Solar Panel Open Discussion/Debate/Review

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

I would just buy another controller. Make it easy on yourself. They aren't that expensive. I too have a solar setup at my house. 150 dedicated panel, battery, and a controller. Controller is in a waterproof box, battery in a battery box. I use it for cameras and my gate. I wouldn't want to move things around all the time.

Do you have a make and model number on your controller ? What inverter are you using at home ? The more I learn the harder it is to make good decisions.

 

[Prerunner1982]

@Viking1204 what price point are you looking for on the charge controller?

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

@Viking1204 what price point are you looking for on the charge controller?

I would add, that at this point for both myself and Viking1204 , we are looking at what will work in the field for the items we would normally use in the field. That's the price we will have to live with. For me I want to be able to use it on my home - shop set up as well. I may have to start off with a unit that wont do all my work but most or a good part of my needs.

 

[Prerunner1982]

The more I learn the harder it is to make good decisions.

The more I learn the less I seem to know.

 

[Viking1204]

@Viking1204 what price point are you looking for on the charge controller?

I'd like to find one in the $40 - $60 range but finding an MPPT one in that range with good reviews is a challenge.

 

[smritte]

I read through this and didn't see much mention on charge controllers other than I want this or that. As most everyone has stated, the panels seem to be holding up well. I have played with a few PWM controllers and one of my bud's has played with MPPT. I cant remember what brand I ended up with but I can tell you this, same panel and there was a difference in the controller outputs. Same with the MPPT. This testing was done several years ago and I hope the controllers are better now. One guy I know on a different forum just did some testing on two different MPPT's and got a bit less output one vs other. Ill see if I can find the thread and come up with the brands.
The biggest difference I noticed was the placement of the controller. My panel is a 120 watt multicrystal (don't remember brand). I have 20ft 10 gauge cable. In direct sun, pointing properly, I got a 2amp difference due to controller placement. The lower amperage had the controller at the panel and higher (where it is now) was next to battery. For those who understand volt drop, I wouldn't have thought the output would be that significant with the lower voltage over that distance.

I'm now in the market for a flexible panel 120-160 watt and ill be changing the controller. Be nice to see the feedback here.

 

[bmwguru]

I read through this and didn't see much mention on charge controllers other than I want this or that. As most everyone has stated, the panels seem to be holding up well. I have played with a few PWM controllers and one of my bud's has played with MPPT. I cant remember what brand I ended up with but I can tell you this, same panel and there was a difference in the controller outputs. Same with the MPPT. This testing was done several years ago and I hope the controllers are better now. One guy I know on a different forum just did some testing on two different MPPT's and got a bit less output one vs other. Ill see if I can find the thread and come up with the brands.
The biggest difference I noticed was the placement of the controller. My panel is a 120 watt multicrystal (don't remember brand). I have 20ft 10 gauge cable. In direct sun, pointing properly, I got a 2amp difference due to controller placement. The lower amperage had the controller at the panel and higher (where it is now) was next to battery. For those who understand volt drop, I wouldn't have thought the output would be that significant with the lower voltage over that distance.

I'm now in the market for a flexible panel 120-160 watt and ill be changing the controller. Be nice to see the feedback here.

What do you mean by controller placement? Are you talking about if you have the controller itself in the direct sunlight? Or are you talking about where it is in the wiring like how close to the panels it is?

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

The more I learn the less I seem to know.

Same club Jon, welcome !

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

I read through this and didn't see much mention on charge controllers other than I want this or that. As most everyone has stated, the panels seem to be holding up well. I have played with a few PWM controllers and one of my bud's has played with MPPT. I cant remember what brand I ended up with but I can tell you this, same panel and there was a difference in the controller outputs. Same with the MPPT. This testing was done several years ago and I hope the controllers are better now. One guy I know on a different forum just did some testing on two different MPPT's and got a bit less output one vs other. Ill see if I can find the thread and come up with the brands.
The biggest difference I noticed was the placement of the controller. My panel is a 120 watt multicrystal (don't remember brand). I have 20ft 10 gauge cable. In direct sun, pointing properly, I got a 2amp difference due to controller placement. The lower amperage had the controller at the panel and higher (where it is now) was next to battery. For those who understand volt drop, I wouldn't have thought the output would be that significant with the lower voltage over that distance.

I'm now in the market for a flexible panel 120-160 watt and ill be changing the controller. Be nice to see the feedback here.

Good input smritte, thanks. Several of us are working on the question of which controller will do the best job for the money.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

What do you mean by controller placement? Are you talking about if you have the controller itself in the direct sunlight? Or are you talking about where it is in the wiring like how close to the panels it is?

My kit system comes with the controller attached to the back of the array. I assume the mfg. thinks that is the best placement, in the shade of the panel .

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Sorry Buddabuda, I didn't mean to butt in on your question to smritte, I messed up again.

 

[OtherOrb]

I read through this and didn't see much mention on charge controllers other than I want this or that. As most everyone has stated, the panels seem to be holding up well. I have played with a few PWM controllers and one of my bud's has played with MPPT. I cant remember what brand I ended up with but I can tell you this, same panel and there was a difference in the controller outputs. Same with the MPPT. This testing was done several years ago and I hope the controllers are better now. One guy I know on a different forum just did some testing on two different MPPT's and got a bit less output one vs other. Ill see if I can find the thread and come up with the brands.
The biggest difference I noticed was the placement of the controller. My panel is a 120 watt multicrystal (don't remember brand). I have 20ft 10 gauge cable. In direct sun, pointing properly, I got a 2amp difference due to controller placement. The lower amperage had the controller at the panel and higher (where it is now) was next to battery. For those who understand volt drop, I wouldn't have thought the output would be that significant with the lower voltage over that distance.

I'm now in the market for a flexible panel 120-160 watt and ill be changing the controller. Be nice to see the feedback here.

My experience is that controllers matter much, much more than the panels.

Remember that the charge controller, especially an MPPT, measures a number of different conditions while charging and responds appropriately according to its programming.

The MPPT controller will do its best to ensure that the most efficient and best charging happens for your current battery state. So, changing its distance to the battery will change the measured parameters and this change it's calculated required output.

So, it's no longer just W = V * A or V=I*R. Because there's a smart device in the works doing its best to provide the batteries with the most efficient charge possible.

 

[1Louder]

What do you mean by controller placement? Are you talking about if you have the controller itself in the direct sunlight? Or are you talking about where it is in the wiring like how close to the panels it is?

Also to add some are not waterproof so you need to check on that!

 

[1Louder]

Do you have a make and model number on your controller ? What inverter are you using at home ? The more I learn the harder it is to make good decisions.

I don't run an inverter at home. Everything is 12 volt.

GHB 20A 12V 24V Solar Charge Controller Auto Switch LCD Intelligent Panel Battery Regulator Charge Controller . It was about $30.00. I haven't had any issues.

This one is in my trailer, Valterra Power Us, Llc GP-PWM-10-USB Solar Controller 10A Digital

There are plenty of good ones. I own 3.. Don't get analysis paralysis.

 

[bmwguru]

I don't run an inverter at home. Everything is 12 volt.

GHB 20A 12V 24V Solar Charge Controller Auto Switch LCD Intelligent Panel Battery Regulator Charge Controller . It was about $30.00. I haven't had any issues.

This one is in my trailer, Valterra Power Us, Llc GP-PWM-10-USB Solar Controller 10A Digital

There are plenty of good ones. I own 3.. Don't get analysis paralysis.

Oh crap I am so guilty of that!

 

[bmwguru]

Also to add some are not waterproof so you need to check on that!

Fair enough. My Renogy Voyager 20a PWM controller is "water proof" according to Renogy. We will see. I am going to get a Redarc 25a dc/dc charger for the 4Runner. When I get that I will use the MPPT charge controller that is built in for my solar charging needs.

 

[OtherOrb]

What do you mean by controller placement? Are you talking about if you have the controller itself in the direct sunlight? Or are you talking about where it is in the wiring like how close to the panels it is?

To be clear, my interpretation is that @smritte was talking about basically how long the wires are between the controller and the panels and between the controller and the batteries.

 

[smritte]

What do you mean by controller placement? Are you talking about if you have the controller itself in the direct sunlight? Or are you talking about where it is in the wiring like how close to the panels it is?

How close the controller is to the panels or battery. It gets down to loss. The higher the voltage, the less loss (voltage loss). The converter changes the voltage from 18 (ish) to 12. Putting the controller close to the battery means the voltage in the wire is higher (less loss in the wiring). Closer to the panel, lower voltage in wire, more loss.
I was given several controllers to play with. I actually worked a deal, I bought 5 controllers and was allowed to return 4. The company sales guy suggested it when I asked why the price difference. He had recommended one way cheaper than I wanted. One week later, I understood.

What I discovered was the power output varied slightly depending on who made it. What was common across the board was the controller location in relation to the panel and battery. It didn't matter what controller i used, if i mounted it at the panel I lost approx 2 amps. There are a bunch of companies who mount the controller at the panel to simplify things. After testing, I wont mount one near the panel. I'm only running one and I need all the power I can get.
PWM vs MPPT. MPPT is more efficient. PWM has more loss. With one panel (120 watt) the difference was .5 amp. When I was looking at controllers, the MPPT was a couple hundred dollars and the PWM im using was 70. For .5 difference, I went with PWM. One of my friends was given several MPPT controllers to play with and the one I compared was the best of the group (less loss).
All my testing was done 3 odd years ago. Prices change and hopefully technology does too.

 

[Viking1204]

Oh crap I am so guilty of that!

Me too LOL! Again, I don't need a charge controller yet but will grab one if a decent one goes on sale for Prime day tomorrow, didn't find anything today!

 

[bmwguru]

How close the controller is to the panels or battery. It gets down to loss. The higher the voltage, the less loss (voltage loss). The converter changes the voltage from 18 (ish) to 12. Putting the controller close to the battery means the voltage in the wire is higher (less loss in the wiring). Closer to the panel, lower voltage in wire, more loss.
I was given several controllers to play with. I actually worked a deal, I bought 5 controllers and was allowed to return 4. The company sales guy suggested it when I asked why the price difference. He had recommended one way cheaper than I wanted. One week later, I understood.

What I discovered was the power output varied slightly depending on who made it. What was common across the board was the controller location in relation to the panel and battery. It didn't matter what controller i used, if i mounted it at the panel I lost approx 2 amps. There are a bunch of companies who mount the controller at the panel to simplify things. After testing, I wont mount one near the panel. I'm only running one and I need all the power I can get.
PWM vs MPPT. MPPT is more efficient. PWM has more loss. With one panel (120 watt) the difference was .5 amp. When I was looking at controllers, the MPPT was a couple hundred dollars and the PWM im using was 70. For .5 difference, I went with PWM. One of my friends was given several MPPT controllers to play with and the one I compared was the best of the group (less loss).
All my testing was done 3 odd years ago. Prices change and hopefully technology does too.

Thank you. This is the exact info I was looking for. 3 years ago or not, the laws of energy have not changed.