Questions about my new Hybrid setup

[DickyDck]

Hello all, and thank you now and in advance for just even being here. This place has been immensely helpful. I mentioned my brand new setup in my New User post but I won't make you wander around pages and I will list out my setup here.


1 x Schneider Conext XW+ 6848 NA (I think most systems only have 1 of these)
2 x Conext MPPT 60 150 Charge Controllers
24 x 300w solar panels (Hanwha brand, I might be butchering the name)
1 x standard generator input
1. Midnight 12 combiner box
8 x 6v 220ah AGM Batteries (Crown brand, running 48v)


So let me start with the questions, and forgive my ignorance some of your acronyms are foreign to me as well.

1. The engineer told me my 24 panels are wired up in chunks of three. so I think the common verbage here is 8s3p, 8s = 8 strings and 3p = 3 panels? So, why would one setup the system like this as opposed to say 12s2p, or 4s8p, or 6s4p? you get the point, just seems using anything with odd numbers wouldn't make sense

2. Room for growth.... how many more panels could my system sustain with my existing hardware? was thinking about getting more, but after he told me how it was wired I suppose I'd have to go with 3 more or 6 more, unless re configuring it would be an option.

3. I have noticed that sometimes on the Inverter LCD for the output display, in direct sunlight, it will be doing its thing showing about 5.0-6.0 fluctuating in between, then it will just stop completely and go to "-.--" and then start climbing back up. Almost seems like it reset?

I don't want to overload for my first official post so this is enough to bug you guys with for now lol, thanks again for your input!

[ButchDeal]

Hello all, and thank you now and in advance for just even being here. This place has been immensely helpful. I mentioned my brand new setup in my New User post but I won't make you wander around pages and I will list out my setup here.


1 x Schneider Conext XW+ 6848 NA (I think most systems only have 1 of these)
2 x Conext MPPT 60 150 Charge Controllers
24 x 300w solar panels (Hanwha brand, I might be butchering the name)
1 x standard generator input
1. Midnight 12 combiner box
8 x 6v 220ah AGM Batteries (Crown brand, running 48v)


So let me start with the questions, and forgive my ignorance some of your acronyms are foreign to me as well.

1. The engineer told me my 24 panels are wired up in chunks of three. so I think the common verbage here is 8s3p, 8s = 8 strings and 3p = 3 panels? So, why would one setup the system like this as opposed to say 12s2p, or 4s8p, or 6s4p? you get the point, just seems using anything with odd numbers wouldn't make sense

2. Room for growth.... how many more panels could my system sustain with my existing hardware? was thinking about getting more, but after he told me how it was wired I suppose I'd have to go with 3 more or 6 more, unless re configuring it would be an option.

3. I have noticed that sometimes on the Inverter LCD for the output display, in direct sunlight, it will be doing its thing showing about 5.0-6.0 fluctuating in between, then it will just stop completely and go to "-.--" and then start climbing back up. Almost seems like it reset?

I don't want to overload for my first official post so this is enough to bug you guys with for now lol, thanks again for your input!

I think your strings are 8 strings of 3 series or 8p3s (that is 8 parallel by 3 series) NOT 8s3p which would be 8 series 3 parallel
It is wires 8p3s to keep the voltage in the correct range, in your case you have 2 charge controllers each rated for 150V so you have 4p3s on each

you would need another charge controller for more PV modules

[DickyDck]

Thanks! though I am fairly certain he said 3 panels are run together, his explanation for this was "that way in case shade hits any section of your array you would only lose output from 3 panels" which made sense to me, but it would depend on which section of 3 were getting shaded. The array is situated 4high 6wide


Capture.PNG


so when he said they were in chunks of 3 it didn't mesh well in my head. I guess I will have to go out to the combiner box and trace back the wires to get a better idea of what he was talking about.

[ButchDeal]

so when he said they were in chunks of 3 it didn't mesh well in my head. I guess I will have to go out to the combiner box and trace back the wires to get a better idea of what he was talking about.

you can look in the combiner and you likely will see two combiners, one for each charge controller. Or possibly a split combiner which has internally two combiners. Each will likely have 4 fuses as they are combining 4 strings each. Strings are series so you have two sets of 4 strings of 3 each or 2X4p3s or 8p3s
part of your confusions was thinking that the S was for string and the P was for panel, it is S = Series and P = Parallel
BTW, you have one panel of 24 PV modules.

That answers your questions 1 and 2

[DickyDck]

Thanks, so I

[ButchDeal]

Capture.PNG


so when he said they were in chunks of 3 it didn't mesh well in my head. I guess I will have to go out to the combiner box and trace back the wires to get a better idea of what he was talking about.

BTW, if it was me, I would have wired the array split down the middle, 12 on left side to one combiner and 12 on right side to the other combiner.
each set would be 4 rows of 3 series
But you can check and post photos

[DickyDck]

I was trying to reply on my phone and obviously I failed horribly in my last post!!! stoopud iPhone! anyway I was saying thanks to you and that I guess it doesn't matter how I string them together, new charge controllers will be necessary or more charge conrollers... I wonder how hard it will be to snake new line through the conduit from my backyard to my garage... here is the way they have it setup in here...

[DickyDck]

OK, so here are some photos. I don't see "Fuses" perse, there are cutouts for Fuses. I see 8 Breakers, out the bottom it goes to a small box where all the cables from the panels connect to cables going to the combiner box. I don't know how the panels are wired together , I'll have to follow them when it isn't muddy as hell under there. I guess some are running in series, then parallel to other clusters?

IMG_0380.JPGIMG_0381.JPG

[Mike90250]

Plan on sometime, replacing all those wire nuts. Long term, they don't work well with solar

[DickyDck]

What works better than wire nuts? should I perma solder them?

[Mike90250]

Split Bolts, then wrapped with tape. Be sure the bolts are rated for the size and type of wire you use

[ButchDeal]

OK, so here are some photos. I don't see "Fuses" perse, there are cutouts for Fuses. I see 8 Breakers, out the bottom it goes to a small box where all the cables from the panels connect to cables going to the combiner box. I don't know how the panels are wired together , I'll have to follow them when it isn't muddy as hell under there. I guess some are running in series, then parallel to other clusters?

IMG_0380.JPGIMG_0381.JPG

That is a midnite solar dual combiner set up and is likely just as I mentioned. Wire nuts on DC huh..
also thos batteries should be in a box with all DC terminals protected from contact.

[DickyDck]

that picture in my garage was post completion. but the box they created for me was rather garbage, it does cover the terminals though.I'll be making a more secure storage unit for the batteries. So in theory, there are 24 panel cables going into the box with all the wire nuts, and combined in 3s, going to one of the 8 breakers, which would equal 24. You mentioned you'd have done half n half, what difference or benefit would that provide compared to how these guys did it?

[DickyDck]

pre-completion I meant.... man, words today are escaping me

[ButchDeal]

So in theory, there are 24 panel cables going into the box with all the wire nuts, and combined in 3s, going to one of the 8 breakers, which would equal 24. You mentioned you'd have done half n half, what difference or benefit would that provide compared to how these guys did it?

No your combiner should have 8 sets of wites. Each set of three is daisy chained so onliy a positive and degative for each set, yealding 8 positive and negative wires. The wire nuts are just converting from one wire type to another. It so far is consistent with the wiring set I would have used though not as nicely done