How can I correctly feed a 60 amp Renogy Controller Charger with eight 12 v 175 watt solar panels?

Yes... You place the CT (current transformer) around ONE Wire. And your loads need to be powered by just two wires (i.e., Black+White, or Red+White). For a 120 VAC system that is easy.

For 120/240 split phase systems, you have loads that can be 120 VAC (B+W, or R+W) or 240 VAC (B+R). In split phase 120/240 you have two current paths.

Also, be aware that it is usually easier to work in "Watts" when managing the AC and DC sides of your power systems... I.e., just Amps is not enough:

DC math (and "simple" AC math):
"Power" = Voltage * Current
Power = 12 VDC * 100 Amps = 1,200 Watts
"Power" = 120 VAC * 10 amps = 1,200 Watts (technically V*A or VA--Need a true Watt Meter to measure AC power)

AC math (note, this is one simplification--There are other issues too):
Power = Voltage * Current * Power Factor

Because "Watts" are a single value on both AC and DC sides (excluding the details of Power Factor for AC, conversion losses, etc.)--It is a bit less difficult to keep track of how your DC sides and AC sides are performing

Also, while it is handy to know the "instantaneous" current/voltage--It is also helpful to have meters (DC and AC) that log Wattage (instantaneous) and Watt*Hours (or kWH) over time...

It is like having both a speedometer and an odometer for your car...  And having Watt*Hours (or kWH) is like having both a flow meter (gallons per hour or a "rate") and the actual amount of fuel used (gallons per hour * hours of usage = Gallons used).

This is an example of a "multi-function" meter (just an FYI LInk--I have never used this meter). Please note that this Amazon Link should point to the meter I am talking about (V/A/Watts/PF/kWH/Hz/etc.) but there are 4 different meters under this link:

https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Frequency-Electric-Voltmeter-Multimeter/dp/B09R1VZLHT?th=1

Normally, you are going to be managing the "total energy" in Watt*Hours (or kWH) your system harvests in a day (like 3,000 Watt*Hours) and the amount of energy your loads consume in a day (i.e., 1,000 WH of AC energy and 2,000 WH of DC energy).

The "management" is that you end up with a full battery bank by middle of the day and (very roughly) your energy consumed equals the energy harvested (because of efficiencies, different loads and harvests each day, etc.... It will not be "equal").

Say you have a 600 AH @ 12 volt battery bank.

600 AH * 12 volt = 7,200 WH of total battery bank
7,200 WH * 1/2 = 3,600 WH of "planned storage" (using 50% of bank capacity max planned for longer battery life)
3,600 WH of "planned storage" * 1/2 days of stored/no sun energy = 1,800 WH per day (no sun) for 2 days

During summer, "anyone" can manage a well designed solar power system. Your well designed system is capable (on average) of harvesting 2x or more energy per day than your "nominal" usage. So, the battery bank will be full by noon.

Where the rubber meets the road is winter... When you have poor sun/cloudy/stormy days and (as an example) you use 1,800 WH but only harvest 800 WH during a cloudy winter day... You have now have:

800 WH harvested - 1,800 WH loads = -1,000 WH of "deficient charging"

In the above make believe system, you have 3,600 WH (to 50% discharge) of "planned" battery capacity to use...

3,600 WH of battery (50% storage capacity) / 1,000 WH per day deficit charging = 3.6 days until you need a genset or cut back on energy usage

Depending on your DC side (charge controller, battery monitor system used, etc.), this is what you are looking for--The balance between all loads and all charging sources with respect to the battery bank.

There are lots of options from Amazon (amazingly low prices for many of them) from simple to complex:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=dc+battery+monitor

And there are the more "professional" type solar power system BMS (battery monitor systems) too:

https://www.solar-electric.com/search/?q=victron+battery+monitor (and other brands too)

To a degree--What you really want is a "summary" of the battery state (as in state of charge). Note that some folks program the Battery Bank 100% AH capacity and manage State of Charge between 100% and 50%, and others program 50% of battery capacity (i.e., manage between 100% and 0%)... It is just math and the results are the same--Just what make sense to you and your family.

When you have a "battery centric" point of view--It makes things a bit easier to understand and manage. You are not focused on Amps/Volts/DC side/AC side... Your end goal is the Battery State of Charge (in %, or AH state of charge).

You see your state of charge is "falling" over several days--Then you can look at your specific AC and DC numbers and figure out which loads to "manage" (or when to fire up the genset).

We have not really talked much here about how folks "manage" their systems--And what works or does not work for each user...

I am showing a both a detailed and high level point of view here... It is easy to get buried in data and graphs and lose the forest for the trees.

Does any of this help?

-Bill

Sounds good on the DC side wiring from batteries to load(s).

One quick warning when working with Current Transformers (CT's)... Do not pass current through cabling if you do not have a CT connected to its meter... A Current Transformer on a cable carrying current and not connected to a load (typically a precision sense resistor) can generate 100's of volts or more. Creating a shock hazard (and the high voltage could damage/ruin the CT device too).

NOTE, you have an AC V/I meter (voltage / current). Uses a Current Transformer to measure AC current in the wire that passes through the transformer.

But like all transformers, they are only "useful" (when measuring current) on AC lines.

CT's cannot be used on DC wiring as the CT will not "couple" with the current flow in the DC wiring.

To measure DC current, you need a DC Power Meter and using either a precision shunt, or a "Hall Effect" tranducer (a transistor that measures magnetic fields).

Example of a "shunt" based (precision power resistor) DC power meter:

https://www.amazon.com/6-5-100V-Display-Monitoring-Voltmeter-Multimeter/dp/B0CC5C5M64

Note that Current Shunts are normally installed in the Negative wiring (assuming negative grounded system)--Partially because the shunt and shunt "sense wires" are at "ground" or "zero volt" potential--No need for fuses to protect wiring.

For Hall Effect based power meters:

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Voltmeter-Capacity-Electricity-Coulometer/dp/B0BGWY1ZDN?th=1


Note the following shows the Hall Effect Transducer in the Positive Wiring--I don't think it matters negative or positive wiring here (other than you may have to flip the wiring from right to left instead of left to right through the transducer to get the "right" current polarity.

Note that this Hall Effect meter is a Battery Monitor--It was just a quick DC power meter that I could find that had a Hall Effect Transducer. This is probably not the DC power meter you are looking for.

I believe this is he Ketotek AC I/V meter you are looking at (or already have). Note the CT (and meter power) come from AC lines (not DC). In the case of CT's, it does not matter if the CT is on the Hot or Neutral cable.

CT and other current sensing devices only measure current through that one cable--So you to install the current sense device in a location that carries the current you wish to measure:

https://www.amazon.com/KETOTEK-Digital-Ammeter-Voltmeter-Frequency/dp/B01EWW1RJ4?th=1

-Bill

Yes, you run either the AC output Hot or Neutral through the CT (does not matter which). The CT will measure the current through that one wire.

Lead Acid batteries do sag a bit under loads.

-Bill

There is some information here (note there are two different models... One is "single mode" and the other has 4 different "flavors" of functions. The instructions apply to both (mostly).

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832699887023.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

It looks like there is enough information to get started setting up/programming.

-Bill

Note: The "programming" information is visible after clicking on the above link, then pressing the VIEW MORE button (may also be "orange" colored) that is just above the "Specifications" part way down the page.


I have tried a couple different format scrapings of the page if you cannot access the above View More button.

See attached files below (note these where done with "Chrome" browser--I can try FireFox if you cannot read the files below: