Hi, bought two of these Renogy 200w each flexible solar panels. I have a redundant Victron BlueSolar Pro 12/20 should I use this or buy a new Victron mppt with VE conection so our Cerbo GX can see the output ? We will put the panels on our bimini. So the question is should i upgrade the BluSolar Pro to a bigger Victron MPPT controler and if so which one, or should i just stay with the old unit.
What are the Isc and Voc of those PV panels?
The battery is 12V, I assume.
What else do you have in your system? Do you have a SmartShunt?
If that PWM charger works and the PV voltage is within its allowed limits, I'll say use it. If/when it fails, buy a SmartSolar MPPT.
These are tge specs of the panels and I have 2 of them, my blue solar is 12/20 so im guessing 12V and 20A but does the voltage refer to open circuit or closed circuit ? And operating current of two will just top 20A at absolute full power but will that realistically occur ?
our system has a Quatro 5000, 800w of solar on an mppt controller, 660ah of lifepo4 and 500ah of Gel Calcium. Yes we have a smart shunt.
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| Maximum Power at STC*: 200W | Cell Efficiency: 22% |
| Open Circuit Voltage: 23.9V | Operating Temperature: -40℃- 80℃ |
| Short Circuit Current: 10.74V | Dimensions: 63.2x29.4x0.1 |
| Optimum Operating Voltage: 20.1V | Weight: 10.8lbs / 4.9kg |
| Optimum Operating Current: 10.02A | Panel Leads (Pair): 12AWG/27.6in |
| Maximun Series Fuse Rating: 600 VDC UL |
my blue solar is 12/20 so im guessing 12V and 20A but does the voltage refer to open circuit or closed circuit ?
12V it's the nominal system (battery) voltage.
20A is the maximum output current (for battery charging and/or loads).
Put those two PV panels in parallel and connect them to that PWM solar charger. It's a good match for your PWM charger.
Use at least 6mm2 wires from the charger to the PV panels joints. I think your charger terminals can fit up to 10mm2 wires, but check that.
When you have strings/PV panels in parallel, ideally you would fuse each string/panel with gPV fuses and then the PVarray wire with another gPV fuses (larger size). But with those two small PV panels you might be fine without fuses as long as the PV wires are sized properly. Your choice. A PV array disconnect switch would be good to have, though.
For the charger-battery (busbar) positive wire, a fuse is a must.
