Comparing Power from Different Solar Panels on a 12 volt Array

[russ]

He was a spammer - so post deleted

[BajaBob]

Thanks for the info !

Any thoughts about this latest proposal ?

BajaBob
___

The remedy is to wire the two of them in series to produce double the voltage or 34 volts, that will do the job. Fortunately you have the mighty fine Outback MX60 MPPT charge controller that is capable of bringing in up to 150 vdc from the solar array; higher is better, more efficient.


I recommend this for the KC130s (series connecton) and parallel wire two BP3230Ts, keep the voltage at 36.7. Doing so would create a voltage that is almost equal for the two two different makes.


This arrangement would produce 720 watts/hr of solar energy for the battery bank. That would make them happy!

[Sunking]

I received this email message from the forum last night, but the new reply does not appear in the forum. I'm confused. Very interested in seeing all responses !

Not the Moderator on this forum, but my guess is it was SPAM and a Moderator deleted the post. Don't worry about it as the info was worthless.

[BajaBob]

Hi,

I received this email message from the forum last night, but the new reply does not appear in the forum. I'm confused. Very interested in seeing all responses !

BajaBob
_______

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[BajaBob]

Comparing Power from Different Solar Panels on a 12 volt Array

Hi,

Thanks very much for your responses.

This has been recommended to deal with our situation:

The remedy is to wire the two of them in series to produce double the voltage or 34 volts, that will do the job. Fortunately you have the mighty fine Outback MX60 MPPT charge controller that is capable of bringing in up to 150 vdc from the solar array; higher is better, more efficient.


I recommend this for the KC130s (series connecton) and parallel wire two BP3230Ts, keep the voltage at 36.7. Doing so would create a voltage that is almost equal for the two two different makes.


This arrangement would produce 720 watts/hr of solar energy for the battery bank. That would make them happy!


What do you think of this proposal ?

Thanks for your help !

Sincerely,
Baja Bob
__

The system is 12 volt:
Outback MX60 PV MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) Charge Controller,
Trace Inverter model DR2412 (2400 watt) Modified Sine Wave,
Samlex Inverter Full Sine Wave PST-60S-12A 600 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter, 12VDC-120VAC,
2 Kyocera 130 W Solar Panels 12 volt
6 Crown L16 batteries

[Sunking]

I would say also it is time to move up from 12 volts to 24 volts. 12 volt systems are really for RV's and experiment projects. You are moving up to a power level that dictates you to move up to 24 volts or higher. A 60 amp MPPT charge controller is limited to around 700 watt power input, where as 24 volts you can go up to 1400 to 1500 watts.

[Mike90250]

You would need to put the new 230W panels on a MPPT type charge controller, in order to harvest their full power into a 12V system.

read this article about MPPT

http://www.windsun.com/ChargeControls/MPPT.htm

[Sunking]

So, I'm confused.
It would appear that the 230 watt panels would provide no more power than the current 130 watt panels.

Am I misunderstanding this situation ?
What is the best way to compare the power of different solar panels ?


Also-

I've been told by others that,
if put in the same array on our 12 volt system-

the 130 panels at 12 volts
would limit the 230 panels at 20 volts
to no greater power output than the smallest panel,
the 130 panels.

Is that true ?

Both statements are true. When you parallel solar panels the output voltage is limited to the lowest voltage in the pairings. This is why you do not mix solar panels.

[BajaBob]

Hi,

We are looking to expand our 12 volt solar power system.
We currently have two Kyocera KC130 panels.
(Full system info at the bottom)

We've been told this:

I recommend adding at least two more big solar panels, minimal. Something like the BP3230T (230 watts each = 460 watts, @ 8 amps each = 16 amps), plus the two Kyocera KC130TM 130s, would deliver approximately 32 amps of energy

The two KC130s are delivering a total of 15 amps to the batteries.
__


So, I'm confused.
It would appear that the 230 watt panels would provide no more power than the current 130 watt panels.

Am I misunderstanding this situation ?
What is the best way to compare the power of different solar panels ?


Also-

I've been told by others that,
if put in the same array on our 12 volt system-

the 130 panels at 12 volts
would limit the 230 panels at 20 volts
to no greater power output than the smallest panel,
the 130 panels.

Is that true ?

Thanks for your time !

Sincerely,
Baja Bob
__

The system is 12 volt:
Outback MX60 PV MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) Charge Controller,
Trace Inverter model DR2412 (2400 watt) Modified Sine Wave,
Samlex Inverter Full Sine Wave PST-60S-12A 600 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter, 12VDC-120VAC,
2 Kyocera 130 W Solar Panels 12 volt
6 Crown L16 batteries