Charge controller for a single 445W panel

[Troubleshooter]

I have a few Longi 445W panels (VOC 49.1V) left over from building my main system at home. I'd like to re-use one of them for a small 12V system to power the lights and heater in my chicken coop. I need to find a charge controller that will work with one (or two) of these panels.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

"small 12V system" is not one that can power a heater unless the heater is VERY small.

Electric heaters are extremely demanding. You need to assess how much kWh the heater will consume and determine fewer than 2-3kW of panels is adequate.

Numbers:

445W/12V = 37A per panel
445W/24V = 18.5A per panel
445W/48V = 9.3A per panel (but you will need two panels in series, so back up to 18.5A you go)

For each battery voltage, you will need a charge controller rated for the stated amps for each panel.

For 12V, you must purchase a MPPT controller. A PWM controller will operate at about 1/3 the panel power.
For 24 or 48V, you have the option of a PWM controller operating at about 70-80% of the panel(s) rated power.

 

[Mattb4]

Doing some math, 445w/12v=37a so you would want a 40 amp SCC for the one panel. You would want a MPPT due to voltage. If you add more panels the math changes in accordance with W=VA

The battery would need to be able to handle charging amperage if not able to limit PV charging current in your SCC.

 

[OffGridIdaho]

So.........
10 years off grid here and chickens the whole ten years.

Here whats you do.

Leave the chickens ALONE. They dont need heat and they dont need light. If you need light when you go out there wear a haedlamp. Ive had -23f temps here many times and the chickens are just fine. Buy chickens with small combs and wattles so they dont get frost burn.

You heat the coop you kill the birds. If they get used to heat and the power shuts off they die. Light just makes them lay more and that over-taxes their system. Leave them be......

 

[sunshine_eggo]

So.........
10 years off grid here and chickens the whole ten years.

Here whats you do.

Leave the chickens ALONE. They dont need heat and they dont need light. If you need light when you go out there wear a haedlamp. Ive had -23f temps here many times and the chickens are just fine. Buy chickens with small combs and wattles so they dont get frost burn.

You heat the coop you kill the birds. If they get used to heat and the power shuts off they die. Light just makes them lay more and that over-taxes their system. Leave them be......

I dub thee... "chicken whisperer"... ?

 

[Browneye]

Gee, I often wondered what they did for the past few hundred years before we had solar panels. ?

Maybe repurpose for charging a solar generator unit or something. Some kind of backup system. If the main system is grid-tied, my understanding is they don't work if the grid goes down. Maybe this installation is independent.

Any mppt SCC of sufficient capacity will work for battery charging.

 

[Pi Curio]

I have a few Longi 445W panels (VOC 49.1V) left over from building my main system at home. I'd like to re-use one of them for a small 12V system to power the lights and heater in my chicken coop. I need to find a charge controller that will work with one (or two) of these panels.

Victron 100/30

 

[MichaelK]

Gee, I often wondered what they did for the past few hundred years before we had solar panels. ?

Actually, chickens are a recent invention that didn't exist before 1921. Read that in a "Pocket" article.

 

[OffGridIdaho]

Actually, chickens are a recent invention that didn't exist before 1921. Read that in a "Pocket" article.

Bwahaha.....

Velociraptors have been around for hundreds of millions of years.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

I dub thee... "chicken whisperer"... ?

How does one cluck in a whisper?

 

[Grimmster]

Actually, chickens are a recent invention that didn't exist before 1921. Read that in a "Pocket" article.

I don't know what Pocket is but now I know to avoid it. Thanks

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Actually, chickens are a recent invention that didn't exist before 1921. Read that in a "Pocket" article.

Actually the inventor of chicken nuggets was born in 1921….