Epever Tracer 40an

[ray]

what is the maximun amount of panels you would put up on this charge controller. Considering i dont hit full 100 watt rating. the best i am getting is 75 watts per 100 watt panell. I currently have 2 but 2 more HQST 100 watt panels are on order.

i would like to gradually add panels till i reach max.

P.S Heat should be no issue as it has a 120mm temp controled cooling fan below the heatsink.

Will 4 panels of 100 watt each work well in series?

What is see eventally is a 900 watt system is 3 sets of solar panels constisting of 3 panels of 100 watts in series then paralling each set of panels.

 

[gnubie]

There are several models in that group, did you have a specific one in mind or just asking about the ratings of the top of the line model?

 

[ray]

Tracer4210AN is the model number

it has a 100v max PV and 1040 watt max array and is a 40 amp model

 

[gnubie]

Ok, according to the spec label on the back of the HQST 100 panel on Amazon those panels have a VoC of 21.4V. If you connect your panels in series that gives 85.6V, that is well within the PV voltage spec's of the 4210AN, and it's not too high for you to deal with safely.

In terms of current from the array, with all panels in series the current stays the same as for one panel, 5.7amps short circuit so no concerns there. The Tracer4210AN can current limit so even if you had more than 40 amps from the array it wouldn't blow anything up you'd just be getting less from the panels than they can produce.

Can the controller push all the power it receives from the panels into the battery, if the battery will accept it, yes. At full production the battery would only receive around 16 amps and that's well within the spec's of the Tracer4210AN.

That controller will handle 4 x 100 watt panels with room to spare.

If you extend to 3 x 3 you will still be well within the input voltage of the controller, even more so that with 4 panels as the VoC of each string will only be 64.2V. The current from the parallel strings will not exceed 18 amps so that's good too. You will be skating close to the 40amp limit into the 24v battery but that's not an issue unless you want to expand further.

That controller will handle strings of 3 x HQST 100 panels, arranged as 3 parallel sets.

As you've noted you don't hit full power from the panels, so in theory you could add another string of 3. That would bring you closer to full rating of the controller's output for more of the day, and if the array produces more current than the Tracer4210AN can accept & deliver to the battery nothing will go wrong, it will just limit to 40amps.

Remember when you have more than 2 panels or strings of panels in parallel place fuses in line with the strings as a precaution should something go wrong with one string. Series diodes as well as fuses is something to consider too.

 

[ray]

what does a series diode do?

where to find them from a US seller on ebay. i seen them from internetional sellers. i try not to buy from overseeas unless i can help it. been burned on ebay that way before. i alrady have a 40 amp main fuse on th arraym and also a string fuse, using car audio amp grear. Can get that stuff easy lovally and know how to use. as i used to do car audio competions and was sponsered many years ago.

 

[gnubie]

The series diode prevents any current from flowing back into a panel / string if its voltage falls below the point the others are being held at. The diode is a nicety in that it will prevent a faulty panel / string from drawing any current at all, further lowering your system's output. Diodes have a habit of going short circuit when they fail, assuming they don't outright burn up, so fuse is still needed as a fail safe to open the circuit if excess current does flow back into a panel / string.

Diodes aren't a necessity, fuses are.

 

[Rider]

Just FYI, HQST panels may have bypass diodes already, not to be confused with blocking diodes. This taken from this panel:

HQST 100-Watt 12-Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel HQST-100D-SSP - The Home Depot

HQST 100-Watt 12-Volt Polycrystalline Solar Panel will give you the most efficiency per space and have the ability to withstand extreme elements and severe weather. The Bypass diodes of this panel can

www.homedepot.com

The Bypass diodes of this panel can minimize power drop caused by shade and ensure excellent performance in low-light environments.

Solar panel strings: Parallel & Series explained

When solar panels are hooked up in series you connect the minus of one panel to the plus of the next panel. The voltages are summed, but the current remains the same: Putting panels in series is desirable as it keeps the amperage low, and amperage is the key factor in cost of the wire. Now...

www.diysolarforum.com

 

[offgriddle]

Simply, like I do with my Epever tracer 60 amp, (or any other charge controller), I read the maximum voltage and current output specs on my panels, (regardless of how sunny I think it would be) add the output values up and do not exceed the specified input of my charge controller.

 

[ray]

another thing is there a way to more easily broadcast the stats of the controller over the net to a smartphone. The workaround i found is using the securiy camera software and live internet feed using (ISPY) screen shoting the epever solar software. Using the (ISPY) app on my phone i can see what my charge controller is doing anywhere there is cell service or wifi.

 

[gnubie]

An arduino or a linux SBC running a web server. Not necessarily the easiest way, but that's what I currently do. Neither is for beginners.

 

[ray]

what is i alreay have a server computer running 24/7 it is hooked into the epever roght now. It runs the security camera server and NAS (network attacjed storage)) is there a way i could just bradcase the charge controller with what i am using now. I know i am using a lot of power on a server computer so miswell make the best, it can handle a lot more that what i put on it now. Im using windows 10 pro 64 on it now, makes is more easier to run programs like the solar destop and other titles.

 

[ray]

another questions what if i exeed the watt rating of the controller but do not go over the PV voltage or the amp ratin g of the charge controller. At the 1000 watts of panels i would only be at 25 amps and at about a PV voltage of 40 V. I know the contrller is only rated at 1040 watts but otherwise I am below the limits of the controller.

 

[gnubie]

The controller is one of the good ones and will current limit to keep within its own ratings.

For the remote monitoring of your controller do you have an ISP that offers free web space? It might be practical for you to query the epever over the rs485 interface (I'm guessing this is what you are using to connect to the PC) and then upload that raw data to say your ISP web space. Throw in a little javascript and you can point a web browser at a url and it will show the stats you desire and automatically refresh too.

If you went down that path I'm sure you could find help here on setting it up. You might even be able to understand my waffle

Windows command line tool to read modbus data - https://github.com/epsilonrt/mbpoll
Windows command line tool to upload data via various means - https://curl.haxx.se/