I originally had 8 bifacial solar panels, each rated at 550 watts, oriented south, and they were generating excellent power. Recently, I added 4 additional bifacial panels rated at 535 watts, positioned westward, to capture the late afternoon sun. However, I've noticed a decrease in overall power production with the new setup. I'm trying to understand how to wire these two arrays optimally to maximize efficiency and power output. Any insights?
3 Answers
Mixing different panels in a single string can really affect performance, especially with varying orientations. If you can, try to keep the 550W panels on one MPPT and the 535W on another, if your inverter allows that. Otherwise, consider using microinverters for the new set to help optimize their output without negatively impacting the original panels.
It sounds like you might want to run the two groups of panels on separate MPPTs. This way, each set can operate at its own max potential without being dragged down by shading on one group. If you're using a grid-tie setup, it's essential to have separate inverters for optimal performance.
You might be experiencing issues because the new panels could be diminishing the overall current if they're wired with the original ones. If your west-facing panels aren't getting as much sunlight, they'll pull down the performance of the whole string. Ideally, you'd want to configure them separately, possibly using optimizers or microinverters to accommodate the different angles and sunlight exposure.