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  • Combining panels and wiring

    Hi Everyone,

    I recently pulled a nearly complete solar system out of my friends cottage and i'm now installing it at my own cabin on Lake of the Woods in Northwest Ontario. Included was Xantrex 2400w inverter, Xantrex 40A charge controller, 8 Trojan L16G Deep cycle Batts and 3 panel racks(12 panels total)... 4 Evergreen EC-115-GL panels and 2 racks of 75W BP275ul panels(4 each)

    I need help with how to combine these 3 racks of panels and how to feed them to the charge controller...this is certainly not my area of expertise. If I rack these on my roof (approx30 feet from the charge controller) i'm guessing ill need a combiner box? what size of wire to use from combiner to charge controller.

    I'm hoping for some input on how to do this effectively...any other thoughts?

    Thanks!

  • #2
    What model inverter and charge controller (C40?)? Need to know if the inverter is 12V,24V. or 48V. Those are 12V panels, so they need to be wired in series to match the voltage of the inverter.
    Solar Queen
    altE Store

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Amy@altE View Post
      What model inverter and charge controller (C40?)? Need to know if the inverter is 12V,24V. or 48V. Those are 12V panels, so they need to be wired in series to match the voltage of the inverter.
      Thanks for your response Amy...
      The inverter is a Xantrex DR2424
      And the charge controller is A Xantrex C40 ... I believe the same one sells at Alt Store

      There are 8 of the 75w Panels and 4 of the Evergreen 115w panels

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Fishov View Post
        Hi Everyone,

        I recently pulled a nearly complete solar system out of my friends cottage and i'm now installing it at my own cabin on Lake of the Woods in Northwest Ontario. Included was Xantrex 2400w inverter, Xantrex 40A charge controller, 8 Trojan L16G Deep cycle Batts and 3 panel racks(12 panels total)... 4 Evergreen EC-115-GL panels and 2 racks of 75W BP275ul panels(4 each)

        I need help with how to combine these 3 racks of panels and how to feed them to the charge controller...this is certainly not my area of expertise. If I rack these on my roof (approx30 feet from the charge controller) i'm guessing ill need a combiner box? what size of wire to use from combiner to charge controller.

        I'm hoping for some input on how to do this effectively...any other thoughts?

        Thanks!
        too complicated with what you're doing. Why do not you want to use Grid-Tied Basic Solar Kit for easier ..
        Perhaps suggestion as lacking understanding for Solar combination.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Fishov View Post
          Thanks for your response Amy...
          The inverter is a Xantrex DR2424
          And the charge controller is A Xantrex C40 ... I believe the same one sells at Alt Store

          There are 8 of the 75w Panels and 4 of the Evergreen 115w panels
          How are you going to wire those 8 batteries and what will be your battery system voltage?

          Depending on the Imp of those panels a rough calculation indicates a 40amp charge controller might not work for a 24volt battery system with over 1000 watts of panels.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by SunEagle View Post
            How are you going to wire those 8 batteries and what will be your battery system voltage?

            Depending on the Imp of those panels a rough calculation indicates a 40amp charge controller might not work for a 24volt battery system with over 1000 watts of panels.
            This system was functioning fine at its previous home. When it was removed i wasn't present so i don't know how the panels were tied together and the cabling was left in the original location so i need to replace it. there are 3 racks of panels with 4 on each... 2 racks of the 75w BP275ul and 1 rack of the Evergreen EC-115-GL. I have to find a way to tie these into the system. I believe the Batts were wired for 24v parallel.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Fishov View Post
              This system was functioning fine at its previous home. When it was removed i wasn't present so i don't know how the panels were tied together and the cabling was left in the original location so i need to replace it. there are 3 racks of panels with 4 on each... 2 racks of the 75w BP275ul and 1 rack of the Evergreen EC-115-GL. I have to find a way to tie these into the system. I believe the Batts were wired for 24v parallel.
              Because your system is made up of different panels and multiple batteries you have to be real careful to wire them back to what the charge controller can accept and safely charge a parallel wired battery system.

              You can do this by getting the "nameplate" info from each panel, the specifications of that Xantrex charge controller and those Trojan batteries. Once that data is known then a wiring plan can be determined.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Fishov View Post
                This system was functioning fine at its previous home. When it was removed i wasn't present so i don't know how the panels were tied together and the cabling was left in the original location so i need to replace it. there are 3 racks of panels with 4 on each... 2 racks of the 75w BP275ul and 1 rack of the Evergreen EC-115-GL. I have to find a way to tie these into the system. I believe the Batts were wired for 24v parallel.
                Just because the system was working, doesn't mean it was set up correctly or the best way. The voltages of the 2 types of panels are ok together, but the current difference will definitely cause the 115W panels to operate less than optimally.

                (8) BP275 - 12V panel, 4.75AIsc; wire in 4 parallel strings of 2 in series
                (4) Evergreen EL-115 12V panel, 7.62A Isc; wire in 2 parallel strings of 2 in series


                BP275: 4.75A x 4 strings x 1.25 safety = 23.75A
                EL-115: 7.62 x 2 strings x 1.25 = 19.05A

                Adding the currents together results in over 40A, but the 75W panels are probably pulling down the output of the 115W Evergreens, which is why it has been working. To improve the performance, I strongly recommend you get a second charge controller, and use one on each set of panels.

                Your inverter is a 24V inverter ( DR2424 means 2400W, 24V), so the 6V batteries have to be wired in 2 parallel strings of 4 in series.

                If you don't have a good DC breaker box, I recommend you get the Midnite MNDC175 for breakers before and after the charge controllers and between the batteries and inverter.
                A Midnite PV6 and PV3 can be used to combine the 2 different sections of panels, or a single PV12 could be used for both (separates into 2 halves internally). The BPs need 8A breakers, and the Evergreens need 12A for each string.
                Solar Queen
                altE Store

                Comment


                • #9
                  Thank you Amy... I appreciate your input. This is excellent information. How about the wiring out of the combiner box? What size will I need?
                  Originally posted by Amy@altE View Post
                  Just because the system was working, doesn't mean it was set up correctly or the best way. The voltages of the 2 types of panels are ok together, but the current difference will definitely cause the 115W panels to operate less than optimally.

                  (8) BP275 - 12V panel, 4.75AIsc; wire in 4 parallel strings of 2 in series
                  (4) Evergreen EL-115 12V panel, 7.62A Isc; wire in 2 parallel strings of 2 in series


                  BP275: 4.75A x 4 strings x 1.25 safety = 23.75A
                  EL-115: 7.62 x 2 strings x 1.25 = 19.05A

                  Adding the currents together results in over 40A, but the 75W panels are probably pulling down the output of the 115W Evergreens, which is why it has been working. To improve the performance, I strongly recommend you get a second charge controller, and use one on each set of panels.

                  Your inverter is a 24V inverter ( DR2424 means 2400W, 24V), so the 6V batteries have to be wired in 2 parallel strings of 4 in series.

                  If you don't have a good DC breaker box, I recommend you get the Midnite MNDC175 for breakers before and after the charge controllers and between the batteries and inverter.
                  A Midnite PV6 and PV3 can be used to combine the 2 different sections of panels, or a single PV12 could be used for both (separates into 2 halves internally). The BPs need 8A breakers, and the Evergreens need 12A for each string.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Fishov View Post
                    Thank you Amy... I appreciate your input. This is excellent information. How about the wiring out of the combiner box? What size will I need?
                    You'll need to do some work for that, it's not an easy explanation. I recorded a video of it, you can search on You Tube for "Wiring Your Solar Power System". I'm also creating an online guide, but that's not ready yet. It's up to 30 pages right now, yikes!
                    Solar Queen
                    altE Store

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Amy@altE View Post
                      You'll need to do some work for that, it's not an easy explanation. I recorded a video of it, you can search on You Tube for "Wiring Your Solar Power System". I'm also creating an online guide, but that's not ready yet. It's up to 30 pages right now, yikes!
                      Thanks again Amy... I've private messaged you about ordering from The Alt store... Thx steve

                      Comment

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