adding panel to rv

System

I purchased a rv with a 80 watt panel and 6.5 a morning star charge controller. I want to add a 135 watt panel (Kyocera kd-135-lpu unit)can I add to the exiiting panel by tying in paralell W/ a larger CC or what is the best way to get more power using what I already have and the new unit???
thanks Digger1

BB.

Re: adding panel to rv

Roughly, if you change to a larger charge controllers, the two panels need to have Vmp within ~10% of each other for optimum power (also depends if you get a PWM or MPPT type controller). Hardware details do matter.

Otherwise, keep the first panel+controller and add the second panel+charge controller and attach that second controller in parallel at the battery bank (two or more controllers can charge the same battery bank).

If your RV sits for weeks/months at a time, you might want a new controller that has 3 or more stages of charging... For batteries that sit unused much of the time, a charge controller with "Float mode" would be nice (less water usage, probably longer battery life).

-Bill

System2

Re: adding panel to rv

digger1 wrote: »

I purchased a rv with a 80 watt panel and 6.5 a morning star charge controller. I want to add a 135 watt panel (Kyocera kd-135-lpu unit)can I add to the exiiting panel by tying in paralell W/ a larger CC rv rental az or what is the best way to get more power using what I already have and the new unit???
thanks Digger1

I also purchase panel to install in my RV. Try solar power generator to generate more power. Or put your panel where the sun is so shining.

niel

Re: adding panel to rv

tiresmokindad wrote: »

I also purchase panel to install in my RV. Try solar power generator to generate more power. Or put your panel where the sun is so shining.

tiresmokingdad,
this really isn't aimed at you, but many have been saying solar power generator and i'm picking this thread to throw in my 2 cents on that phrase.

i have been seeing reference to solar power generators quite a bit lately and it is somewhat of a misnomer to refer to pvs as such as there aren't any moving parts on a pv to be classified in the sense of a generator. even if one were to look up the definition of generator it refers to converting mechanical energy into electricity. some off beat foreign companies probably coined this phrase or reference to a generator and it is not accurate. a solar power generator to me is a star, but there's no mechanical or electrical conversions going on there either and may qualify under another definition for generator as,
a person or thing that generates.
so you might say this applies to a pv too and imo a pv does not generate solar power, but rather converts it to electricity.
i know it's a fine line or a semantics thing, but imo what some off beat company coined is inappropriate for generally referring to pvs as.
make sense? i probably could've worded my argument on the phrase solar power generator, but so much for my editorial on it anyway.:p