As Green a newbie as green could get !!

Hi folks.

I am as green (as in new and uneducated) as they come in this field.

UNFORTUNATLY I am also dyslexic, and find the mind field or reading I big challenge.

I have purchased a Anker 767 and the 760 extra battery, I am now looking to power these with solar, (a fixed ridged system)
from the little I have found on the net, (A youtube vid, and same guy posting on here) it seams the Qcells might do the trick for me,

chap on the vid talks about the Qcells being 480s but I can only see MLG11s2 and MLG11s2+ series, and these are upto 510watts, not a 480watt.

any more than this and I am lost with ocv and all the rest of the abbreviations used to describe things !!!!!!

can any one spell this out in simple easy to understand for a beginner who is also dylexic plz



lastley, I live in the uk and we are not to privvy to sun light as other countries

Can you post an electronic copy of the owner's manual? Went to their website and couldn't find one? What the ads say is that the unit can be charged at up to 1000W of solar, which suggests to me that it incorporates an MPPT controller. However, it does not give any details whatsoever as to what the voltage and amperage limits of that controller are.

Before we can make rational recommendations on how to actually build your solar array, we are going to need those details? If you can't get an electronic version, can you flip through the manual and find the charging specifications for us? Maybe ask someone to help if the details get too challenging for you?

MichaelK said:

Can you post an electronic copy of the owner's manual? Went to their website and couldn't find one? What the ads say is that the unit can be charged at up to 1000W of solar, which suggests to me that it incorporates an MPPT controller. However, it does not give any details whatsoever as to what the voltage and amperage limits of that controller are.

Before we can make rational recommendations on how to actually build your solar array, we are going to need those details? If you can't get an electronic version, can you flip through the manual and find the charging specifications for us? Maybe ask someone to help if the details get too challenging for you?

Click to expand...

Hi Michaelk

I really appreciate your time and help, as I really dont want to get anything wrong and risk damaging my unit.

here is a link to a thread that is HERE ON THIS FORUM, it mentions the max solar input at being 60v at 20 amps


if you dont wish to open the link, type anker 767 in the search box on this here page and the thread is called

Anker 767 NON Portable panel suggestions​

once again, many thanks

60V and 20A is something to work with. Most likely, the 60V means the open circuit voltage (Voc), or the voltage the panels put out when they are physically disconnected and you have voltmeter leads plugged into each panel connector. The Vmp is the voltage at which the panel puts out the maximal power, which is always going to be lower then the Voc.

There are two broad classes for solar panels, those marketed for the automotive market, and broadly named 12V panels. They don't actually put out 12V, but are used for 12V applications. The typical voltage of your common 12V panel ranges from about 15V to ~20V. The Voc for those is typically 18-22V.

The second class is the higher voltage residential, or grid-tie panels, which is what you see up on people's roofs. They typically put out 30-45 Vmp and might be referred to as 24V panels. But, remember, they don't put out 24V any more than 12V panels put out 12V. Typically, the higher voltage grid-tie panels are far cheaper per watt, because of the economy of scale of putting them on the roofs of millions of customers.

So, now you have some choices to make. You can't go beyond 60V, and you don't want to go much above 20A.

Let's say you have 100W 12V panels putting out 18Vmp and 21Voc. If you put two of those in series you'd get 36Vmp and 42Voc. That series combination would make you ~5.5A at 36Vmp. This gets transformed down to about 15.3A at a charging voltage of 13.0V. You can't add a second string of two panels in parallel because 15.3A + 15.3A exceeds your 20A limit. Alternatively, you might wire 3 100W panels in parallel and present 16.5A to the controller at 18V. Being slightly over amperage is not as bad as being over voltage. Over voltage means "POOF", the electronics go up in smoke. Extra amps just gets clipped off and is wasted.

As an alternative, let's say you purchase one 250W residential grid-tie panel, putting out ~8A at 30V. Connect that to your charge controller terminals and it will be transformed down to ~ 19.2A at 13Vcharging. So, it looks like the grid-tie might be the best fit in terms of maximizing your power.

Keep in mind that these are theoritical pen and paper calculations, and in the real-world your actual numbers will be a bit lower. Normally, the voltage does not vary as much. Amperage varies a lot. Cloudy weather, dust, and just general inefficiencies will drop amperage down to no better than 85% of nameplate.

Hi Michaelk

many thanks once again,

I will need to read, and re read the information you have been kind enough to share with me.

one thing that I was concerned about was over charging my Anker 767, and with the information you have given me (quote 18V. Being slightly over amperage is not as bad as being over voltage. Over voltage means "POOF", the electronics go up in smoke. Extra amps just gets clipped off and is wasted.) end quote

this has helped ease my worry

I have lots to learn lol, but a mistake could be very expensive !!!! "POOF"

The Anker 767 can make use of 5 Anker 531 panels, each with a operating voltage of 4.17A,
I did wonder why or how they got away with that as five times 4.17A is 20.85A, and they spec the max input on the Anker 767 as only 20A

60Voc 20A Isc, claimed 1000W input.

Did a quick search for what could be the most beneficial solar panel within this Voc/Isc limits and it keeps revolving around a 600W ish solar array.

These charger limits are really hard to work with.

The below is just to get a rough general idea of options, there might be other more suitable panels for your needs. Panel's Voc and Isc tell you how many in series or parallel you can fit within Anker's 60V(Voc) and 20A(Isc) limits. Then you just add all the panel's Wattage to see the total Wattage possible in a solar array with that panel.

3x 215W Victron Solar Panel in parallel about 600£ ish - UK

Economics-wise, if it's not for mobile applications and panel weight/size is not of concern, a 450-650W solar panel.
Canadian solar 600W 250£ Ish. - UK

Hope this helps a bit.

Best,
D.

Urge38 said:

The Anker 767 can make use of 5 Anker 531 panels, each with a operating voltage of 4.17A,
I did wonder why or how they got away with that as five times 4.17A is 20.85A, and they spec the max input on the Anker 767 as only 20A

Click to expand...

This is getting back to the "real-world" numbers that I mentioned above. The first thing to understand about solar is that panels are rated in artificial sunlight at exactly 1000W/ square meter, in a temperature-controlled chamber at exactly 25degrees C. The panel is stored at 25C until ready to test, is quickly measured, and then removed.

This standardization is to create a level playing field and discourage cheating. In the real-world, panels sitting out in the sun absorb heat and get hotter than 25C. This causes their voltage to drop, hence, their power rating to drop. There is a second standard called NOCT, which is closer to real-world operation. It stands for "Normal Operating Cell Temperature", and it measures the panel hot, at 40 something degrees C. It also uses a lower level of illumination at 800W/sq m. It's basically the "worst case" test for panels. In the real-world, your true output will be somewhere half-way between.

Thank you both Michaelk & Daxo

I know how tempting it is to only get involved in threads where you learn or get something back,
I am guilty off this myself, on many forums topics that I excel on (like, Tig welding, classic car restoration etc) , I find it difficult to read a thread or topic that's kindagarden (basic) stuff.

SO I REALLY DO APRECIATE your time guys,
many kind thanks to you both