Setting up my solar system
I'm in the planning stages of adding solar to my travel trailer. I currently have a battery bank of two 6V flooded lead acid GC batteries in series that is 215 Ah 12 volts. I am planning on adding ...
Forum Discussion
CA Traveler wrote:From what I read, if one panel is shaded, they all perform at the level of the lowest-performing panel (the shaded one) if in series.That may be correct w/o bypass diodes. 12V panels may not have bypass diodes.
All 60/72 cell panels have bypass diodes. They are actually used to prevent cells from overheating due to shade - think chimney shadow for example. Without the diode those cells would be back biased by the other series cells smoking would begin. And they also provide the partial shaded aspect. The cost is small as the wiring is already in or very neat the junction box.
The ones I'm looking at do have bypass diodes. And that was one of the questions I had was whether the diodes would negate this effect if run in series.
