Solar charging - can it be so?
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the solar and power issue, but I have learned a lot. In conversation with my RV service tech, an independent guy who takes pride in his knowledge and work, I wa...
Forum Discussion
naturist wrote:Basically incorrect due to bypass diodes. Serial panels have better output than parallel panels with regard to shadows. Your 12V panels may not have bypass diodes.
Detail. Solar panels in series would charge longer during the day. That’s the good news. The bad news is that any part of any panel that is shaded will reduce the output of the whole array. When I bought my panels, I bought 12 volt panels, and because I have shading issues all the time here on the highly treed east coast, I’ve chosen to put half the panels in each of two series and then parallel the two halves. This to try and get the maximum output no matter what.
This shows the effect of 3 bypass diodes per panel and shade on 2 panel sections. Power is reduced by 2/9 vs parallel of 2/3. There is a small (about 0.3V) voltage drop for the conducting diodes.
