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Bluetti AC200MAX

rci

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Bluetti AC200MAX
I want to charge a Bluetti AC200MAX, for a short time (until I get my other 2 panels installed), with my existing solar system which consists of:

1. 2 ea. Renogy 100W x 12V solar panels, VOC- 22.5V hooked up in parallel
2. 2 ea. HQST 100W x 12V solar panels, VOC- 24.3V UNINSTALLED/yet to be installed
3. 1 ea. RICH SOLAR 40 Amp 12V/24V DC Input MPPT Solar Charge Controller
4. 1 ea. Zooms 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Battery, Rechargeable Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery
5. 1 ea. PowerTech ON PURE SINE WAVE Inverter 1000w Cont/2000w Peak, 12v Dc -120v Ac

The Bluetti AC200MAX FAQ says that it can be charged with:
"What kind of solar panel should I choose?
A: Total Open Circuit Voltage should be between 10V-145V. "

What I think I get out of this is that before I install the other 2 100W x 12V solar panels, I COULD charge
the AC200MAX with the 2 solar panels I have hooked up already...... am I correct ?
Also, once I connect the other 2 solar panels (for a total of 4 x 100W x 12V solar panels), it should be OK to use the DC to charge the AC200MAX as well as
using the 12V AC outlet (only use the DC or the AC when charging, not both) ?
 
Bluetti AC200MAX
I want to charge a Bluetti AC200MAX, for a short time (until I get my other 2 panels installed), with my existing solar system which consists of:

1. 2 ea. Renogy 100W x 12V solar panels, VOC- 22.5V hooked up in parallel
2. 2 ea. HQST 100W x 12V solar panels, VOC- 24.3V UNINSTALLED/yet to be installed
3. 1 ea. RICH SOLAR 40 Amp 12V/24V DC Input MPPT Solar Charge Controller
4. 1 ea. Zooms 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Battery, Rechargeable Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery
5. 1 ea. PowerTech ON PURE SINE WAVE Inverter 1000w Cont/2000w Peak, 12v Dc -120v Ac

The Bluetti AC200MAX FAQ says that it can be charged with:
"What kind of solar panel should I choose?
A: Total Open Circuit Voltage should be between 10V-145V. "

What I think I get out of this is that before I install the other 2 100W x 12V solar panels, I COULD charge
the AC200MAX with the 2 solar panels I have hooked up already...... am I correct ?

Yes, but you should reconfigure to 2S2P.

From the manual:

The max input current of solar charging: 15.2A ± 0.3A, the over-current of solar charging will be wasted.

Your panels are likely around 5-6A Imp, and you'll be over the 15.2A limit. 2S2P will give you ~36Vmp and ~11A Imp

Also, once I connect the other 2 solar panels (for a total of 4 x 100W x 12V solar panels), it should be OK to use the DC to charge the AC200MAX as well as
using the 12V AC outlet (only use the DC or the AC when charging, not both) ?


GET CHARGED IN ANYWAY YOU PREFER​

The AC200MAX allows up to 900W of solar input and 500W via the adapter, you can even charge it up via your wall outlet and solar panels simultaneously, boost a stunning 1400W total charging rate which can top up your power beast in less than two hours! Further more, every BLUETTI battery module has their own input port for AC adapters, you’ll get another 500W of input capability with every module added (Up to two for the AC200MAX)..
 
thanks for the reply and thanks for the 'heads up' about the amps..... I appreciate it...... rci
 
I just realized something- if I reconfigure the solar panels to 2 in series and 2 in parallel that means the series panels throw me into the 24V range and that means another 12v LiFePO4 battery and another 12V inverter for a total cost of approx. $520..... unless I want to spend the $520 I can always just use the AC plug and hook the panels up in parallel.... am I getting that right ?
 
I just realized something- if I reconfigure the solar panels to 2 in series and 2 in parallel that means the series panels throw me into the 24V range and that means another 12v LiFePO4 battery and another 12V inverter for a total cost of approx. $520..... unless I want to spend the $520 I can always just use the AC plug and hook the panels up in parallel.... am I getting that right ?

I don't follow you at all.
 
Series configuration- 12v + 12v = 24v, everything I have is 12v...... am I misunderstanding what '2s2p' means ?
 
The Bluetti AC200MAX FAQ says that it can be charged with:
"What kind of solar panel should I choose?
A: Total Open Circuit Voltage should be between 10V-145V. "

You said you want to charge your Bluetti.

If you want to charge with solar, the solar panel series Voc must be between 10V and 145V. 2S would be about 42Voc, which is between 10 and 145V.

What am I missing?

As far as I'm concerned, based on your question, items 3, 4 and 5 have nothing to do with your post.
 
"with my existing solar system which consists of:"
I was only laying out what I'm trying to use as a system, in case anyone had a question about the system and how it related to my question. People always seem to need more information so I was trying to preempt that need.
 
"with my existing solar system which consists of:"
I was only laying out what I'm trying to use as a system, in case anyone had a question about the system and how it related to my question. People always seem to need more information so I was trying to preempt that need.

Okay. Since the Bluetti is essentially a self-contained system (battery/inverter/charge controller), and you didn't describe it, I didn't see how it integrates with the other components. While it makes sense in your head as your "system" (one is backup for the other, etc.), if they aren't interacting, they're separate systems. I have a secondary 24V inverter/MPPT and batteries as backup to my 48V system, but they don't interact in any way.

Please let me know if you still have any lingering uncertainty.

Something that just occurred to me that you may not realize... MPPT solar chargers DON'T need the same voltage panels, i.e. a 12V battery with a MPPT charger does NOT need to stick with 12V panels. MPPT are sophisticated DC-DC converters and take the high voltage/low current from the PV side and convert it to the battery voltage/current, e.g., your Bluetti's 145V Voc limit would permit 2X 24V panels (~95Voc total) or 3X 60 cell panels (~105Voc total) with no issue.

If you use a PWM solar charge controller, you must match your panel nominal voltage to your battery voltage.
 
Thanks for the explanations. I'm going to wire in the extra 2 HQST 100W 12v panels to give me 4 x 100W x 12v solar panels (in parallel) for 93.6v OC total ..... the 22.18A amps generated leaves 6.98A above the Bluetti AC200MAX maximum (15.2A max input) and will just be "wasted"..... the Bluetti AC200MAX manual, on page 10, says parallel is OK and anything above 15.2A is "wasted".... that way I don't have to buy anymore equipment (24V)...... the solar panels are backup for refrigerators and a chest freezer in case of a short power outage ..... the Bluetti AC200MAX is basically for a cabover camper as a backup when hunting or to backup the "backup".... anyway, thanks for your help, I appreciate it....... rci
 
Thanks for the explanations. I'm going to wire in the extra 2 HQST 100W 12v panels to give me 4 x 100W x 12v solar panels (in parallel) for 93.6v OC total

No. In parallel, you don't add voltages. Array voltage sill simply be panel voltage.

..... the 22.18A amps generated leaves 6.98A above the Bluetti AC200MAX maximum (15.2A max input) and will just be "wasted"..... the Bluetti AC200MAX manual, on page 10, says parallel is OK and anything above 15.2A is "wasted".... that way I don't have to buy anymore equipment (24V)......

This is where you're losing me. You can take your 4 panels and go 4S or 2S2P into your Bluetti, and you don't need to buy ANYTHING, AND you're not losing any current.

Please explain to me why you think you have to buy more equipment...

Additionally, you could put the SAME panels on your Rich Solar 40A MPPT in a 2S2P configuration (4S is a little too close to the 100Voc limit), and require no additional equipment.
 
thanks for remind me about not adding the voltage, I actually knew that..... I thought the 12V LiFePO4 battery would require a 12v input, am I wrong ?
 
thanks for remind me about not adding the voltage, I actually knew that..... I thought the 12V LiFePO4 battery would require a 12v input, am I wrong ?

I think you are wrong depending on the answer to this question:

Are you charging the 12V LFP battery with the Rich Solar 40A MPPT?

If the answer is yes, the MPPT can accept any PV input voltage up to 100Voc (leave some head room for cold temps). This means that it could accept your existing 400W of panels in a 2S2P array and provide optimal PV charging.
 
Yes I will be doing that, I'll look into the configuration you suggest and if it charges my LiFePO4 battery and then safely goes to my "PowerTech ON pure sine wave Inverter 1000w Cont/2000w Peak, 12v Dc -120v Ac" without any problem I'll probably follow your suggestion and reconfigure what I'm going to do. Thanks for your time and suggestions..... rci
 
Yes I will be doing that, I'll look into the configuration you suggest and if it charges my LiFePO4 battery and then safely goes to my "PowerTech ON pure sine wave Inverter 1000w Cont/2000w Peak, 12v Dc -120v Ac" without any problem I'll probably follow your suggestion and reconfigure what I'm going to do. Thanks for your time and suggestions..... rci

It will work that way. It will charge your LFP battery. It will safely power your inverter. This is another fundamental benefit of MPPT charge controllers over PWM.

From:

First item listed:

1638485313629.png
 
If it won't hurt the 12v LiFePO4 battery or the 12v inverter because the MPPT charge controller takes care of it then would the 'in series' OC voltage of 93.6V be within the parameters ?
I guess I'm asking if the 2 x 100W Renogy solar panels (22.5v OC each) & the 2 x 100W HQST solar panels (24.3v OC each) = the stated 93.6v OC is it OK to wire all 4 solar panels in series ? This is a lot for a novice to wrap his head around.... LOL
 
If it won't hurt the 12v LiFePO4 battery or the 12v inverter because the MPPT charge controller takes care of it then would the 'in series' OC voltage of 93.6V be within the parameters ?

Yes, but you want to leave a little space below the peak voltage. Cold temperature causes panel voltage to increase. 20% is a pretty safe margin, so stay under 80V on the RichSolar and under 116V on the Bluetti. If you're in an extremely cold area, you may need more. If you're in a tropical area with little temperature variation, you can drive closer to the peak PV voltage.

I guess I'm asking if the 2 x 100W Renogy solar panels (22.5v OC each) & the 2 x 100W HQST solar panels (24.3v OC each) = the stated 93.6v OC is it OK to wire all 4 solar panels in series ? This is a lot for a novice to wrap his head around.... LOL

Mostly - within the 20% limitations I mentioned above. HOWEVER, when you put things in series, those items in series will only pass the lowest current of all those things in series.

From:
1. 2 ea. Renogy 100W x 12V solar panels, VOC- 22.5V hooked up in parallel
2. 2 ea. HQST 100W x 12V solar panels, VOC- 24.3V UNINSTALLED/yet to be installed

Since the HQST panels have a higher voltage, they will have a LOWER current to get the same 100W. If you put them in series with the Renogy, the Renogy will be forced to operate at the lower HQST current. This is why I recommended 2S2P - 2S Renogy in parallel with 2S HQST. It will allow each set of panels to operate at its max current, and there will likely be less losses due to the slight voltage disparity between them.

Additionally, while MPPT allows for higher PV voltage, there are a couple considerations:
  1. The bigger the difference between PV voltage and battery voltage, the more INefficiency. 4S panels to 12V will probably be 1-2% less efficient than 2S2P due to the bigger voltage step-down.
  2. #1 is often negated by reduced power loss in the wiring between PV and MPPT. 4S would have very little wiring losses. 2S2P would have more wiring losses, but this may not be relevant - depends on the cable gauge/length between PV and MPPT.
 
cable is 10/3 SO coated about 12' long from panels to charge controller (right outside a daylight basement window)

but, I hear you..... 2s2p when I install the 2 HQST panels....... thanks for all the steering...... rci
 
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