the very first solar panel

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System
System Posts: 2,511 admin
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
hi all

im kinda new to this solar panel.

i have these
-2pcs 12v solar panel with 50watts each
- solar charger controller
-100ah (20hr) battery deep cycle

im living in asia where its very hot here
average temperature is 92 to 94 degrees fahreinheit

my question is
1. How should i wire my panel to give best output, series or parallel?
2. Will buying "wellsee brand" MPPT controller is best for my location?
3. Is solar panel works 100% best in a very hot location like hours?
4. can the solar controllers be used for wind turbine as their controller charger?
5. How long will it full charge a 100AH(20hr) using 50watts solar panel?


btw heres my solar panel for your reference

img0686mv.jpg
img0873f.jpg
img0872z.jpg
img0870i.jpg
img0879p.jpg


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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
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    Re: the very first solar panel

    Your two panels, wired in parallel will be lucky to put out ~4 amps into 12 volts under ideal conditions,, conditions that are unlikely to be available more than ~ 4 hours a day.

    Regarding the controller: having no experience with said controller, my best guess is to do your calcs based on a simple PWM controller, and if this controller works well, then that power would be a bonus.

    So best case, 100 ah battery, 50% discharged, 50 ah, would take ~4 days of ideal conditions to bring back that 50%.

    4amps*4 hour= 16 ah/day, plus ~25% for basic battery charging losses.

    In the real world I suspect that your panels will only put out ~ 3 amps from the controller, making it take even longer. 3*4= 12 ah/day plus charging losses, call it five perfect days.

    Tony

    My quick rule of thumb, is, if you take the name plate rating of the PV, divide it by two to account for total system losses (charge controller/wiring/battery charging chemistry/inverter loses etc) that will give you a very rough idea of how much you can get out of a system. The multiply that number by the number of hours of "good" sun you can expect on any given day (seldom more than 4 hours net/net).

    100/2=50*4=200wh/day,, convert that to ah into 12.5 volts and you are left with,,,,16 ah!
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #3
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    Re: the very first solar panel
    waylain wrote: »
    hi all

    im kinda new to this solar panel.

    i have these
    -2pcs 12v solar panel with 50watts each
    - solar charger controller
    -100ah (20hr) battery deep cycle

    im living in asia where its very hot here
    average temperature is 92 to 94 degrees fahreinheit

    my question is
    1. How should i wire my panel to give best output, series or parallel?
    2. Will buying "wellsee brand" MPPT controller is best for my location?
    3. Is solar panel works 100% best in a very hot location like hours?
    4. can the solar controllers be used for wind turbine as their controller charger?
    5. How long will it full charge a 100AH(20hr) using 50watts solar panel?

    Thanks

    You're right: solar panels don't like heat!

    To answer the questions:

    1). Your panels' wiring is determined by your charge controller. Unless you have an MPPT controller you must wire them in parallel so that the nominal panel Voltage is the same as the nominal battery Voltage - 12V
    2). On a system this small there's no advantage to buying an MPPT controller.
    3). There's negligible difference between panels in terms of heat performance. Poly or moncrystaline will behave much the same. Amorphous panels will suffer more (I think? Might be confused on that).
    4). Some controllers are suitable for wind turbines, others aren't. You never want to use one controller for both at the same time. Small-scale wind is generally a waste of time and money, as you usually don't have as much wind as is needed to produce significant power. The expense and need to build large towers and other hassles means that wind turbines are a "no" for most people. They can be educational to build your own, though. Just don't expect much.
    5). How long it takes to charge a battery depends on how much it was used (Depth Of Discharge) and how good your panels/charge controller are putting out. You shouldn't draw a battery below 50%, and 25% is better (longer battery life). That means your 100 Amp/hr battery can give you approximately 50 Amp/hrs @ 12 Volts for a total of 600 Watt hours at the most. Better to keep it down to 300. Your 100 Watts of panels should have no trouble recharging this. Remember; it takes more Watts to recharge than you used. About 25% more (+/-).

    In a hot locale your panels will derate severely. Hopefully you have long days and can start getting sun on them early in the day, before they heat up. If you figure 60% from the panels over 6 hours average that's 360 Watt/hours per day.

    Now don't get excited. I've lost the link to PV Watts (and don't know if it would accept data from your area) but I'm sure Bill and/or Neil or some of the others will be able to expand on and clarify what I've said. :D
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