Various wattage panels

[bart]

   Thanks in advance for your advice.
Looking for the best way to string these panels into one or more charge controllers. Batteries are 48v, golf cart right now. Nothing wired, just collecting parts and pieces.
Not gonna do the grid tie thing.
   Yes, it is a mixed bag, but the price was right. What I would like in the main array.
                      6 - ASE 50W, Made in 2001.                                              Vmp 17.2   Imp 2.9
                      4 - Evergreen 55W, m/n ec-55 (don't know date)               Vmp 16.1   Imp 3.42
                      4 - Sun Electronics (Evergreen?) 180W, Made in 2006.        Vmp 25.9   Imp 6.95
                      4 - Evergreen 200W, Made in 2009                                     Vmp18.1    Imp 11.05
Also have        2 - Solarex Millennia 43W, mfd date v98g17. Looking kinda bubbley on top and bottom of film, but still works. Have a C40, figured I'd use these to trickle charge various 12v bats.
                      2 - Siemens 48W, Model m75, still work, but cells have turned 80% "white". no plans for these.

   Now from what info I have read, MPPT charge controllers don't like mixed panel arrays and pwm seems to handle it better. Found one MPPT that would take duel array inputs, Aurora, but that is for grid tie. Also have read that you can be with in 5% to 10% of Vmp or Imp and do fine. Don't claim to know a lot, but you've got to get your feet wet some where.
   Current thinking now is to parallel the 180W (103.6v@27.8a) and 200W (72.4v@44.2a) into separate strings for higher voltage, but if I go MPPT, that's 2 charge controllers. If I series connect 2 panels each and parallel the rest of the smaller panels (83.8W@5.8a), does this need yet another charge controller?
   Ok, let me have it!
                              Bart

[dnix71]

That is a mixed lot, but I would be happy to have that much power.

How about 2 Sun's plus an Evergreen 200w in series, 2 sets in parallel. 25.9v + 25.9v + 18.1 = 69.9v
Parallel with that 4 ASE's in series 17.2v x 4 = 68.8v

[180w + 180w + 200w] x 2 plus [50w x 4] = 1320 watts for your 48v bank on one controller.

That leaves 2 50w ASE's, 4 55w Sun's, 2 Solar Millenia 43w, 2 Evergreen 200w plus the 2 48w Siemens which are 15.9 Vmp according to the manufacturers PDF here: http://www.fujiyachts.net/manuals/Siemans%20Solar%20Panel%20M75%20Brochure.pdf (the file is over 1 MB).

The Siemens were made for direct charge of a 12v system. The Millenia come in 2 versions, a 72 Vmp and a 16.5 Vmp model. They are amorphous.
http://www.physics.arizona.edu/~cronin/Solar/TEP%20module%20spec%20sheets/Solarex%2043%20MV.pdf If you have the high voltage model Millenia then those should be paralleled with the big lot above to give 1406 watts nominal into one controller for the 48v battery bank.

Use what's left to trickle charge your 12v batteries.

[ghurd]

That is a mixed lot, but I would be happy to have that much power.

How about 2 Sun's plus an Evergreen 200w in series, 2 sets in parallel. 25.9v + 25.9v + 18.1 = 69.9v
Parallel with that 4 ASE's in series 17.2v x 4 = 68.8v

[180w + 180w + 200w] x 2 plus [50w x 4] = 1320 watts for your 48v bank on one controller.

That leaves 2 50w ASE's, 4 55w Sun's, 2 Solar Millenia 43w, 2 Evergreen 200w plus the 2 48w Siemens which are 15.9 Vmp according to the manufacturers PDF here: http://www.fujiyachts.net/manuals/Siemans%20Solar%20Panel%20M75%20Brochure.pdf (the file is over 1 MB).

The Siemens were made for direct charge of a 12v system. The Millenia come in 2 versions, a 72 Vmp and a 16.5 Vmp model. They are amorphous.
http://www.physics.arizona.edu/~cronin/Solar/TEP%20module%20spec%20sheets/Solarex%2043%20MV.pdf If you have the high voltage model Millenia then those should be paralleled with the big lot above to give 1406 watts nominal into one controller for the 48v battery bank.

Use what's left to trickle charge your 12v batteries.

Its late and all, but that sounds good to me.

"2 - Siemens 48W, Model m75, still work, but cells have turned 80% "white". no plans for these."
and
"2 - Solarex Millennia 43W, mfd date v98g17. Looking kinda bubbley on top and bottom of film, but still works. Have a C40, figured I'd use these to trickle charge various 12v bats."  Guessing those are the hi voltage PVs?
No reason they can not be parralled, with a blocking diode on each pair, and directly fed straight to the battery.
If the battery is big enough to handle 1320W via the MPPT controller, another unregulated 150W-ish of charging amps is not going to bother it at all.

G-

[bart]

   I thought that panels with the lowest Imp would pull the others down.
So would not the 6.95 Imp of the Sun 180W pull the string wattage to 485.8W? (69.9 x 6.95)
And then parallel them the ASE string pull it down more???
I got to be missing something.
   Don't how you find that info on panels, but thanks. The Millennia's are the higher voltage.

[dnix71]

When you mix panels like that you'll lose something, but the Sun panels should be able to handle 8 amps [560 watts in the string is 8 amps x 69.9 v]

The peak voltage mismatch between the panels makes that unavoidable, but in real life you don't get anywhere near the rated power anyway, esp. since your panels are used and some in poor condition.

For the sake of the MPPT you need to keep the series string Vmp as close as possible. You might get a few more watts with separate MPPT's but that cost more money.

Don't skimp on the batteries. 1400 watts of panel should be enough to live well off grid as long as you can store what you collect.

[bart]

                                             / 50W ASE 17.2v +55W EG 16.1v +55W EG 16.1v \
                                            /              |                   |                       |          \
                                           /            5.8 Imp  +   6.84 Imp     +   6.84 Imp        \ 
                                     ------                                                                              -------200w EG 18.1v 11.05 Imp
                                            \                |                   |                       |          /
                                             \ 50W ASE 17.2v +55W EG 16.1v +55W EG 16.1v   /
   Well, I was hoping the above would better clarify than saying it in words. 2 smaller strings paralleled to a 200W EG panel to add to the strings you mentioned above.
would create a voltage of 67.5, so would that be close enough?
 Geez ... preview is scrambling the "drawing" . Was not much anyway.

                                                         

[dnix71]

Your chart is readable. That makes sense. The current matches. Half through the smaller string on each side and then all through the 200w EG panel.

The voltage should be close enough.

[bart]

   Many thanks!

[Clifford]

Are you on grid, or off grid?

One additional option would be to go with something like the Enphase Controllers (I believe only grid attached operation).  However, they give you some flexibility with mismatched panels.

They seem to like about 200W input, and depending on the model, 22-40V or 31-50V (MPPT) input.

What has never been clear is the exact maximum input wattage.  Perhaps the rating on the solar panels is seldom the "true" output.

4 - ASE 50W panels.  Connect 2 in parallel.  Then in series.  Gives you about 200W at 34VMP into Enphase M190-72-240
2 - ASE 50W panels,  connect in parallel for 100W at 34VMP into Enphase M190-72-240
4 - Evergreen 55W,   connect in parallel/series for 200W at 32VMP into Enphase M190-72-240
4 - Sun 180W,         connect into 4 separate Enphase M190-72-240.

4 Evergreen 200W,    These are a bit of a problem.  You might be able to run 2 in parallel for 400W, 36VMP.  Run it into a single Enphase D380-72-240, assuming you could tie the two inputs together.  Or, perhaps a different controller would be better.

Either run something similar with your 4 "additional" panels, or do 12V charging as you had planned.

That would mean...  7 Enphase M190-72-240 controllers, and 2 Enphase D380-72-240 controllers.

I'm assuming all plain single phase, 240V connections.

You can buy extra MC4 connectors from your favorite solar supplier, or on E-Bay.