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lemon avatar image
lemon asked

MPPT Solar Charger - showing only charged volume? How to see total potential solar if battery is full?

Hi guys,


I'm using a SmartSolar 75/15 with a 180W solar panel for some weeks now and I noticed the following:

the VictronConnect app does not show me the effective power the solar panel COULD produce but only the one it used to charge the battery. So when the battery is full then I have just a few watts produced during a nice sunny day.

But I want to know what the solar panel would be capable to produce to check how much of the theoretically 180W it would give out in certain conditions.

Is that possible with VictronConnect or what have I got to do to get these values?


Thank you very much


Andreas

MPPT ControllersVictronConnect
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2 Answers
glasses avatar image
glasses answered ·

Hi there Andreas,

If you have a GX device you can use VRM Portal to access detailed system information, see https://www.victronenergy.com/live/vrm_portal:getting_started to get started.

If you do not have a GX device you will have to measure the panel's output directly. Look online for instructions for how to measure PV panel output using a multimeter. Be responsible for your own safety & the safety of others when doing this. Under bright sunny conditions you'll get maximum voltage and maximum current, multiply them together and that's the maximum power the panel will output.

You could also install a voltmeter between the panel and the charge controller, record its measurements, and then multiply each measurement by the maximum current your system can safely handle (the 75/15 sets a hard upper limit of 15 A). This will give you set of "usable power output" data.

Someone from Victron will probably be able to help more with the Victron Connect questions.

Good luck :)


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spirou avatar image spirou commented ·

Why would you measure voltage separately if you get all that info from the app?

The issue is simply that the battery is full and there is no need for full power from the panel. Just need to make sure there is a significant enough load to restart bulk charging and it will start producing as much as it can/needs to.

With LED lights and other energy efficient loads it's actually not that easy to get there though. Even if I turn on all the lights, the fridge, the heating (in summer), water pump, radio etc. I'm still usually not maxing out my panels and 100/30.

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JohnC avatar image
JohnC answered ·

Hi @lemon

Just add a load to bring your batt V down to below Absorb/Float level. But don't go below 12V, as your 15A mppt may top out with your 180W panel.

But be patient, your mppt will only track the mpp every 10 minutes, unless you power it down and restart. That will foul your history (start a new day) if you're watching that.


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