Solar Install question
I am planning to install two 160 watt panels on the roof of a Class C RV. I would like to make the installation where I can add another 160 watt panel if needed in the future. The wiring will be in ...
Forum Discussion
Ed_Gee wrote:
I have two top of the line 160W panels ( Grape Solar ) feeding a Blue Sky Solar Boost 3000i charge controller, ( Solar Boost 3000i ) with 8 AWG wire. The system works just fine at maximum efficiency and I have room to add one more 160W panel with this controller. I run my panels in parallel to a custom refrigerator vent combiner box made by AM Solar,
Don't know what is "top of the line" these days when most panels are coming from the same village with so many farms appearing and disappearing every month that it's hard to keep a track record. On a brief glance, those are mono panels, not poly.
There are different ways to skin the cat, as usual.
Blue Sky 3000i is on the cheaper side of MPPT, low 50V input limit, can't use more than 2*12V in series or more than one 24V panel. Hence, parallel wiring, combiner box and thicker cable. Could've used PWM in this scenario as well.
OTH, MPPT with 150V input would allow up to 4*24V in series, and with 45A model it can be 2 panels up to 260-280W each, and still same #10 cable and no combiner box. 24V panels from 220W to 260W are practically same size.
