An other ther consideration with adding panels if you have a MPPT controller is parallel or series wiring depending on both the amperage and voltage rating of the controller. This should be easy to obtain from the controller specs and may allow 600 or even more watts if the panels are in series and is a efficient way to manage systems with some Pros and Cons. I bit of a deeper dive but worth considering in deciding what to do with this upgrade.
Overpaneling is fine. The number of minutes that the controller maxes out will (in most areas) be far outnumbered by the increase in overall long-term wattage provided by overpaneling by 20% or so.
Awesome and thank you for the time and courtesy of a reply.
I have a new RV trailer with 40 amp controller and two 200 watt solar panels. I am considering installing a third. Since they are flat mounted on the roof, I doubt they will see peak efficiency very often and it would help me on the amount I gather at all other times. The last extra note from you was great. 600 watt panel system but the controller throttling at 500 watts, doubt I would see 600 except for a bit at high noon on long sunny days.
Love your information. I have a notebook gathering all the different formulas from the different articles for the different conversions, it helps me keep them straight since I don’t use them all the time. Have you considered a booklet with formulas and examples? Amps, watts, volts, amp hours, solar controllers, battery life/amp hours, solar panels… I would buy it on Kindle or in print. Just a thought.
I bought the amp clamp you recommended, learning how to use it with this new trailer.
Now I have to learn the ins and outs of lithium battery upgrades to store all this solar.
Most of the time that’s correct. But a perfectly aimed 100-watt solar panel on a cloudless day at noon should be able to output 100 watts for a short time. But as the sun move, the output wattage drops.
Of course that’s why a 100-watt panel usually averages around 400 Wh of charge during the summer and 300 Wh (or less) per day in the winter.
Aren’t you supposed to use the short circuit amperage to determine the maximum amps a particular solar panel will use? That number is usually printed on a label on the back of the solar panel.
An other ther consideration with adding panels if you have a MPPT controller is parallel or series wiring depending on both the amperage and voltage rating of the controller. This should be easy to obtain from the controller specs and may allow 600 or even more watts if the panels are in series and is a efficient way to manage systems with some Pros and Cons. I bit of a deeper dive but worth considering in deciding what to do with this upgrade.
Overpaneling is fine. The number of minutes that the controller maxes out will (in most areas) be far outnumbered by the increase in overall long-term wattage provided by overpaneling by 20% or so.
Awesome and thank you for the time and courtesy of a reply.
I have a new RV trailer with 40 amp controller and two 200 watt solar panels. I am considering installing a third. Since they are flat mounted on the roof, I doubt they will see peak efficiency very often and it would help me on the amount I gather at all other times. The last extra note from you was great. 600 watt panel system but the controller throttling at 500 watts, doubt I would see 600 except for a bit at high noon on long sunny days.
Love your information. I have a notebook gathering all the different formulas from the different articles for the different conversions, it helps me keep them straight since I don’t use them all the time. Have you considered a booklet with formulas and examples? Amps, watts, volts, amp hours, solar controllers, battery life/amp hours, solar panels… I would buy it on Kindle or in print. Just a thought.
I bought the amp clamp you recommended, learning how to use it with this new trailer.
Now I have to learn the ins and outs of lithium battery upgrades to store all this solar.
Helped a bunch, thank you.
Respectfully,
Eric
Low solar panel efficiency will keep 600 watts of panels well below the 500 watt max of the controller.
Most of the time that’s correct. But a perfectly aimed 100-watt solar panel on a cloudless day at noon should be able to output 100 watts for a short time. But as the sun move, the output wattage drops.
Of course that’s why a 100-watt panel usually averages around 400 Wh of charge during the summer and 300 Wh (or less) per day in the winter.
Aren’t you supposed to use the short circuit amperage to determine the maximum amps a particular solar panel will use? That number is usually printed on a label on the back of the solar panel.