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Solar controller size all over the place

neoflyer

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Oct 23, 2020
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I’m installing 840w of monochrystilline panels but may increase this to 1260w in the future. 4 12v 105ah lithium batteries in parallel. I’ve looked all over the internet for sizing an MPPT controller and got calculations all the way from 68a to 132a. Quite a range. So hopefully turning to this forum I can get advice to lead me to the proper size controller.

A related question. Would it be better to use two smaller controllers rather than one larger one?

Thanks
 
You have to look at the wattage ratings of the charge controllers, and also the max PV voltage handling as well. Battery bank voltage you plan to run at (in your case, 12v), play a role in the wattage rating as well.

Here is an example from a specs chart for Victron 150/xx series controllers:

1608139235993.png

You also need to look at the sticker on your panels and find out the Isc and the Voc specs, to figure out how to best wire them (series/parallel or combo), to get your Voc spec up above battery voltage by some order of magnitude, without going over the max PV input limit.

So if you plan to run up to 1260w on 12v battery bank, if we used above example chart, you would need at least a 150/100, and depending on your panel specs, say you wired 2 in series, and those pairs all paralleled, your per panel Voc spec would double, and you check to make sure Voc is still under 150, also checking current (each parallel panel group add to overall Isc), that it doesn't go over 70a...

Not saying you have to go with Victron, but I do like their specs charts showing multiple models on same chart and how they compare to each other. Some of these SCC brands also offer sizing tools on their websites (I know Victron does for sure)...

So see if you can get the sticker specs on your panels...

Also, you can in many cases run multiple charge controllers, but should be aware that you'll have 2 chargers charging on same battery bank, so have to make sure they can play well with each other, so they can optimally charge together without confusing each other... On a simple system, I would rather keep it simple and have only one charge controller (I am not close minded to the idea of having to add one later, but would do so with carefully with monitoring, and make sure they play well together).
 
You have to look at the wattage ratings of the charge controllers, and also the max PV voltage handling as well. Battery bank voltage you plan to run at (in your case, 12v), play a role in the wattage rating as well.

Here is an example from a specs chart for Victron 150/xx series controllers:

View attachment 30416

You also need to look at the sticker on your panels and find out the Isc and the Voc specs, to figure out how to best wire them (series/parallel or combo), to get your Voc spec up above battery voltage by some order of magnitude, without going over the max PV input limit.

So if you plan to run up to 1260w on 12v battery bank, if we used above example chart, you would need at least a 150/100, and depending on your panel specs, say you wired 2 in series, and those pairs all paralleled, your per panel Voc spec would double, and you check to make sure Voc is still under 150, also checking current (each parallel panel group add to overall Isc), that it doesn't go over 70a...

Not saying you have to go with Victron, but I do like their specs charts showing multiple models on same chart and how they compare to each other. Some of these SCC brands also offer sizing tools on their websites (I know Victron does for sure)...

So see if you can get the sticker specs on your panels...

Also, you can in many cases run multiple charge controllers, but should be aware that you'll have 2 chargers charging on same battery bank, so have to make sure they can play well with each other, so they can optimally charge together without confusing each other... On a simple system, I would rather keep it simple and have only one charge controller (I am not close minded to the idea of having to add one later, but would do so with carefully with monitoring, and make sure they play well together).
Thanks,
The way I plan to wire the panels and looking at their ratings will be OK for the Victron 150/100.
220w panels, series parallel. Vmp 22.42, Voc 24.9, Imp 9.37, ISC 9.85.
 
The Victron solar charge controller calculator was my go-to resource for figuring out which controller to get with various solar panels that I was considering. Go to the bottom of this page:

 
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