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diy solar

Questions about solar panel kit

yamezbond

New Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2020
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Hi All,
I just bough a Renogy KIT-STARTER200D Solar Panel kit, 200W with 30A PWM Controller (is this good?), I'm kind of new on this stuff but I want to learn more. I bought the kit to start learning more about Solar energy and maybe one day I start adding more professional panels on my roof.
My questions are:
I'm like 40ft from were the panels will be installed, since I'm using it to light up my workbench in the basement and charge some devices. The kit came with 2 20ft cables, however is not enough for where I want it, so I got another 20ft extension to get to the place were my 12v 36mah battery is setting. Do I will loose voltage?

For the type of battery I have (for now) is better to connect panels parallel or in series?

If I want to replace a battery or maybe a solar power bank with all those charging features, which is the best option for a newbie like me?

Thank you!
 
You may lose voltage depending on what gauge wire it is, the voltage going through it, and the amperage going through it. There are lots of online voltage drop calculators. You need the Vmp and Imp values from the solar panel. Use those values with the wire length. The calculators will show the voltage drop for various wire gauges.
 
I know more about MPPT controllers than the PWM controllers, so take this with a grain of salt.

MPPT controllers can have a fairly wide range of input voltage. As long as you don't exceed the Max PV Input Voltage it will work.
PWM may not be really happy if you raise the input voltage. Check the specs on your controller to see what it can handle.
 
Generally speaking.....

PWM controllers are rarely more than 60% efficient......

MPPT controllers are 92-98% efficient, the really good ones 98-99% efficient

Two more efficient PWM controllers are markedly more efficient than the run of the mill......

The Midnight Solar Brat......and the Bogart Engineering controller but both must be closely matched to the panels
 
For the type of battery I have (for now) is better to connect panels parallel or in series?

Back to the OP, if you're using the PWM controller, your best bet will be in parallel.

If you can get a MPPT controller, you could go either way but you'll get less voltage drop if you put them in series which will mean more power gained in the end. You'll also gain the ability to increase your panel count much more easily with the MPPT as you can kick the voltage up higher than a PWM could ever work with.

my 12v 36mah battery

You mean 36Ah? 36mah would be a small phone battery. :) If that's AGM or FLA remember that you can only use 50% of that before you damage the battery, so 18Ah max.
 
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