Today I finally got my solar panels installed on the roof of my cargo trailer. Before I connected the PV wires I first turned on my charge controller which is all wired up to the batteries. I also turned off the PV breaker that I have between the panels and the SCC. The breaker is only on the positive PV wire. With the SCC on and connected to the battery and with the PV breaker off, I connected the 3 panels together in series and then connected the panels to the PV wires going into the trailer. Since it was getting dark by then I knew there would not be any power from the panels so I turned on the PV breaker. The SCC showed about 26V and 0A from the panels (I have a 24V battery). So far so good.
With the thought that I didn't want something unexpected to happen when the sun came up and started providing power to the panels while I wasn't there, I turned off the PV breaker for the night.
So now to my first question. If I head to the trailer in the morning with the sun beating down on the panels, is it fine to just turn on the PV breaker and let the power feed into the SCC? Is there anything else I should do first?
And once on, with power coming in from the panels, is it perfectly safe to turn the PV breaker off and on as needed if I want to stop and start charging with the SCC while the panels are under full sun?
While I'm sure I have it correct, I want to confirm my PV breaker is setup correctly. I have the MNEPV polarized breaker from Midnite Solar. I only have a breaker on the positive PV wire, nothing on the negative. The positive PV wire comes in from the panels and goes to the bottom (++) end of the breaker. The top of the breaker is then wired to the PV+ input of the SCC. The negative PV wire goes directly from the panels to the PV- input of the SCC. Does anyone see any problem with that setup?
Last question. The installation manual for my panels states "Do not connect or disconnect modules under load! Danger! Risk of serious injury or death from electric shock or electric arc flash!". What exactly is meant by "under load"? If I have my PV breaker off, does this mean my panels are not under load or are they under load regardless if they have any sun on them? Let's say I need to disconnect one of the MC4 connectors between my 3S panels. What steps do I need to take to do that safely during the day with the sun beating down on my panels? Is it just a matter of turning off the PV breaker or does it mean I need to cover the panels with a dark blanket?
With the thought that I didn't want something unexpected to happen when the sun came up and started providing power to the panels while I wasn't there, I turned off the PV breaker for the night.
So now to my first question. If I head to the trailer in the morning with the sun beating down on the panels, is it fine to just turn on the PV breaker and let the power feed into the SCC? Is there anything else I should do first?
And once on, with power coming in from the panels, is it perfectly safe to turn the PV breaker off and on as needed if I want to stop and start charging with the SCC while the panels are under full sun?
While I'm sure I have it correct, I want to confirm my PV breaker is setup correctly. I have the MNEPV polarized breaker from Midnite Solar. I only have a breaker on the positive PV wire, nothing on the negative. The positive PV wire comes in from the panels and goes to the bottom (++) end of the breaker. The top of the breaker is then wired to the PV+ input of the SCC. The negative PV wire goes directly from the panels to the PV- input of the SCC. Does anyone see any problem with that setup?
Last question. The installation manual for my panels states "Do not connect or disconnect modules under load! Danger! Risk of serious injury or death from electric shock or electric arc flash!". What exactly is meant by "under load"? If I have my PV breaker off, does this mean my panels are not under load or are they under load regardless if they have any sun on them? Let's say I need to disconnect one of the MC4 connectors between my 3S panels. What steps do I need to take to do that safely during the day with the sun beating down on my panels? Is it just a matter of turning off the PV breaker or does it mean I need to cover the panels with a dark blanket?