Hey everyone! I've got a small solar pond pump system with a battery backup that's been running great for about five years. The flow is just right at night, but I've been thinking it would really benefit from a higher flow rate during the day. Is there any way I could add another solar panel to increase the voltage to the pump when it's sunny, and then let it drop back to 12V at night? I'm also open to any alternative ideas to manage the flow change. For context, I currently have a 25-watt solar panel connected to an MPPT charge controller that feeds the battery and pump. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
Increasing the flow with your current setup might be tricky. While it could help keep your battery charged, just adding a panel won’t change the voltage—it's about how voltage and current combine to create wattage. You might want to look at adding a second pump if your current system can handle that, or consider a photovoltaic switch to turn off another pump after dark.
You could definitely try using a 24VDC pump and hook it up to a 12V solar panel directly. Since most 12V panels have a voltage at maximum power (Vmp) of around 18V, as long as the sun is out, you’d get more flow. It might sound simple, but it could work well!
That's actually a really great idea! Thanks for sharing that.
I appreciate the advice! I was trying to avoid complicating things too much, but the idea of adding an independent solar-powered pump sounds promising. Thanks!