Calling all moderators and other solar brainiacs ...

[offgriddle]

Will and the moderators as well as other solar enthusiasts have been an invaluable resource for fact checking and information, THANK YOU.

This is my hand drawn series parallel arrangement for a simple PV array that I have been working on as time allows.

If it is incorrect and/or there are any constructive comments please feel free to chime in.

Thank You

Respectfully
O.G.
Rockin it third world in style.

 

[snoobler]

You have 6 panels in parallel, but it appears you intend to have 3 panels in series.

You have all the negatives connected and all the positives connected, thus everything is in parallel.

The 100W panels also create issues with current limitations.

Assuming you're dealing with an EB 240, it has a 60V/10A panel input limitation. You can't blow the voltage limit, but you can supply more amps as it just wont use more than 10.

You should drop the 100W panels and create a 2S 2P array. You should produce about 360W of charging

 

[offgriddle]

You have 6 panels in parallel, but it appears you intend to have 3 panels in series.

You have all the negatives connected and all the positives connected, thus everything is in parallel.

The 100W panels also create issues with current limitations.

Assuming you're dealing with an EB 240, it has a 60V/10A panel input limitation. You can't blow the voltage limit, but you can supply more amps as it just wont use more than 10.

You should drop the 100W panels and create a 2S 2P array. You should produce about 360W of charging

View attachment 21182

Snoobler THANK YOU!
I should know better than to rush things to print. I love solar power and use it almost exclusively but have such little time in my homesteady life to focus on pencil and paper solar projects that I fall right on my face even though i know better if I took the time to THINK about what I am doing.
I'm going to leave my all parallel fopar up and fix it later and post the fix.

Thank you again, O.G.

PS: I will sharpen my pencil and use the eraser shown here to correct the diagram and address the wattage concern soon.

 

[Hedges]

You have 6 panels in parallel, but it appears you intend to have 3 panels in series.

You have all the negatives connected and all the positives connected, thus everything is in parallel.

The 100W panels also create issues with current limitations.

Assuming you're dealing with an EB 240, it has a 60V/10A panel input limitation. You can't blow the voltage limit, but you can supply more amps as it just wont use more than 10.

You should drop the 100W panels and create a 2S 2P array. You should produce about 360W of charging

View attachment 21182

"Bluetti ... max voltage in 67 Voc"

As Snoobler said, three in series would violate that (even at ambient 25C, would be right at the limit"

"You should drop the 100W panels and create a 2S 2P array"
I like to disagree (as if no one could tell.)
Once you have 2S2P of 160W panels, make another array 2S1P of 100W panels, which is close to the same voltage. Consider paralleling those as well.
But, "max wattage in 500" - is that a real limit? Might be if the Bluetti isn't smart enough not to hurt itself. Or, it might limit current draw as Snoobler indicated.
4 x 160 = 640W, 2 x 100 = 200W, 840W total.
If oriented toward different times of day (e.g. 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM), also different seasons, you should be able to get area of sun captured and power output down to around 70% of label rating, about 590W. That's STC, actual power when warm a bit less. Power production would be spread over more hours of the day and over seasons.

 

[snoobler]

Hedges,

The Bluetti has a 60V/10A max input with a 500W limit. He's already over that with the the 2S2P array. I'm operating off the assumption that additional current isn't an issue and just won't be used as is typically the case with most MPPT SCC.

I'm also assuming the panels will operate at Vmp at about 36V, so 36V @ 10A = 360W. The MPPT controller may be smart enough to push to Voc since there's additional current available. He might get up to 420W peak.

EDIT: The addition of the 100W panels in their own 2S array paralleled as Hedges suggested may permit you to capture more solar earlier and later in the day, but you'll be way over the amp limit. I doubt this is an issue, but I'd want to know it's not an issue with either Bluetti or another user who has pushed one that far.

That would look crudely like:

 

[Hedges]

Hedges,

The Bluetti has a 60V/10A max input with a 500W limit. He's already over that with the the 2S2P array. I'm operating off the assumption that additional current isn't an issue and just won't be used as is typically the case with most MPPT SCC.

I'm also assuming the panels will operate at Vmp at about 36V, so 36V @ 10A = 360W. The MPPT controller may be smart enough to push to Voc since there's additional current available. He might get up to 420W peak.

The Bluetti may have a wattage limit, but not an hours limit. By orienting two strings 90 degrees to each other, the area they present to the sun is 1/sqrt(2) times their area, 0.707 as much. That brings the 2S2P array under 500W by 10%, even using unrealistic STC ratings. Probably 28% under using PTC. So I think the 3rd string should work well. Multiple orientations spreads power out over the day like a tracking mount would.

We can expect that any decent inverter or charge controller will reduce its output if temperature gets too high. But we can't assume that it does so for excessive current. Lots of bad products will burn themselves out under such conditions (especially when trying to supply constant output power during undervoltage.) If the batteries accept the current, it is possible Bluetti would deliver whatever PV offers, to its own detriment.

 

[Forbisher]

Hedges,

The Bluetti has a 60V/10A max input with a 500W limit.

EDIT: The addition of the 100W panels in their own 2S array paralleled as Hedges suggested may permit you to capture more solar earlier and later in the day, but you'll be way over the amp limit. I doubt this is an issue, but I'd want to know it's not an issue with either Bluetti or another user who has pushed one that far.

At about 67V the Bluetti gives an error code and shuts off.
Users are over paneling at 1000 watts with no problems so far.

The OP already has a long thread with more detail about the same question.
I guess he didn't like the answers there.
This is an example of buying panels before you have a system or not matching panels to his Bluetti's Voc limit and 10A limit.

 

[tictag]

A Bluetti is an expensive bit of kit, I wouldn't be too quick to exceed the product's very clear specifications. It says 500W max input so to achieve this your array will need to be at or very close to 50V Vmp and Voc should not exceed 73±2V.

I do like the idea of 'flattening the curve' with the panel positioning. Never thought of that use case. Though, of course, you always have to be careful and make sure everybody knows not to position all panels towards the sun. Bit of a faff, but gets you to a higher energy generation.

 

[Forbisher]

A Bluetti is an expensive bit of kit, I wouldn't be too quick to exceed the product's very clear specifications. It says 500W max input so to achieve this your array will need to be at or very close to 50V Vmp and Voc should not exceed 73±2V.

Bluetti has that 73V spec on their website but in real life the EB240 gives an error code at 67 to 68V and shuts off so of what relevance is that 73V spec?