Hey everyone! This summer, I set up 5 12V 100-watt solar panels on my garage, connected to a 60A pseudo MPPT charge controller feeding a 12V 100AH battery and a 500W inverter. It's been great for powering my garage lights and doors. Now, I'm looking to expand my setup. I'm planning to add about 800 more watts with 4 additional 12V 200-watt panels, a bigger MPPT controller, a new inverter, and some more batteries. My goal is to replace my gas generator with this solar array by running a heavy-duty extension cord from the inverter to a switch box I installed. My question is: Can I connect my current array of 5x100W with the new 4x200W panels, keeping it at 12V and around 1300 watts? I have my current setup in parallel (I think that's right) for the 5x100W for a peak of 500W. If I parallel the 4x200W panels too, will they work together for 12V/1300W without the 100W system holding back the 200W system? Alternatively, should I add a 4th battery to switch to a 24V system? What do you all think is more efficient?
1 Answer
The way you hook up your solar panels really depends on your charge controller and inverter specs. You need to check the Voc and Isc for your 100W panels. Just remember that if you're wiring panels in series, you'll combine the voltage but keep the current the same. So, if you go for a 48V setup with 4 series panels, you'll double the wattage without upping the voltage beyond what your controller can handle. But don’t worry, even if you have a higher wattage available, your charger will only pull what it needs, so it shouldn't damage anything unless you exceed the voltage limits! Switching to a 24V system would definitely be more efficient, especially for larger setups, but for your current size, sticking with 12V could still work fine if engineered properly.