly watch that again 👍
Love the videos. Always very good information. But, what if the panels label don't have all that information printed on it? Like the temperature info you mentioned. I bought 6, 200 watt HiTech mono panels. This confuses me on what size controller I should get. Maybe one bigger or 2 smaller? I have a class a motorhome (50amp) to power. I tried using your calculator, but couldn't fill in all the blanks. Any suggestions would sure be appreciated!
Check out the product page on the internet. That SHOULD have the information available.
Nate- that's HUGE!!! The price of peace of mind is priceless. I don't mind doing the background work (using your calculator, doing some hand math, etc..), but- would feel 1,000 times BETTER if I could convince you to eyeball my work. Additionally, I will reference all of your work for determining wire size, but- as long as we talking solar- maybe, I could convince you to check that as well? I'd rather do this work RIGHT once, and, get years of service from this expensive equipment, than burn out controllers, ruin batteries or burn down my truck camper! Yikes!
Awesome! Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the video
OOOH my goodness.... even google translate could not translate that load of bobldie-gook you spouted in the first minute......🤣. Great video. I am a new subscriber and I am finding these videos so useful for our Narrowboat buid. Thank you.
Hey Buzzy's Boaty, No problem! Glad it helped! :)
Thank you for being a helpful good dude ✌🏽
Hey Oliver Hart, No problem! Glad it helped! :)
If you max out your charge controller's capacity... can you still add more solar panels by just putting them through a 2nd charge controller and then having that charge controller connected to a different battery within the same battery bank (But different entry point)? Or is this increasing risk?
Thanks.
BEST! Thank you !
extremely useful video and tools! I do have a question though, according to your calculator we need an output charging current of 60A for our system, but how does this relate to the charging rate of the batteries?
I'm not 100% sure I'm following your question, but this video may help: ua-cam.com/video/Jkbs84sBHsg/v-deo.html
Hi Nate, your video are super easy to follow and your are excellent instructor - thank you!
Question, how does the Victron Smart MPPT charge controller work in a solar - RV battery system?
For example, I using a Victron MPPT 150/100 with 4X 200W of 20 Voc solar panels (800W, total Voc of 80V), plus a 12V 200Ah (2.4kWh) with the charging voltage of 14.4V ==> does the Victron automatically keeps the charging voltage at 14.4V and have the charging current at 800W/14.4V = 55.6A? Or is the system charging current = 200W / 20Voc = 10A?
Can the Victron MPPT be program for specific charging current such as 50A? If the Victron MPPT charge controller can be set to 50 A, then what is the system charging voltage? I want to assess if my system operates with the limits of this Victron MPPT charge controller of 150V/100A.
Thanks!
The charge controller simply re-charges the battery in your RV Electrical system. At the base level, that is all it does.
800w of power regulated down to the battery charging voltage of 14.4V would be, as you mentioned, 55.6A heading into the charge controller.
The Victron SmartSolar MPPT can be programmed for lower charging current if desired. The voltage will remain constant at the pre-programmed specifics (of 14.4v or whatever you chose).
Nice start 😂😂
Haha, thanks!
Lol that's exactly what I've been avoiding and it's like that on so many channels
This was awesome!
Awesome! Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!
does any of this apply to a pwm charge controller. I have a very small system for my garage 2 100 watt panels. I did the calculations and found it cool that on a cold winters day in chicago. The panels may produce a cool 121 watts of power each and a Voc of 49.4V when in series, but does this apply at all if Im using a 30amp pwm charge control?
This calculator is only geared for recommendations on MPPT controllers, but you could use it to gather info about your array to see if it would work with your PWM charge controller. For example... you found out that if wired in series your array will be nearly 50 volts which you'll likely find is too high for a PWM charge controller.
Ok, I'm a little confused. In a previous video you said that when wiring your panels in series the amount of amps do not change, but in this video you added the amps of each panel in series together. What made the amperage in the array in series get added together in this example instead of staying the same at 9.22 amps as shown in the example in the previous video? Please help. Thanks in advance.
Great video, and thanks for the help. I have one question. I am going to use two HQST 50w and two HQST 100w panels due to space constraints. I can’t figure out the math or how to enter the differing info into your calculator. I’m thinking the Victron 100 | 30 would be good but I wanted to be sure.
You'll actually need two separate charge controllers for that. One for the 100's and one for the 50's.
Oh I was not expecting that as the specifications on each panel are about the same, except of course the amps on the 100w is approx double that of the 50w. The total amps would still be in range of the controller. I guess I have some studying to do on this.
Okay, actually... I just made a calculator to figure out HOW MUCH wattage would be lost by mixing solar panel sizes. If you wire your solar panels like this:
2x50w panels in series
2x100w panels in series
Wire those two series-strings in parallel.
If you do it like that, mathematically, you should still be able to pull a maximum of 295w out of the solar panel array; so pretty close to original.
Hi, wondering if my target of 5x100w solar panel and decide to purchase say a Victron 100/50 Mppt, but in the mean time I may only hook up 1 unit of 100w solar usage till my sailboat arrive. Will the Mppt still works with just 1 panel instead of 5?
On series, the amps still the same.. so 4 solar panels connected on series (the Voc x4, but the amps still the same 5.2 for example) or I’m wrong?
Hi i like the way you broke down the calculations and made it so simple i'm not that good with maths either but you my friend by far out shine a lot you should play the lotto with your skills after all its a math problem
Great video!
Thanks! 🙂🙌
Thanks for the good info. What if the solar panels are mismatched? Will your calculator work and how? Thanks
It will still works, but you'll have to tinker with it a bit to get the proper array voltage/amperage heading to the charge controller.
I loved your calculator! I am not sure I messed up the calculation though by my desired setup? I want to put 2 panels in parallel that are over 300 watts and the only way I could figure to do it was say 1 series string and 2 panels in parallel. It did give a number but not sure it was accurate because they are only the 2 panels in parallel .. I also would like to do 24v battery setup and noticed it did bring the amps down to a very cheap controller amperage. I.e. it seemed like I could really get away with a smaller rated victron. Do you think it was able to do the math correctly by saying it was 1 series string? Thank you!I subscribed and as a newbie love your explanations!
Thanks for the info you pump out. I've been looking for a central source for related info and I'm glad I stumbled upon your channel. The amount of info on the vids you produce just flies above my head at initial screening but I slowly get the picture as I re-watch the videos. Question for you, though I'm not sure if this is within the scope of your channel or your website: would you have inputs as to how to integrate a solar charging system with the van's own charging system so the van charging system can help charge the solar batteries? Best regards from Ontario.
Thanks for teaching me
Nice video.... Questions: What size Controller do I use for a 12Watt, 12v Solar panel hooked to my Boat Battery? 5A, 10A etc., ? Any HELP is appreciated. Thanks in advance
Based on what you learned in this video... what size of charge controller DO you need for your solar panel? What did the charge controller calculator tell you? :)
Great video thanks. Is there any risk of giving the mppt too few volts or amps? You only talk about the max values here? Thanks again!
Not really. The solar array voltage MUST be at least 5V higher than the battery bank voltage and SHOULD be at least 20V higher for optimum performance.
Nice job.