very very low amps

[tizzywizzy1uk]

Hi, i have the solar panels that were setup in series and produced an average of 0.5 amps...on a good day 1.2 amps would be produced.
I decided to wire the solar panels parralel and now they produce max of 7.0 amps.. what am i doing wrong?

my setup as follows
6 x 170w 24v panels around 5yr old totalling 1.2kw
1 x 24v 920ah traction battery
1 x 60amp pwc controller
1 x 6kw pure sine invertor...(not hooked up yet)

i assumed that as an ultimate maximum the solar panels would generate 42amps....average 25amps..anyone got any advise?

[Naptown]

By wiring in parallel you reduced the voltage to where the PWM type controller is much more efficient. However the output still seems low.
What are the specs on the panels and controller (Read the labels or provide manufacturer and model numbers.)

[FloridaSun]

Hi, i have the solar panels that were setup in series and produced an average of 0.5 amps...on a good day 1.2 amps would be produced.
I decided to wire the solar panels parralel and now they produce max of 7.0 amps.. what am i doing wrong?

my setup as follows
6 x 170w 24v panels around 5yr old totalling 1.2kw
1 x 24v 920ah traction battery
1 x 60amp pwc controller
1 x 6kw pure sine invertor...(not hooked up yet)

i assumed that as an ultimate maximum the solar panels would generate 42amps....average 25amps..anyone got any advise?

sounds like you're doing things right by parallel connecting with a pwm controller.... if you're getting 7 amps each panel. Better yet, get a 45A mppt controller.

you're math is a bit off there. 6x170= 1020watts, 1.02Kw

[inetdog]

Hi, i have the solar panels that were setup in series and produced an average of 0.5 amps...on a good day 1.2 amps would be produced.
I decided to wire the solar panels parralel and now they produce max of 7.0 amps.. what am i doing wrong?

my setup as follows
6 x 170w 24v panels around 5yr old totalling 1.2kw
1 x 24v 920ah traction battery
1 x 60amp pwc controller
1 x 6kw pure sine invertor...(not hooked up yet)

i assumed that as an ultimate maximum the solar panels would generate 42amps....average 25amps..anyone got any advise?

When using a PWM CC, you cannot put the panels in series to produce much more than 36 volts for a 24 volts system or you will be totally wasting any power beyond that.
And when you put the panels in parallel, the current flowing through the CC will be limited by the battery condition most of the time. The only time the CC will use the full panel current, up to 60A, will be when it is in the bulk stage. '

BTW, each of your 170 Watt, nominal 24 volt panels, if in good condition and in perfect light and temperature, will produce at most 4.7A (170/36). So the absolute best you will ever get with a PWM CC will be 28A. I do not know where you are getting the 42 amps.

Now if pwc is a brand name, and the CC is MMPT and is not a cheap knockoff, you could expect 42A. But the current still will not exceed what the batteries can take while staying below the Absorb voltage.

[SunEagle]

[QUOTE=inetdog;73384]

BTW, each of your 170 Watt, nominal 24 volt panels, if in good condition and in perfect light and temperature, will produce at most 4.7A (170/36). So the absolute best you will ever get with a PWM CC will be 28A. I do not know where you are getting the 42 amps.


He is making the basic wrong assumption that you divide the panel 170 wattage by the nominal 24 volts which equals 7.08amp x 6 panels = 42.5 total amps.

Most people don't realize that the panel wattage is a math function of the panel Imp (max amp output) rating times the Vmp (max volt output) rating.

The 4.7amp that you calculated is closer to the true panel output.

[tizzywizzy1uk]

whoa!!! i can't believe how fast you all responded...sorry, the charge controller is a pwm..here's the panel specs..

Ningbo solar dated 2008
model: TDB125x125-72-p
pmax:170wp
vmp 35.0 imp 4.86a voc 44.0v isc 5.36a

It was a guess on the amperage, i still would have thought that the amps coming in would be in the 20's.
thanks for the speedy responses!

[tizzywizzy1uk]

oh, and this is the charger..

60A Solar Regulator Charge Controller 12V 24V auto 1440W Solar Panel CM6024Z 60A

i did have a 60a mppt controller, but it wouldn't work

[Naptown]

What is the state of charge on the batttery. If it is in absorb or close to float that could explain the low amps. Means the charge controller is doing what it is supposed to do.
And with that controller you are still losing a lot of panel wattage. By switching to a MPPT you could get 25-30% more out of the panels

[Naptown]

oh, and this is the charger..

60A Solar Regulator Charge Controller 12V 24V auto 1440W Solar Panel CM6024Z 60A

i did have a 60a mppt controller, but it wouldn't work

If you had all 6 in series you probably burned it up.
I'm surprised the one you have now still works.

[FloridaSun]

oh, and this is the charger..

60A Solar Regulator Charge Controller 12V 24V auto 1440W Solar Panel CM6024Z 60A

i did have a 60a mppt controller, but it wouldn't work

have you checked each panel to make sure they all function?
with a good 45a mppt that will take 150v, you could parallel two strings of 3@ panels

[SunEagle]

whoa!!! i can't believe how fast you all responded...sorry, the charge controller is a pwm..here's the panel specs..

Ningbo solar dated 2008
model: TDB125x125-72-p
pmax:170wp
vmp 35.0 imp 4.86a voc 44.0v isc 5.36a

It was a guess on the amperage, i still would have thought that the amps coming in would be in the 20's.
thanks for the speedy responses!

If you originally had all 6 panels in series the input voltage to your charge controller would have been around 210 volts and the most amps you would see is around 4.86 during peak sunlight as long as the charger was connected to load.

If you connect them in parallel then your input volts is 35 volts and total current for all the panels would be close to 30 amps again if there was a load.

So to understand what is going on and why you are not getting what you expect please provide some detail on the charge controller. We know it is a pwm and has a rating of 60amp. What voltage range is the input and output?

It is possible that the charger could not handle that 210v input voltage when the panels were in series or that your battery is no longer good and not charging therefore it is not drawing any amperage.

[SunEagle]

If you had all 6 in series you probably burned it up.
I'm surprised the one you have now still works.

Yeah. That charger has a max voltage input of <= 48volts so the 200 plus volts probably fried something.

[tizzywizzy1uk]

thanks for all your input..the battery was at 50% and the charger seems to be working normal(as in everything works on it) i'm going to check on the charger tomorrow morning and see what's happening, i'll let you know my findings.
thanks..

[Aric Dyson]

Hi, i have the solar panels that were setup in series and produced an average of 0.5 amps...on a good day 1.2 amps would be produced.
I decided to wire the solar panels parralel and now they produce max of 7.0 amps.. what am i doing wrong?

my setup as follows
6 x 170w 24v panels around 5yr old totalling 1.2kw
1 x 24v 920ah traction battery
1 x 60amp pwc controller
1 x 6kw pure sine invertor...(not hooked up yet)

i assumed that as an ultimate maximum the solar panels would generate 42amps....average 25amps..anyone got any advise?

I think you are making the wrong procedure, try to minimize and understand your set up if its already function. However, this is what you gonna do in order you to determine and I think this is your problem.

[tizzywizzy1uk]

ok, i monitored the charge controller closely yesterday, the charger fluctuates quite rapidly, the lowest was .02 amp and the highest was 13.0 amp.
it works out that around 50 ah are collected in a full 24hr day. yesterday was sunny all day with no clouds, my panels are south facing at 30 degree
i believe the max amp output of each panel is 4.8 amp.
my cc is only collecting around .8 amp from each panel.
any thoughts?