frontpage Posted by Probedude • Nov 8, 2023
Nov 8, 2023 3:42 PM
Item 1 of 2
Item 1 of 2
frontpage Posted by Probedude • Nov 8, 2023
Nov 8, 2023 3:42 PM
Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT 150/45 Charge Controller
& More + Free S&H$218
$363
39% offAmazon
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12/24/36/48 is pack voltage.
What I've seen is charge controllers are amp limited. So going to higher battery voltage will allow the controller to deliver higher watts vs lower battery pack voltage.
High PV input voltage allows you to series connect panels and not have to use high gauge wire between the panels and controller
Work backwards from the voltage of your house battery system (12v/24v/35v/48v), then if you have a general idea of how many watts you want (or can fit) on the RV roof, then that'll roughly give you your amps by dividing your desired watts by the battery voltage - for instance 800 watts divided by 24v battery system = 33.3amps, so you'd likely want a 30a or higher Victron unit. Then the first number in these model names is max solar panel input voltage into the charge controller (i.e. 100V, 150V - the higher the number, the more panels you can put in series - reducing gauge/cost of PV wire, but you can always compromise and run a series & parallel config to kind of get a medium voltage).
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I just read the manual on the Victron 150/45 smart controller, wow there's a lot of features!
Because pricing has dropped at authorized dealers through multiple retailers (ebay, amz, etc), I'm fairly certain this would be an authorized price drop from Victron, probably clearing stock for a newer lineup (pure speculation on my part).
Thanks.... I think
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Very likely yes, you will need some sort of solar charge controller, and Victron is a very solid brand.
Work backwards from the voltage of your house battery system (12v/24v/35v/48v), then if you have a general idea of how many watts you want (or can fit) on the RV roof, then that'll roughly give you your amps by dividing your desired watts by the battery voltage - for instance 800 watts divided by 24v battery system = 33.3amps, so you'd likely want a 30a or higher Victron unit. Then the first number in these model names is max solar panel input voltage into the charge controller (i.e. 100V, 150V - the higher the number, the more panels you can put in series - reducing gauge/cost of PV wire, but you can always compromise and run a series & parallel config to kind of get a medium voltage).
Work backwards from the voltage of your house battery system (12v/24v/35v/48v), then if you have a general idea of how many watts you want (or can fit) on the RV roof, then that'll roughly give you your amps by dividing your desired watts by the battery voltage - for instance 800 watts divided by 24v battery system = 33.3amps, so you'd likely want a 30a or higher Victron unit. Then the first number in these model names is max solar panel input voltage into the charge controller (i.e. 100V, 150V - the higher the number, the more panels you can put in series - reducing gauge/cost of PV wire, but you can always compromise and run a series & parallel config to kind of get a medium voltage).
Work backwards from the voltage of your house battery system (12v/24v/35v/48v), then if you have a general idea of how many watts you want (or can fit) on the RV roof, then that'll roughly give you your amps by dividing your desired watts by the battery voltage - for instance 800 watts divided by 24v battery system = 33.3amps, so you'd likely want a 30a or higher Victron unit. Then the first number in these model names is max solar panel input voltage into the charge controller (i.e. 100V, 150V - the higher the number, the more panels you can put in series - reducing gauge/cost of PV wire, but you can always compromise and run a series & parallel config to kind of get a medium voltage).
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Yes, that's roughly correct. Unfortunately VOC varies with temperature, you can find a chart, but 2 of those 550W panels could exceed 100V at cold(er) temps, and you really don't want to exceed the 100V max input voltage or you risk frying the controller. Personally I would go with a 150V controller in your case. And yes, definitely advantageous running your batteries in parallel to 24V.
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