Valto:
pls house. i have 2pcs 200w(sunshine) and 1pc 150w(focus) mono panels. i want to buy one more panel to make it 4 pcs, to be connected to a 30amps mppt cc with a 24v pure sine inverter. whats the best option for me? should i buy 1 more 150w or 200w panel? whats the best series connection for me?

Upload the specs of the two panels, stating all voltages and the currents u see at back of the panels.

efuro:


Nice Pictures, also elementarily kool for a beginner. Enjoy ur freedom 247.



Need not to worry, the CC will handle amps going into the battery. My fear is ur consumption/backup time.

The batteries like to be charged C10 (max .13C) normally ( so for 100 AH it is 12 amps only). The battery will get killed faster due to high temperatures during charging. better add one more battery in parallel at the earliest

Oshomo12:


Upload the specs of the two panels, stating all voltages and the currents u see at back of the panels.

i cant get the pix of the 150w for now

pranil:


The batteries like to be charged C10 (max .13C) normally ( so for 100 AH it is 12 amps only). The battery will get killed faster due to high temperatures during charging. better add one more battery in parallel at the earliest

pls explain better!
i can see the PV is delivering 25-29 amp on
the LCD

makavele:



pls explain better!
i can see the PV is delivering 25-29 amp on
the LCD

That indicates your 100AH battery will be back to fully Charged within an hour you need to add another 100Ah in parrallel for better backup and DOD

By the way what type of Battery are you using?
My Battery is fully Charged at 12.7 to 12.8, how come you Having 12.6 after 300+ Wh : on 100AH battery?

Valto:
pls house. i have 2pcs 200w(sunshine) and 1pc 150w(focus) mono panels. i want to buy one more panel to make it 4 pcs, to be connected to a 30amps mppt cc with a 24v pure sine inverter. whats the best option for me? should i buy 1 more 150w or 200w panel? whats the best series connection for me?

Sell the 150W and buy 2 200W 24 volts panel my 2 cent, I think I posted how to add mismatched panels sometimes ago

Valto:
i cant get the pix of the 150w for now

Ok, but the spec of the 150w is important before one can advice on the connection config/buying of the one panel needed.
Secondly, what is the max voltage for your Mppt controller?

Dam5reey:


That indicates your 100AH battery will be back to fully Charged within an hour you need to add another 100Ah in parrallel for better backup and DOD

By the way what type of Battery are you using?
My Battery is fully Charged at 12.7 to 12.8, how come you Having 12.6 after 300+ Wh : on 100AH battery?

i will snap the battery specs when i get home
but at dusk when fully charged and PV is no longer delivering current, it starts from 13.6v

I’ve checked multiple times: 100% charge: 13.6v

Dam5reey:


Sell the 150W and buy 2 200W 24 volts panel my 2 cent, I think I posted how to add mismatched panels sometimes ago

This is the most preferred wayout anyway. It's saves one lots of headache.

Enjoying my system even as phed transformer is down for a week now. My house is now a phone charging emergency center for my neighbours. This is the real "I PASS MY NEIGHBOUR"

Oshomo12:


Ok, but the spec of the 150w is important before one can advice on the connection config/buying of the one panel needed.
Secondly, what is the max voltage for your Mppt controller?

100v

Dam5reey:


Sell the 150W and buy 2 200W 24 volts panel my 2 cent, I think I posted how to add mismatched panels sometimes ago

limited funds and secondly no one around to buy the 150w

Can you send a photo of the nameplate of the 150w panel ?

Valto:
limited funds and secondly no one around to buy the 150w

Valto:
limited funds and secondly no one around to buy the 150w

It's simple if the Vmp on the 150w is 18v, get another 150W that matches 18V

Connect in series to make Vmp 36v.. you can then connect in series with the existing 2, 200w provided your cc can take 150V... If not no other way ......

pranil:


The batteries like to be charged C10 (max .13C) normally ( so for 100 AH it is 12 amps only). The battery will get killed faster due to high temperatures during charging. better add one more battery in parallel at the earliest

This is figure is through for flooded batteries and gel batteries but that figure does not always apply to AGM which are capable for relatively high charge and discharge rate. Some AGM batteries can take up to 30% of rated amp hours has charge rate.

Dam5reey:


That indicates your 100AH battery will be back to fully Charged within an hour you need to add another 100Ah in parrallel for better backup and DOD

By the way what type of Battery are you using?
My Battery is fully Charged at 12.7 to 12.8, how come you Having 12.6 after 300+ Wh : on 100AH battery?

not exactly true. The charge process of lead acid batteries is not linear. a 100AH battery at 90% full and being charged from a source capable of 30AH might still take 3-4 hours to be fully charged. This is due to the charging stages for batteries. at 90% full, battery's internal resistance builds and the charger has to increase charge voltage and tapper down on the charge current.. this stage of the charging process (non an absorption stage) is the most inefficient and even if your PV are producing more power, the charge controller steps down what is going to the battery and the rest becomes energy potentials of your panels.

I have 2 220AH 12 flooded acid batteries connected in series of 24v while my solar panels are 1.84kw in size, this means at pick and under right conditions my PV can produce above 60A (about 30% of battery amp hour ratings) which could do serious damage to my flooded batteries. I resolved this by balancing things with opportunity loads. The fridge, freezer, Home entertainment systems occasional washing machine, Microwave, all conspire to ensure that not more than 27A enters the battery during bulk stage. These arrangement also allows me to be completely offgrid on afternoons from Jan -Dec (minus July and August). The gross panel over size comes in handle on a cloudy day. It ensures that bad as e bad, my battery gets to float always

Ember Sales is here again!!!

bigrovar:


not exactly true. The charge process of lead acid batteries is not linear. a 100AH battery at 90% full and being charged from a source capable of 30AH might still take 3-4 hours to be fully charged. This is due to the charging stages for batteries. at 90% full, battery's internal resistance builds and the charger has to increase charge voltage and tapper down on the charge current.. this stage of the charging process (non an absorption stage) is the most inefficient and even if your PV are producing more power, the charge controller steps down what is going to the battery and the rest becomes energy potentials of your panels.

I have 2 220AH 12 flooded acid batteries connected in series of 24v while my solar panels are 1.84kw in size, this means at pick and under right conditions my PV can produce above 60A (about 30% of battery amp hour ratings) which could do serious damage to my flooded batteries. I resolved this by balancing things with opportunity loads. The fridge, freezer, Home entertainment systems occasional washing machine, Microwave, all conspire to ensure that not more than 27A enters the battery during bulk stage. These arrangement also allows me to be completely offgrid on afternoons from Jan -Dec (minus July and August). The gross panel over size comes in handle on a cloudy day. It ensures that bad as e bad, my battery gets to float always

I understand those stages... That's why I asked what type is the battery..

Cos not all controllers are intelligent enough.. to complete this stages effectively..

Dam5reey:


I understand those stages... That's why I asked what type is the battery..

Cos not all controllers are intelligent enough.. to complete this stages effectively..

Hmmm, ayam not understanding all these grammar ..
let me snap the battery specs . . and wait for advise from there . . .
Mr Z, i know your installation is perfect, just trying to learn 1 or 2 thing in case of future DIY
or if you re out of reach (especially, as as you r now),lol

,,,

bigrovar:


not exactly true. The charge process of lead acid batteries is not linear. a 100AH battery at 90% full and being charged from a source capable of 30AH might still take 3-4 hours to be fully charged. This is due to the charging stages for batteries. at 90% full, battery's internal resistance builds and the charger has to increase charge voltage and tapper down on the charge current.. this stage of the charging process (non an absorption stage) is the most inefficient and even if your PV are producing more power, the charge controller steps down what is going to the battery and the rest becomes energy potentials of your panels.

I have 2 220AH 12 flooded acid batteries connected in series of 24v while my solar panels are 1.84kw in size, this means at pick and under right conditions my PV can produce above 60A (about 30% of battery amp hour ratings) which could do serious damage to my flooded batteries. I resolved this by balancing things with opportunity loads. The fridge, freezer, Home entertainment systems occasional washing machine, Microwave, all conspire to ensure that not more than 27A enters the battery during bulk stage. These arrangement also allows me to be completely offgrid on afternoons from Jan -Dec (minus July and August). The gross panel over size comes in handle on a cloudy day. It ensures that bad as e bad, my battery gets to float always

What type of charge controller are you using? If its an mppt what's the capacity (is it a 60a, 45a or 30a.) I'm asking bcus ur set up is similar to mine which is a 24v set up. The only difference is that my two batteries are 200ah each while urs is 220ah. My PV strength is 1.2kw (8pieces of 150watts panel) while urs is 1.8kw. If I should add 2 more(150 watts panels) to give me 1.5kw does it mean that my batteries will be at risk during peak Sun hours?

Its been over a month now, I lost my batteries and my charge controller(60ah mppt) all at the same time under 8months of usage. It was a tough time for me though, but the truth was that I had no one to run to. I managed to get a set of new batteries which will clock one month on the 19th of this month. I also had to fall back to my 30ah and 20ah pwm charge controller which I dumped sometime ago. Now this are my findings: I noticed that my pwm seem to have an effective cut off strength compared to my mppt cc. My pwm does not exceed 28.2v at peak Sun periods and even when I'm charging my batteries with national grid power(Phcn), but when I was using my mppt I noticed that at peak periods my cc voltage rises up to 30v and every 28 day of the month it shows that its equalizing at this point my battery voltage rises to 32v during peak Sun hours. To cut the long story short I lost my batteries and my precious 60ah mppt cc under eight months. My charge controller started showing (battery OVD). Now I'm starting all over again. I must say I learnt my lessons the hard way. Had I known I would have maintained my pwm which I was using conveniently for over a year b4 going mppt. If I am to go the mppt way again, I have to do a lot of research to know what capacity of mppt cc will be efficient for my 24v set up.

makavele:
,,,

The amps are directly there Initial Current Not more than 30 Amp - Please note that that current is also for battries at 25 DEG C> if hotter the current should be reduced ( most of the advanced inverters and charge controller do temperature compensation )


Quote directly from Victron AGM datasheet -
During the bulk phase the current is kept at a constant and often high level, even after the gassing voltage (14,34V
for a 12V battery) has been exceeded. This can lead to excessive gas pressure in the battery. Some gas will escape
through the safety valves, reducing service life

15. Charge current
The charge current should preferably not exceed 0,2C (20A for a 100Ah battery).The temperature of a battery will increase by
more than 10°C if the charge current exceeds 0,2C. Therefore temperature compensation is required if the charge current
exceeds 0,2C.

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-GEL-and-AGM-Batteries-EN.pdf

You can try to lookup your battery supplier datasheet to check correct values

Janyves:
Used Prag 10kva servo stabilizer up for sale
Condition-- working perfectly
Price-- 80k

Is it still available?

True i just it saw, well Thankfully i have not
seen the PV exceed 29A on a bright day.
Maybe I am not yet to see very bright and sunny day. I will definitely get another 100Ah
and connect in parallel
Question is should i get the same brand?
Or can i get a different brand!
Can i get a 200ah and hook as parallel?

anidat77:
Enjoying my system even as phed transformer is down for a week now. My house is now a phone charging emergency center for my neighbours. This is the real "I PASS MY NEIGHBOUR"

Nice set up

What do you use to monitor this on mobile.

and your array for your 40amp charge controller is tempting.

Obimind1:

What type of charge controller are you using? If its an mppt what's the capacity (is it a 60a, 45a or 30a.) I'm asking bcus ur set up is similar to mine which is a 24v set up. The only difference is that my two batteries are 200ah each while urs is 220ah. My PV strength is 1.2kw (8pieces of 150watts panel) while urs is 1.8kw. If I should add 2 more(150 watts panels) to give me 1.5kw does it mean that my batteries will be at risk during peak Sun hours?

Am actually using 2 charge controllers and their output is paralleled to the 2 batteries. Each controller is connected to an array panels. Array 1 (960w) is on a ground mount optimally facing south connected to a Fangpusun 45A mppt controller, array 2 (880w) is on the roof facing south west connected to a 100A Fangpusun mppt controller. The system is designed this way to ensure both Pv pick at different times which helps to ensure battery don't get over charged during bulk. It also allows me to diversify access to the sun due to shading which occurs around Oct and Jan every year. Lastly the south facing array allows me to time more from the late afternoon sun.

makavele:

True i just it saw, well Thankfully i have not
seen the PV exceed 29A on a bright day.
Maybe I am not yet to see very bright and sunny day. I will definitely get another 100Ah
and connect in parallel
Question is should i get the same brand?
Or can i get a different brand!
Can i get a 200ah and hook as parallel?

You should be fine for the most part. At most u can always use up the excess charge current from the controller through opportunity loads in the house. A ceiling fan and TV should bring the charge current down to safe levels for your battery. As Pranil suggested. You might want to stick to 20A as your charge set point.
The battery from all indication seems to be AGM.

Obimind1:
Its been over a month now, I lost my batteries and my charge controller(60ah mppt) all at the same time under 8months of usage. It was a tough time for me though, but the truth was that I had no one to run to. I managed to get a set of new batteries which will clock one month on the 19th of this month. I also had to fall back to my 30ah and 20ah pwm charge controller which I dumped sometime ago. Now this are my findings: I noticed that my pwm seem to have an effective cut off strength compared to my mppt cc. My pwm does not exceed 28.2v at peak Sun periods and even when I'm charging my batteries with national grid power(Phcn), but when I was using my mppt I noticed that at peak periods my cc voltage rises up to 30v and every 28 day of the month it shows that its equalizing at this point my battery voltage rises to 32v during peak Sun hours. To cut the long story short I lost my batteries and my precious 60ah mppt cc under eight months. My charge controller started showing (battery OVD). Now I'm starting all over again. I must say I learnt my lessons the hard way. Had I known I would have maintained my pwm which I was using conveniently for over a year b4 going mppt. If I am to go the mppt way again, I have to do a lot of research to know what capacity of mppt cc will be efficient for my 24v set up.

What type of battery are u using. The voltage from the mppt controller is quite high. Even for a flooded acid battery.. (and those can take a beating) 30v at absorption is just too much. The important thing is to buy controllers that allows you regulate charge voltage or one which has preset charge voltage profile which covers the field. Batteries are the Achilles hill of renewable and you have to handle them with care.

bigrovar:

You should be fine for the most part. At most u can always use up the excess charge current from the controller through opportunity loads in the house. A ceiling fan and TV should bring the charge current down to safe levels for your battery. As Pranil suggested. You might want to stick to 20A as your charge set point.
The battery from all indication seems to be AGM.

Okay thanks
One thing i noticed this afternoon, if left idle, PV
supplies between 25-29A. No more than 29.1A
But connected to a few loads; it reduces to about 18A or so!

bigrovar:


What type of battery are u using. The voltage from the mppt controller is quite high. Even for a flooded acid battery.. (and those can take a beating) 30v at absorption is just too much. The important thing is to buy controllers that allows you regulate charge voltage or one which has preset charge voltage profile which covers the field. Batteries are the Achilles hill of renewable and you have to handle them with care.

The batteries that went bad were Gel batteries, but presently my batteries are AGM.

Obimind1:
Its been over a month now, I lost my batteries and my charge controller(60ah mppt) all at the same time under 8months of usage. It was a tough time for me though, but the truth was that I had no one to run to. I managed to get a set of new batteries which will clock one month on the 19th of this month. I also had to fall back to my 30ah and 20ah pwm charge controller which I dumped sometime ago. Now this are my findings: I noticed that my pwm seem to have an effective cut off strength compared to my mppt cc. My pwm does not exceed 28.2v at peak Sun periods and even when I'm charging my batteries with national grid power(Phcn), but when I was using my mppt I noticed that at peak periods my cc voltage rises up to 30v and every 28 day of the month it shows that its equalizing at this point my battery voltage rises to 32v during peak Sun hours. To cut the long story short I lost my batteries and my precious 60ah mppt cc under eight months. My charge controller started showing (battery OVD). Now I'm starting all over again. I must say I learnt my lessons the hard way. Had I known I would have maintained my pwm which I was using conveniently for over a year b4 going mppt. If I am to go the mppt way again, I have to do a lot of research to know what capacity of mppt cc will be efficient for my 24v set up.

It is painful to loss over 250k to ba3 & CC in just 8 months. Ba3 equalizing @ 32v for too long is suicidal for ba3 that are not dead.

Had I known I would have maintained my pwm which I was using conveniently for over a year b4 going mppt. Don't be discouraged with mppt. Is ur mppt CC under 2yr warranty? That is why I like buying from forum members, you can always redeem ur warranty as fellow mates.

Best wishes!