Renogy Rover 60: is max panel power really 800W ?

[radial1951]

A newbie Q: Renogy's specs say the Rover 60's max panel power for a 12v system is 800 Watts. Can it be connected to, say, a 1200W PV array and will it self-limit the input power to 800W? The reason I ask is that on a cloudy or winter's day the 800W panel may put out eg 75% (600W) while 75% of 1200W is still 800W.
The Victron CC's can be connected to oversize arrays for this reason. I like the overall specs (and price) of the Rover, or should I just buy the Victron? Any guidance much appreciated.
Thanks, Ross.

 

[Deleted member 783]

I wouldn't do that. They have specs for a reason. If the clouds suddenly pass and you get a spike, you could toast it. You can probably double the wattage of the PV if you go to 24 volts. If you don't own it yet, the Victron is a FAR superior product, in my opinion.

 

[radial1951]

I wouldn't do that. They have specs for a reason. If the clouds suddenly pass and you get a spike, you could toast it. You can probably double the wattage of the PV if you go to 24 volts. If you don't own it yet, the Victron is a FAR superior product, in my opinion.

I think you are right about the quality of the Victron equipment. The info/support on their website and blog is very comprehensive. I am setting up my off grid shed/cabin with a system of similar spec to yours, but as panels are quite cheap these days it seems worthwhile to over-panel for the above reasons. The Victron unit can handle such a setup. Very interesting subject. Thanks for your input.
Regards, Ross.

 

[Deleted member 783]

I had a Renogy cc but it died on me after a couple months. Renogy has it now, and I haven't heard from them. Their customer service is absolute garbage.

 

[Supervstech]

60amps is the maximum output, so, at 14v, that is just over 800watts...

if you run 1200watts of panels to it, most of the time, it would be below the max wattage, but clear winter days, VOLTAGE could be a concern, so be absolutely certain there is plenty of headroom over the max input voltage rated by the panels.
Most likely, the controller will handle over wattage no problem, just wasted. But constant daily over wattage, and high voltage will likely kill a cheap controller. If you do it, be sure to vastly oversized the charge conductors. Keep heat out of the equation. 60 amps do not go smaller than #2 copper

 

[radial1951]

I had a Renogy cc but it died on me after a couple months. Renogy has it now, and I haven't heard from them. Their customer service is absolute garbage.

This is my major concern. I'm in Oz and Renogy have no staff or facilities here. They sell through a 3rd party Ebay warehouse/shipper they have called renogysolar_au and also their website au.renogy.com which appears to be monitored from elsewhere (Asia or US?). Designed to be all very official looking...
At least Victron have staff here and official distributors. I hope it is a case of "getting what you pay for" because their SCCs are nearly 50% more expensive than Renogy.
Regards, Ross.

 

[radial1951]

60amps is the maximum output, so, at 14v, that is just over 800watts...

if you run 1200watts of panels to it, most of the time, it would be below the max wattage, but clear winter days, VOLTAGE could be a concern, so be absolutely certain there is plenty of headroom over the max input voltage rated by the panels.
Most likely, the controller will handle over wattage no problem, just wasted. But constant daily over wattage, and high voltage will likely kill a cheap controller. If you do it, be sure to vastly oversized the charge conductors. Keep heat out of the equation. 60 amps do not go smaller than #2 copper

Yes totally agree with you. Renogy says the max is 800W and no mention of over panelling. The Victron 100/50 is a nominal 700W @ 12V but you can have as many panels as you like as long as the low temp Voc is less than 100V and the total panel short circuit current is under 60A. They are actually designed to be over panelled to compensate for shading and winter. Victron even has a panel size calculator on their website.
I don't need to convince myself any more. The decision has been made!
Thanks for your comments.
Regards, Ross.

 

[Stupid Monkey]

Worth noting the AN Tracer MPPT's advertise you can double the panels from max amps .....


"The AN tracer models have a current limiting function, you can connect twice the rated power to the controller so if your on a budget you can use a smaller controller with more panels so that you get more power in winter or low light but don't risk overloading the controller in the summer. The output will be limited to the max listed above. "

 

[Deleted member 783]

I love my AN. I haven't had it long enough to review its longevity, but it is packed with features. Theres a generator relay and a separate ethernet cable port just for running them in parallel. Soon I'll have 2 charging my battery bank, and if ine goes down I'll still be fine while I get a replacement. Victron may have these features too, I don't know.

 

[Andre1956]

A newbie Q: Renogy's specs say the Rover 60's max panel power for a 12v system is 800 Watts. Can it be connected to, say, a 1200W PV array and will it self-limit the input power to 800W? The reason I ask is that on a cloudy or winter's day the 800W panel may put out eg 75% (600W) while 75% of 1200W is still 800W.
The Victron CC's can be connected to oversize arrays for this reason. I like the overall specs (and price) of the Rover, or should I just buy the Victron? Any guidance much appreciated.
Thanks, Ross.

From Renogy:

• Hi, Will these panels work with a Renogy Rover 60 amp charge controller to charge a 12 volt lithium battery? And if so, how many panels can I connect in parallel with this controller? Thank you, Andre Cracked Vinyl Trina 230W Solar Panel $20.00 Rated Power (Pmax): 230W Maximum Voltage (Vmp): 29.8 V Maximum Current (Imp): 7.78 A Open Circuit Voltage (Voc): 37.0 V Short Circuit Current (Isc): 8.26 A Maximum system voltage: 600 VDC Max Fuse Rating: 15 A Dimensions: 64.96 × 39.05 × 1.57 in Weight: 43 lbs.

Christian Gayser Tabjan


Dear Andre,





Thank you for reaching out to Renogy Customer Support. My name is Chris. I understand that you would like to know if the Renogy 60A Rover Charge Controller can charge your 12V Lithium Battery and how many solar panels in parallel can be connected to the charge controller. I will do everything I can to help you with your concern.





I'm pleased to inform you that our solar panel is indeed compatible with your 12V battery. To enhance the charging process, you have the option of using a charge controller with a lower current rating. The ideal choice depends on the Amp-Hour rating of your battery. This ensures a more efficient and tailored charging experience.





Additionally, considering the specifications of your 230W Solar Panel (Open Circuit Voltage (Voc): 37.0 V and Short Circuit Current (Isc): 8.26), it's worth mentioning that you can parallel connect up to seven (7) of these panels. This allows for increased power generation and further optimization of your solar setup.





Should you have any further questions or if there's anything else I can assist you with, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to help you make the most of your solar charging experience.





I wish you abundant solar energy and a wonderful day ahead!





Warm regards,


Chris


2023-12-21 11:35:00

 

[MURPH-COMPLEX SYSTEMS]

A newbie Q: Renogy's specs say the Rover 60's max panel power for a 12v system is 800 Watts. Can it be connected to, say, a 1200W PV array and will it self-limit the input power to 800W? The reason I ask is that on a cloudy or winter's day the 800W panel may put out eg 75% (600W) while 75% of 1200W is still 800W.
The Victron CC's can be connected to oversize arrays for this reason. I like the overall specs (and price) of the Rover, or should I just buy the Victron? Any guidance much appreciated.
Thanks, Ross.

If the controller gets above 45⁰c it limits the incoming pv power, as Paraphrased by the manual so I put a 24v 4 wire pwm cpu cooling fan under the heat sink to keep as cool as possible with ambient air so far as soon as it gets to 200W it heats up and slowed its production instead of being exponential like it should its more parabolic. So to correct I just tuck a 120mm pano-mount 24vdc .8A cpu cooling fan and it keeps the temp below 30⁰c and allowed 1800 watts to continuously come in but it could only use 16647 due to the 60A conversion limits I was using a 3s 2p of 395W hyperion bifacial panels

 

[Culturedropout]

A newbie Q: Renogy's specs say the Rover 60's max panel power for a 12v system is 800 Watts. Can it be connected to, say, a 1200W PV array and will it self-limit the input power to 800W? The reason I ask is that on a cloudy or winter's day the 800W panel may put out eg 75% (600W) while 75% of 1200W is still 800W.
The Victron CC's can be connected to oversize arrays for this reason. I like the overall specs (and price) of the Rover, or should I just buy the Victron? Any guidance much appreciated.
Thanks, Ross.

I tried that exact setup, but on hot, sunny days the controller would make a sizzling/boiling sound, which I'm guessing was a PTC (poly fuse) struggling to survive. Ended up getting a second 60W controller and splitting up the panels between them. This way I have some redundancy as well. Both charge the same LiPo battery. Renogy hardware is okay, but their software (their app, and that M1 thing) is pretty shoddy. Ditto for their support. But it *is* cheap.