small panel suggestion 2020 |
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Jo bg
Young Croc Joined: 08 March 2017 Status: Offline Points: 552 |
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Posted: 20 June 2020 at 1:10pm |
Hi, i know little to nothing about solar panels and all previous threads seem way old.
so in 2020 what panels should i look into for small 12v rigs? using 7 / 12 Ah 12v batteries and 12V maxamps now. If i do four 7 ah batteries series parallel for 14 Ah 24V, could the same panel work? I guess this depends on the charger. Thanks! |
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Phil B
Old Croc Joined: 21 November 2004 Location: Melbourne Status: Offline Points: 2328 |
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Yep...depends what Solar Regulator / charger you go for ? You just need your batts in series / parallel to make 12v or 24v. Most cheap MPPT solar controllers do 12 or 24v .
But if your amps are 12v then you'll need a 12v setup surely? Panels over here in Aus are ridiculously cheap now because of new Government regs for existing home setups. Means lots of houses are being stripped of older panels as people move over to battery & grid-tie setups. Can get a 230w decent panel for under $40. Might be worth checking what's happening near you ? .p. |
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Jo bg
Young Croc Joined: 08 March 2017 Status: Offline Points: 552 |
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thanks. currently i have 3 12v amplifiers, but as soon as some long due money comes in i am buying lukteveld amp, which supports also 18 or 24 volts ( I know, not over 26.4!).
12volt is enough for a day at the river or small camping, but i have a bigger portable rig , 2x15 bass, 12 mid, that could use more juice for small parties or demonstrations, where 18 or 24 volt could make sense. so first thing i don't understand, when a controller says good for 12 and 24 V loads, autoranging, it means that it could even load a 24 volt batteries with a 12 V panel, or you need 24 volt panel for 24v batteries and 12 panel for 12 batteries? if this is the case, could i start with one 12 v panel and then add another one in series to get 24 V capability? what characteristics would make a "decent" panel? thanks!
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Phil B
Old Croc Joined: 21 November 2004 Location: Melbourne Status: Offline Points: 2328 |
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Hi
There's two types of panels 60 cell & 72 cell... that is mainly just a difference in size but also voltage. The main thing you need to look at is what voltage / ampage the solar controller you buy can handle. The solar controller if it's MPPT will take that input voltage and autorange that back down to your batts ( either 12v or 24v) For example in my garage at home running lights / power tools ... 3 x 12v 160amh batts connected in parallel. 1 x Victron 75/15 Mppt controller ( 75 volt max input...15amp max output) 2 x 190w panels run in series 1 x 600w Inverter The important part of the panels is the VOC ( open circuit voltage) mine are 37v . That means they make a maximum of 74v if shorted which is under the 75v input limit of the controller. Max current of each panel is 5.8a which again is under the 15a limit. So I can't add an extra panel as I would be over the input voltage and the output current. Running the panels in series keeps the voltage up which means you can run thinner cable which is a bonus ! .p. |
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