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  • Newbie questions about solar power and circuit breakers

    Hi everybody,

    I am trying to setup a simple solar power system so I can
    learn from and experiment with. I already bought a charge
    controller 12V / 24V - 20A, and a small AGM battery of
    12V, 17AH.

    I am planning to buy a 80WP solar panel and a 1200W inverter
    to complete the system.

    Because I will be experimenting with the system
    by wiring 3 way switches I want to put circuit breakers in
    the system so my equipment does not get damaged in case of errors,
    but I don't understand the math of circuit breakers yet and how many
    amps I should use.

    I saw on a diagram that circuit breakers can be put between the
    charge controller and the solar panel, a circuit breaker can be used
    between the charge controller and the battery, and between the charge
    controller and the DC output lights, and a circuit breaker can be used
    between the battery and the inverter.

    My questions are:
    A circuit breaker of how many amps should I put between the charge controller and the solar panel?
    A circuit breaker of how many amps should I put between the charge controller and the battery?
    A circuit breaker of how many amps should I put between the charge controller and the DC output lights?
    A circuit breaker of how many amps should I put between the battery and the inverter?
    A circuit breaker of how many amps should I use after the inverter to protect it from damage?
    Are there special types of cables I should use in the system?
    Can I connect any solar panel to the 12V / 24V - 20A charge controller or should the solar panel be 12V or 24V?

    Can anybody help me out?

    Thanks in advance.

  • #2
    A circuit breaker of how many amps should I put between the charge controller and the 80W solar panel? Short Circuit Current (Isc) of panel (probably around 4.9A) x 1.56 = 7.6, round up to 8A
    A circuit breaker of how many amps should I put between the charge controller and the battery? depends if you plan on adding more panels in the future, in which case you can base on the size of the 20A charge controller, 20A x 1.25 = 25A, round up to 30A. Or base on solar panel and use the same 8A as going in.
    A circuit breaker of how many amps should I put between the charge controller and the DC output lights? How many amps total for the lights? That number x 1.25, round up.
    A circuit breaker of how many amps should I put between the battery and the inverter? 1200W inverter / 10V (probably lowest voltage the inverter will work) x 1.25 = 150A, or whatever the manual tells you.
    A circuit breaker of how many amps should I use after the inverter to protect it from damage? By after, I assume you mean the AC side? 1200W / 120V x 1.25 = 13A, round up to 15A.
    Are there special types of cables I should use in the system? Go to YouTube and look for the altE Store channel. I did a video on wiring your solar panels.
    Can I connect any solar panel to the 12V / 24V - 20A charge controller or should the solar panel be 12V or 24V? For PWM, the panel nominal voltage must match the nominal voltage of the battery bank. 12V panel for 12V battery bank. The reason the charge controller says 12/24, is it is able to do either voltage system, so a 24V panel with 24V battery bank. It cannot mix and match, 12V with 24V.
    Solar Queen
    altE Store

    Comment


    • #3
      Thank you very very much.

      You saved me from making a huge mistake.

      Comment


      • #4
        There are AC and DC breakers. AC breakers can not be used in DC circuits. Be sure to get the right one for your application. Also, check for connection polarity with DC breakers.

        Rick
        3.6 kw PV, Classic 150, Radian GS4048A, LFP 195A

        Comment

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