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Empty_Nest__Soo's avatar
Empty_Nest__Soo
Explorer
Jun 03, 2015

Solar panels for less than ideal conditions - bypass diodes?

I’m looking at adding solar capacity to the coach. For boondocking, we figure to be in an area where overcast, clouds, some shade, etc. are common. I want to choose panels that will perform as well ...
BFL13's avatar
BFL13
Explorer II
Jun 03, 2015
Some 12v panels have one and some have two diodes. AFAIK only 24v panels have three. Some specialty panels have a diode per cell ISTR but you aren't going that way, likely.

All you can do with poor solar conditions is have more wattage on the roof, but that doesn't help much. Cloudy is cloudy and kills it all no matter how much you have. You must have a generator/charger on standby all the time for when the weatherman doesn't come through for you. Fact of life--sorry! :(

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