Changing charge controllers
Currently I am running one PT-100 which since the rest of my system is all Conext the PT-100 can't report solar harvest or be programmed beyond the dip switches. I'm considering changing over to using two Conext 60 amp 150v charge controllers. Currently I'm running 4 strings of 4 panels each (158v) to the PT-100. I would need to add two more panels (becoming 18 panels total) and switch to 6 strings of 3 panels each to get the voltage lower. This is something I can reasonably do and the combiner box can handle 2 more breakers so all good there.
The sticking point is running an additional underground line into the house from the panels. Lot of work there not to mention additional boxes ect. Can I run all the panels in on my current two THNN 6 ga wires (plus 8 ga ground) and spit the wires using a wire block to the two charge controllers or do I have to run another underground line? The wires can handle the 44 amps from the rewired slightly enlarged array (44 amps at 119v).
Bottom line is do I have to run a separate underground line from the house to the panels?
The sticking point is running an additional underground line into the house from the panels. Lot of work there not to mention additional boxes ect. Can I run all the panels in on my current two THNN 6 ga wires (plus 8 ga ground) and spit the wires using a wire block to the two charge controllers or do I have to run another underground line? The wires can handle the 44 amps from the rewired slightly enlarged array (44 amps at 119v).
Bottom line is do I have to run a separate underground line from the house to the panels?
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
Comments
Any of your existing wire will work and if you can't get advice here then become a client and I will tell you alot more than you will find searching.
htps://offgridsolar1.com/
E-mail [email protected]
Does the 80-600 go over 80 amps for long periods so I can harvest and sell back to the grid? I don't mind some clipping but I'm trying to maximize my sold power in an effort to justify the solar system cost.
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
It is the dc to ac hybrid inverter that safely and reliably sells power to the grid (and runs of grid when utility power has failed).
-Bill
My conscern is that at 80 amp capacity of the 80-600 will clip (?) above about 3800 watts when the panels will probably regularly be putting out over 4100 watts and are capiable of over 4500 watts with cloud effect. (16 Sunworld 280 watt panels).
Still, I may just take the easier route and accept some summer time losses and get a 80-600. What do you think?
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
80 amps x 59 volts charging (48v bank) x 1/0.77 panel+controller derating = 6,169 watt array maximum (cost effective)
77% efficiency is a typical warm weather efficiency. MPPT controllers will safely limit max current, and reduce current if controller gets hot.
Of course, run less than 100% current, controller runs cooler, electronics are happier.
-Bill
Back to the grounding others have brought up here. Currently my ground mount array, (metal frame in concrete) is only grounded from the metal panel rack back to the controller/inverter which is grounded to the house ground. The PT-100 instructions said a separate ground may trip it's GFI circuit so I did not separately ground the rack. My panels are black frame and ungrounded since I doubt the clamps penetrated the paint. Currently at 158v per string and with the higher voltage input requirements of the 80-600 soon to be 316v per string. Do I need to put ground straps on the panels and ground them to the frame? or do I want a separate ground stake for the frame and panels and see if it trips the GFI in the controller?
Panel rack frame is 80' from house ground.
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
|| Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
|| VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A
solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,
We lose power here fairly often for 2+ days at a time (5 days straight two years ago) so a battery bank makes sense, maybe not financially but is somewhat justifiable. As I mentioned earlier in this thread I've been using my batteries the last 6 months and now want to back off the battery bank and tie into the grid because I'm making a lot more energy than I'm using 9 days out of 10.
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
MNSPD-300-300 spec sheet http://www.midnitesolar.com/pdfs/spd_frontBack_display_web.pdf
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
htps://offgridsolar1.com/
E-mail [email protected]
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
htps://offgridsolar1.com/
E-mail [email protected]
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
At this time I'm just trying to get the system back up and running. It seems that the breakers I was using were rated for 150v and I had the panels wired for 156v and it worked fine. But when I bumped the panel voltage up to 312v I suspect that I've partially burned one of the breakers. The new Conext 600-80 controller shows receiving 277v but at only .2 amps and is putting out .7 amps to the partially discharged batteries. The panels are all testing fine putting out about 4 amps each and all connections have been double checked. I spent an hour on the phone with Conext checking that all wiring is correct but one of the breakers is very rough, almost locked up. A local solar guy suggested that if the panels were passing good amperage then I may have just enough connection somewhere to pass the voltage but not enough connection to pass any real amperage. Long story short I've got some higher voltage breakers on order and am praying that will do the trick.
I had never considered that the old breakers weren't up to the higher voltage.
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
Don't use the breakers until you get a new Disco, much more important to charge your batteries!!!
Most people just use the Square D 600vdc Disco. You don't have three strings right?
htps://offgridsolar1.com/
E-mail [email protected]
Listen to Dave,
Connect 2 strings with out breakers, perfectly legal and safe! Then trouble shoot your charge controller issues.
- Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
Be careful also! Look at those warnings on the -80-600V and how death can follow! Does yours have the pix of guy lying on the ground
Cover the array or disconnect the MC4's
Turn-off the 48V breaker
htps://offgridsolar1.com/
E-mail [email protected]
- Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
PhotoWhit, If I had any of the heavy butt connectors that can be used temporarly or permanently like my local electrical shop has I'd temporarly bypass the breakers for testing but until the stores open on Tuesday that will have to wait. While I've been dealing with this problem for a while the idea that it probably was the breakers only occurred to me on Friday.
Yea, I'm super careful with this higher voltage. But what really sux is that I had Conext exchange the controller (2 week delay because of this) and if I do find that the problem wasn't the controller (Conext tech service believed it was a bad controller) then I've created a lot of expence and wasted time for both Conext and myself. Conext tech support was very knowlageble as we went through my system with my multi- meter for about an hour.
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
Heck it's temporary, I'd bet you can get some split bolt connectors that would work for you at WalMart, but I'm sure you could get them at any hardware store, farm supply is likely to have them also. If you're sneaky and promise to put them back! You could borrow a couple off of a telephone pole. Most have a ground wire going from top to bottom any that have or have had a box of some sort connected will likely have a split-bolt connecting them...
- Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
Hello XXXXXX,
An interesting update on this 2nd MPPT 80 600 charge controller. The 2nd controller you sent me preformed exactly the same as the original. With 8 panels (cloudy sky) the Conext SCP was showing 283v with .2 amps coming in and .9 amps at 48v going out; the same as the last 80 600 controller which I sent back. Separate meters matched what the Conext battery monitor and SCP were reporting. As you know this controller's spec sheet and installers manual show that this controller requires at least 230v to function at full output so we are well above that threshold voltage.
I didn't want to attempt to exchange the controller again without bringing out a solar professional (Mike Hoover with Greenpoint Wind and Solar) to double check my work. After much testing Mike tried adding 2 more panels (10 panels total) to the string and the controller suddenly started working at 323v input and putting 12.4amps at 49v into the partially discharged battery bank.
With 14 panels in the string the controller input was 408v at 2.3 amps (remember it's a cloudy day) and was putting 17 amps in the battery.
And just for fun we maxed the number of panels the controller can accept and stay under 600v in strong sun so...
15 panels on a cloudy day and the controller was receiving 445v and was putting 19.6 amps into the batteries.
Obviously these controllers require over the published 230v to operate. Unfortunately while I can get away with 15 panels during the hotter months with this arrangement I'd need to remove one panel in the winter to stay under the 600v maximum voltage this controller can accept. Mike suggested just keeping the controller but it would mean not using 2 of my panels.
Are you guys experiencing a batch of bad controllers or are the minimum voltage specs for these controllers wrong?
Spencer Boyd
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
After 2 weeks of Conext looking at software version, wiring diagrams, and their tech department trying to replicate the problem I was having using controllers they had on hand running the same software version they decide to send me a 3rd controller.
This 3rd controller has at least one different component in it (earth ground bar is different). I called Mike (local solar guy) and invited him to join me in the install but he declined saying he didn't see where he would do anything different than I had done on the previous install. It wired up easily and worked so well I'm still wondering what went wrong with the two previous controllers. This is day two and it is still functioning perfectly.
I find it hard to believe that I had received two defective units in a row but I (and Mike the local solar installer) can't find any fault to how my system is wired. Tech support couldn't find any wiring problems from the wiring schematic either.
Either way I'm just happy to now be able to program the correct absorb and float voltages for my batteries.
Conext (Scheider) Tech support was quick to assist both by email and phone during this long process. I still believe that Conext makes a great product and I somehow got 2 bad controllers.
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P