Been putting my camper van to the test for the last month on a trip. I have 2-200w Panels wired in series to a Victron MPPT 50amp SCC. I had a little trouble keeping my 2 Valence Batteries (276ah combined) charged with the low amount and low angle of sun up in Michigan. But the days that it would be full sun the most I would see coming in was around 170 watts. Im now back in Florida and even here with full sun on the panels today the most I seen was 219 watts. Is this because their wired in series? Or is this seem normal amount in the winter since the sun is at such an angle?
Am I getting the right amount of power out of my panels?
- Thread starter Surfsolar
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sunshine_eggo
Happy Breffast!
Winter sun + Northern hemisphere + flat panels on roof = crap solar.
The sun is still far to the south even from Florida.
You're getting over half their rated output, so I'd say that's pretty good.
A month ago, you'd be lucky to get 40-50%.
The sun is still far to the south even from Florida.
You're getting over half their rated output, so I'd say that's pretty good.
A month ago, you'd be lucky to get 40-50%.
fratermus
Solar Enthusiast
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Angle is the main thing and diminished hours of daylight doesn't help.
When I did the math for my van-mounted panels winter daily yield and max output was about ~half that of summer. You may want to play with PVwatts or similar to see what harvest is possible where/when.
To make up the difference and keep the batts happy you might consider
- (if camping in place most of the time) add tilt to the existing van panel, and/or
- carry an extra panel or two and deploy them leaned against the van in the winter. I carry 2x 100w strapped behind the passenger seat and they have come in handy before.* and/or,
- (if driving fairly often) add in alternator charging, and/or
- (if space is available) add on a third identical panel, which would get you to ~255w where you were seeing 170w before.
* not just for increased harvest, but as loaners to nearby campers who are struggling with power.
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