30A or 40A controller?
I’m going to mount 2 160w panels rated at 9.5 isc amps to feed 2 6v batteries…260ah. If I were to mount a 3rd panel I’m still under 30amps so a 30 amp controller should work fine….or should it. I’ve ...
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Joel_T wrote:
I’m going to mount 2 160w panels rated at 9.5 isc amps to feed 2 6v batteries…260ah. If I were to mount a 3rd panel I’m still under 30amps so a 30 amp controller should work fine….or should it. I’ve read a few places that they work better when not near their max rating. Is there any good reason to look at a 40amp SolarBoost 3024 for example that’s way more than I need for 2 panels or even 3 maybe, since there are several 30amp controllers to choose from as well. . There’s no way for the average joe to know why one’s better than another. (After seeing bazillion paged threads debating MPPT vs PWM, if those in the know don’t really know, I’m opting for MPPT for vague reasons, since I’m not an electronics nerd.)
Rule of thumb when it comes to electronics: no more than 80% of rated power. The china made items now days I would say no more than 75% due to quality. You want it to handle every ounce of juice your panels produce so go with the bigger and not have to worry about cooking and replacing later.
