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36v panel with 12v battery..... Help!

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  • 36v panel with 12v battery..... Help!

    Hi there,
    So I've been given a 180w 36v solar panel and I would like to use it with a singular 12v battery..... There seem to be a lot of 12/24v MPPT controllers out there but I can't seem to find anything of a decent price that can handle 36v input and 12v output. My question is, can I use one of these 12/24v MPPT controllers with a 36v panel? I don't know if the voltage rated on the controller is specifically for the battery? I've been looking at controllers similar to this....

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20A-12V-24...6kAAOSwzhVWqYO 8

    Failing that, would it be a sensible thing to use a 36v to 12v Stepdown Module like this one below?

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200W-15A-1...AOSwHoFXqQw8in between my solar panel and my charge controller?

    I don't really want to buy 3 batteries and run a 36v battery set up as my 180w panel won't be able to power it....and I'm hoping I don't have to buy a new panel instead, or spend a few hundred on a suitable charge controller.....

    Any help would be greatly appreciated!
    ​​​​​​​Thank you
    Last edited by solar pete; 04-30-2017, 04:51 AM.

  • #2
    your panel is considered a 24 volt panel and your easiest solution is to go with 2 12 volt batteries and a 24 volt controller.. 12 volt panels actually produce 18 volts.
    12 volt batteries usually are at 14 volts fully charged so a true 12 volt power supply will not charge them. 3 12 volt batteries would be about 42 volts fully charged so a 36 volt panel will not charge them properly.

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    • #3
      Most of the true MPPT controllers want 36 or more volts to charge even a 12 volt battery. True MPPT controllers will clearly let you know they have a 100 or 150 volt limit The 12/24 designates the battery bank size and these 12/24 models usually are auto adjust by sensing the battery bank voltage. (you should always connect the battery first) The key here is TRUE MPPT. There are a lot of so called MPPT controllers on ebay that are bogus. Some of the less expensive real ones are Tracer, Epever or HQST. If you find a "MPPT" charge controller for 35.99 or some low price like that rest assured it isn't real.

      The controller you have linked to is supposed to be a true MPPT controller but if it is, it's the bottom of the barrel of MPPT controllers and you can do better. Notice it has a maximum Voc rating of 42 volts. You could technically over volt it with your 180 watt panel. The grey and silver Photonic Universe controller at the top of that listing's page is a rebranded Tracer/Epever controller and a much better choice.

      The 180 watt 36 volt panel you have is likely a 24 volt 72 cell panel. Panels of this size usually put out about 36 Vmp. and 45ish Voc.
      Last edited by littleharbor; 04-30-2017, 08:19 AM.
      2.2kw Suntech mono, Classic 200, NEW Trace SW4024

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      • #4
        Morningstar has a true 10A MPPT with 75V input
        Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
        || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
        || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

        solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
        gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

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        • #5
          Great! Thanks for the advice, I will be keeping my 12v battery system and going with the 20A EPEVER TRACER controller as the max voltage appears to be 100V. I was thinking the charge controllers stating 12/24v was a maximum input voltage as well as battery voltage.

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