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How big can my array be?

offgriddle

offgriddle

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I have an Epever tracer 4215BN 40 amp SCC with 150 VDC max solar input.

I have two, 100 watt, 12 volt solar panels hooked up in series and they are rated for 21 volts each open circuit and
I was reading about 41 volts with no load at the SCC array input terminals, no problem there.

ACCORDING to the specs which I have right here in front of me in the users manual:
The Rated charge power for the SCC is 540 watts at 12 volts or 1040 watts at 24 volts
The Maximum PV Array power is 1560 watts at 12 volts and 3120 watts at 24 volts.

Do the above specs mean that at 24 volts, I can have a 3,120 watt array?






 
offgriddle said:
I have an Epever tracer 4215BN 40 amp SCC with 150 VDC max solar input.

I have two, 100 watt, 12 volt solar panels hooked up in series and they are rated for 21 volts each open circuit and
I was reading about 41 volts with no load at the SCC array input terminals, no problem there.

ACCORDING to the specs which I have right here in front of me in the users manual:
The Rated charge power for the SCC is 540 watts at 12 volts or 1040 watts at 24 volts
The Maximum PV Array power is 1560 watts at 12 volts and 3120 watts at 24 volts.

Do the above specs mean that at 24 volts, I can have a 3,120 watt array?
Click to expand...
OG, be careful with those Max PV Array Power specs on the Epevers. I wouldn't trust them past their rated charge power...

diysolarforum.com

Want to know what went wrong with my SCC

Well today my SCC died and I am trying to figure out why? can any body let me know if the reason is I over paneled the unit , its a Epever triron 4215n and I had it hooked up to 2 sunpower 305 watt panels hooked up in series . The panels were putting out 125 volts and the SCC has a 150 volt...
diysolarforum.com diysolarforum.com
 
Rated charge power: I interpret that as the maximum output of the SCC to the batteries. Let's see P = I x E, so I = P divided by E. Sooo ..1040 watts divided by 24 volts = 42.6 amps, seems reasonable for a 40 amp SCC.

Mkay now to tackle the confusing PV array power spec.: 3120 watts divided by 24 volts = 130 amps, hmmmm, something smells rotten in Denmark.
 
Well, technically you can have a 10kW or even bigger array if you want. The charge controller will still only process as much power as it can handle. Of course, after that you are wasting panels. On my Midnite Classic 150 if you look at the power curve it can process the maximum amount of power with around 100V input into a 48V system.
 
boondox said:
Well, technically you can have a 10kW or even bigger array if you want. The charge controller will still only process as much power as it can handle. Of course, after that you are wasting panels. On my Midnite Classic 150 if you look at the power curve it can process the maximum amount of power with around 100V input into a 48V system.
Click to expand...
To clarify, my word of caution to OG was due to some Epever owners here learning (sometimes the hard way) that those units aren’t as gracefully handling the over-panel situation. Even if it’s within the stated specs of the unit.

The MidNite, Outback, Victron crowd don’t seem to have those issues.
 
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Sandman said:
I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. The charge controllers have specifications and maximum ratings for a reason. If the manufacturer tells you the maximum, it's wise to believe them.
Click to expand...

I agree with that but I also think that a correctly designed SCC should not be bothered by too much panels (as long as you don't go over the voltage limit) as it should regulate the current. At this point they are all capable of doing it hardware-wise, it's just some software so it's a shame that some (most?) SCC just don't do it.
 
Last edited:
Im working on downloading the screenshot of the manual PDF, specifically section 2.2 PV Array Requirements.
 
Last edited:
Bob142 said:
To clarify, my word of caution to OG was due to some Epever owners here learning (sometimes the hard way) that those units aren’t as gracefully handling the over-panel situation. Even if it’s within the stated specs of the unit.

The MidNite, Outback, Victron crowd don’t seem to have those issues.
Click to expand...
I have an Epever Bob.
 
Ok so 3120 / 138 = 22.6 A that's a lot more coherent than 130 A. but it'll not take that much current any way because you'll be limited by the battery side power which is 1 kW so with 10 % losses you're looking at about 1.1 kW on the input side or 8 A @ 138 V.
 
offgriddle said:
I have an Epever Bob.
Click to expand...
Yup, which is why I cautioned you. Just wanted to clarify and make sure people knew I wasn't suggesting to not believe specs in general. Recently (see thread I included in my first post) people have indicated less than ideal behavior from their Epevers while being within the spec range.
 
RIGHT NOW I have a larger problem .. my SCC has 43.6 volts coming in from the panels in full sun, and my battery indicates 1/2 full and im running my inverter, but the dang SCC puts out then shuts down intermittently. My guess is that the SCC is just fine, BUT, the built in BMS's for my two Energized Outdoors, (now Amped Outdoors), lifepo batteries may be calling time out because of very likely too much too fast charging current! I'm working from home otherwise I probably wouldn't be noticing all of this!
Overall, my system works really well for a small system by the way!
 
Bob142 said:
Yup, which is why I cautioned you. Just wanted to clarify and make sure people knew I wasn't suggesting to not believe specs in general. Recently (see thread I included in my first post) people have indicated less than ideal behavior from their Epevers while being within the spec range.
Click to expand...
Yes, ive got to work with what iv'e got for now, the unit is less than a year old and works really well and im only using a small percentage of it's capacity. The owners manual is very informative but confusing in part due to my newness with working with SCC's and in part to the very good, but less than clear and concise specifications and instructions in some areas.
 
offgriddle said:
My guess is that the SCC is just fine, BUT, the built in BMS's for my two Energized Outdoors, (now Amped Outdoors), lifepo batteries may be calling time out because of very likely too much too fast charging current!
Click to expand...

If it's because of that then you should be able to avoid it by lowering the charge voltage on the SCC.
 
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