How to fuse 8 100 watt panels with 12A maximum series fuse rating?

[MMIKKESS]

Currently I have 2 100 watt panels wired in parallel. I have purchased 6 additional panels. I’m not sure what’s the best way to connect them or how to properly fuse them. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Charge controller:
Renogy Rover 60A MPPT

Panels specs:
Maximum Power Voltage (Vmp): 18.46V
Maximum Power Current (Imp): 5.41A
Open-Circuit Voltage (Voc): 21.69V
Short-Circuit Current (Isc): 5.7A
Maximum Series Fuse Rating: 12A

 

[Black Pearl]

I was running a pretty much identical setup for about 2 years. I had 2 strings of 4 panels in series, connected in parallel (800 watts - 8 panels total). The way I understand things, you don't need any fuses with that setup. That would change if you upgraded to let's say 16 panels - 4 series 4 parallel. At that point, you'd need 1 fuse per string (4). In my case, I used 15 amp inline fuses.

Hope that helps

 

[OzSolar]

Running the modules in series make more sense to me as well.

I think your Renogy can take up 150v solar input but double check me on that.

Take a look at running 4 in series then paralleling the strings in a combiner box on breaker. Something like this. You'll have to add breakers. A combiner box gives you a nice place to combine and eases future troubleshooting and future expansion is easy. You also have a ideal place to put a surge protector.

You could also use the 2 into 1 MC4 connectors but I don't like them for a variety of reasons. Mostly because I like to overkill things.

 

[740GLE]

8 panels?

2p4s is the way to go, two 10amp fuse, one per string will do you well.

 

[Black Pearl]

FWIW, I basically asked the same question as the OP quite some time ago. The answer I got was you don't need any inline fuses until you exceed 2 series strings into parallel. I am not as experienced as many solar veterans here, so I can't give the exact reason as to why. I'm sure the answer to that question has been answered multiple times somewhere on this site tho.

Here's a link to that old thread...

Quesrion/s about maxing out a 60A renogy MPPT controler

Hello all - this is my first post. I am a long time occasional lurker of this site, Wills YT channel, etc. I could take a considerable amount of time to figure my primary question out, but given the nature of electricity - which includes potentially accidentally burning stuff up, etc, I figured...

diysolarforum.com

I used mc4 branch connectors for everything on my previous array, did everything by the book, and everything worked perfect.

I did the same thing when I upgraded to 16 100 watt panels, and all is well again.