Solar panel

[btemplet]

No idea why your are having a problem understanding the difference between rated panel output and actual output but you will eventually figure it it out, I hope. Other than that, apparently you have not read any of my responses above to the Op so since you refuse to read them, I will list them.
The amount of solar panels, watts or volts will be limited by which solar controller you will be using.
Your controller should be rated in max amps and max volts. That will tell you how many watts of panels that you can attach to it.
Try to match your panels as you buy them either in voltage or amperage. Mixing panels that are not alike usually will not be very efficient.
Since info is kind of sketchy, let me tell you what I have and what it does from there. I have 4- 305 watt panels with a 40 amp solar controller. The controller is rated at 40 amps and a max of 150 volts. Anything over 1050 watts, per controller specs, will not be used or is wasted. Even though I should be getting 1220 watts at best sunlight and coolest part of the year, I have only been in the range of 600 to 900 watts at best times. I say this to let you know age of panels, shading, angle of the sun, etc, will all effect watt production and you will probably never see the same wattage that you add up from your panel array vs actual production. I average 4 to 5 KW per day of used /stored DC current. Some solar controllers like mine can be over paneled. I am running a 24 volt setup. With my controller it is rated at 150 volts and a max production wattage of 1050 but it can be over paneled up to 3000 watts. When you over panel, you will collect more energy in inefficient times of the day but the in the best times of the day it will only produce 1050 max charging wattage.

Without knowing the specs on your controller we will not be able to know how many panels can actually be attached so you will need to find that info.
Ok, based on your controllers specs you will not be able to accomplish what you listed earlier of 1000+ solar panel watts. With that controller you are limited to 12 or possibly 24 volt panels. You are also limited as to how you can add extra panels because you are limited to 30 to 50 amps depending on the controller that you actually have. So as an example this is what you can possibly do if you purchased more of the exact same panels. The max on the 30 amp model would be 5- 100 watt panels and if it is the 50 amp, you could put 8-100 watt panels. All wired parallel not in series.

You know, not once did I tell you that you were wrong but you did tell me that I was wrong. " Disagree if you like but you would be wrong. " Don't know if that is just immaturity or your need to be right. This is a form that shares thoughts, ideas and practical real world experiences. Just because your knowledge or experiences do not line up with someone else, it does not mean that they are wrong. I stand with what i have shared because I have personal first hand knowledge of it. So regardless of how many times you say that I am wrong, I will just grin and take it as lack of experience. Good luck in the future.

btemplet, if you would like to discuss this further, PM me.​

GLC I would like to continue our discussions if you contact me

 

[btemplet]

Your controller should be rated in max amps and max volts. That will tell you how many watts of panels that you can attach to it.

Hey it’s been while
I have 4 250watt panels I’m mounting the roof of my camper to be traveling off grid what configuration should I wire these for the maximum efficiency I will match the components needed

 

[GLC]

have you purchased a controller? What are the specs on it? PWM or MPPT? 12 or 24 volt?

 

[rmaddy]

Hey it’s been while
I have 4 250watt panels I’m mounting the roof of my camper to be traveling off grid what configuration should I wire these for the maximum efficiency I will match the components needed

Post the full specs of the panels. Post the full specs of your charge controller.

4S would be the most efficient assuming there is no shading issues and your charge controller can handle the voltage.
2S2P is the best compromise if there is a little bit of shading and/or your charge controller can't handle the voltage of 4S.
4P would be best if you have lots of shading issues.

Shading issues can come from other things on the roof or things like trees. Are you traveling and camping in places with lots of trees or are you camping in places where you can park in nice open areas?

 

[btemplet]

These are specs on the charge controller and the panels I plan to Boondock in the open as much as possible I would like to keep the controller I have for the dctodc charger I’m open to another charge controller if needed

 

[rmaddy]

Bad news. That charge controller can't be used at all with those panels. The charge controller only supports 25V of PV input. That's really low. Each of those 245W panels is higher than that. On top of that, the controller only supports 660W and you will have 980W.

Supporting 980W of solar on a 12V system means 80A of charge current. You need either one MPPT charge controller that supports 80A of charge current or two that each support 40A. If you want the panels in series then make sure the controller has a sufficient max PV input voltage.

 

[btemplet]

Thanks I’ll use them on 2 100 watt panels I have to add to my system

Thanks

 

[btemplet]

Can you recommend a charge controller

 

[rmaddy]

Can you recommend a charge controller

I would recommend one of the Victron SmartSolar charge controllers. For the 4 245W panels on a 12V system you have a lot of choices.

If you want all 4 in series on a single charge controller you would need the 150/85. The 150/70 would probably work as well considering your panels will be mounted flat and you won't likely ever get 100% out of them. The 150/70 will handle up to about 940W (out of your 980W) when the batteries are about 13.4V.

That one will be pretty expensive. It would probably be a lot cheaper to get two smaller charge controllers. You could get two 100/50 and connect two panels in series (or parallel) to each. Really you would only need a 40A controller but Victron doesn't have one that size. They have the 100/30 but that could only handle 400W out of the 490W your two panels can produce.

Honestly, if you have the option, you would be much better off setting up your system as 24V instead of 12V. 980W of solar is a lot for 12V. At 24V the required amps are half. At 24V you could use a single 150/45 with all 4 panels in series. Or a pair of 100/20s with 2 panels each. So much cheaper than your options at 12V. But switching to 24V from 12V would require buying a new inverter and DC-DC charger. 24V would have been better from the beginning but may not be an option with an existing 12V setup.