This panel can put out close to 100 watts ruclips.net/user/postUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.
All the solar questions that go through my head, clearly you had those questions also... But you ALSO discovered the answers AND are good enough to share them with us! Thank you Dave!
This is the best and most understandable explanation of voltage, amperage, and wattage involving solar panels I've seen so far. Really awesome job. Even this old fart understood it. By the way, I've been looking forward to the off grid build video. Sure hoping you post it soon.
Very good video! I have two of those exact BougeRV 180w, 9BB panels and your explanation of when to choose series or parallel connection made me realize I have them wired wrong. They get partial shading, at times, so it looks like wiring them in parallel will result in a higher net charging output to my batteries. Thank you for showing that in such simple, easy to understand terms. Two MC4 "Y" cables are on their way!
@@ProjectsWithDave So it will be advantageous to leave the panels in parallel all the time correct?. In full sun no benefit over series but better on cloudy days. I just have to reach the 80 v low input threshold on my inverters.
Also there is less glass deflection during 60 mph winds/pressure differentials with smaller panels. I can watch my large 475W QCell bifacials flex 1/8" in 30+mph winds.
Please make note for people that may not know. If you are connecting panels in parallel please ensure you are using the correct gauge wire, he fails to mention that if you are using a 14 awg wire for your "regular one panel charge" that may be < 10 AMPS but with 2 or more panels that will at min double the current, 14 AWG will no longer be sufficient enough for that load and you would need to upgrade to 12AWG or even a 10AWG to help with voltage drop rather than the 14 AWG. based on BougeRV's website their 200 Watt panels come with 10AWG wire, but that may not be the case with all brands. most no name cheap brands will come with 14 AWG. just make sure to read before blindly following someone on youtube that does not explain the dangers of over paneling without first properly ensuring your wiring is up to spec for what you are doing. This just made me think of someone saying to themselves "since my charge controller can only handle 20v, I can just stick 10 panels in parallel to power it" well take those 10 panels and multiply by 10 at 10 amps each and your looking at 100AMPS! and you will have a fire from melted cables. this is just an example to overdramatize what could happen.
Thanks for the reminder to consider the increased current when putting panels in parallel. However, if you put 10 panels in parallel that could each produce 10A, you would not be carrying 100A on the conductors unless the charge controller was capable of drawing 100A. Most 20V charge controllers can not draw more than 8A, the 10awg wire I recommended for this setup would have not problem in that case. All that being said, to get the most power at the lowest resistance, you should target a voltage close to the high end of the voltage range of your charge controller.
buddy it's about time Solaredge sends you another 7KW inverter to add to your system, stop the clipping hhhh, by the way this is my favorite Solar Power youtube videos, sorry the guy from Renogy you're my #2
Delivery and buying a small amount of panels at a time is the biggest issues that I know of..Those panels are delivered free from Amazon, and big panels are shipped on a truck with a lift gate and cost a fortune, if your not lucky enough to live close to a warehouse, and can pick them up yourself....In Europe those huge panels are cheap, not in America..So if you have a 12 volt system, or even a 24 volt system, it might be easier to use the smaller panels, you can also buy 1 or 2 at a time, with the big panels you have to buy atleast 10 at a time, which is thousands of dollars..I'm 48 volt and need atleast 120 volts to operate..
Hi, Is it OK to mix different types of solar panels ? I now have 2x 150W, 12V, poly panels in parallel and would like to add a 3rd panel. As I don't find the same panels anymore, I would like to add a 170W, 12V MONO panel, also in parallel. Can I do this without extra parts ? Nb, the wires now go straight into my Ecoflow Delta 2 power station. I do not have an external regulator, only the build in of the Delta unit. Supplement question. Later I would like to use these setup, with the 3 panels, to also charge a fix battery using a MPPT controller. Can I put a Y splitter to go to my Delta 2 and the other Y splitter out into the controller, and if so do I need to put something extra to do so ? (Diodes, fuses)
I'm still testing, but there are there are both things I like and things I don't like about it. This round of testing has been more complicated than I anticipated, but I'll get it out as soon as I can. Thanks!
How many of these can I hook up to Bluetti AC200 max? I’m about to order 5 or 6 of them if they will work. Also series or parallel? Waiting on your response. Thanks!
I will assume you are referring to the panel tested in this video: 9BB 180W Solar Panel: amzn.to/3O29Vl9 This panel is rated at 180W with a VOC of 23V and a max current of 10.23A. The AC200 Has an input voltage of 35-150V, a max input of 700W and can utilize up to 12A of available current. If you put 6 panels in series you will have a max voltage of 23V*6=138V This is less than the 150V max and because the current would never exceed 10.23A, you won't have any clipping under the 700W max input. This is the best solution for your setup. If you made two parallel strings of 3 panels, you would have 20.46A available but you would only be able to make use of 12A due to the AC200 current limit. This would dramatically reduce your performance. Keep in mind with 6 panels you would have 1,080W available on a bright sunny day, but you would never see that input since the max input on your system is 700W. However, the advantage is, you would have much more power available on cloudy days due to the extra panels.
I have quick question, I tried many BougeRV and other 200w panel on different power station. All get around 110-130w instead 180-200w. 90 degree weather live in Los Angeles. Is it because LA smog and hot weather? If I over panel it using parallel it won’t damage my system right? Long as I need under the maximum voltage. Thank you
What charge controller are you using? Is it MPPT? Hot weather will impact the performance, but not as much as you are showing. You could measure the short circuit current for your panel in full sun to give you an idea if it is the panel or the charge controller. You should be able to add additional panels in parallel, as long as you do not exceed the max voltage for your charge controller. However, additional panels won't help if your charge controller can not utilize the available current. For instance, the Bluetti EB70S has an 8A limit, so the best it can do with a 200W panel is usually 160W. 20V*8A=160W.
I tested on EB3A, river pro, delta pro. Your explanation make sense I’ll do more research, I have 70ft 10AWG cable from BougeRV not sure it aluminum or copper. All that could might cause lower input. I’m going to try over panel. See how much it can improve! Thank you
Check the voltage at the end of your solar cable. The closer you can get to the 28V max, the more of the 200W charging capacity you will be able to utilize. Long distance will drop the voltage.
@@ProjectsWithDave northeast US. If you're getting that in Alaska, I guess there's hope. I'm going to buy that irradiance meter and measure it myself. It's in my Amazon wish list. Presently, my forty 240W panels are peaking at about 3.5kW in the noon day sun in June and July. Hopefully that's because my MPPT charge controllers have not yet arrived due to backorder.
@@ProjectsWithDave I have forty panels in two groups, hooked up presently in 5S 4P each group and feeding a pair of Growatt SC4880-MPV controllers. The controllers have boosted my energy harvest about 50% over direct connection to batteries, but not as much as I'd hoped. Tilt is set for late fall and early spring head on sun angles--45°. I have white marble stone on the ground in front of the panels to act as reflector as well. Awaiting my Fluke solar irradiance meter (just shipped today) and an get a better idea of how strong or weak the sun is up here.
You can get a very good idea of what your system should be producing by putting your system specs into this PV system calculator: pvwatts.nrel.gov/ You can get an illustration of how the calculator compares to my actual performance in this video on sizing your solar system: ruclips.net/video/rbFnZqA0GCI/видео.html The irradiance meter will help you understand at any given moment if your system is producing what it is rated to. In my experience at 1000W/m^2 the max you should expect from a single panel is 85% to89% of the rated performance. Also, if your array is oversize for your inverter you will see clipping at times of high irradiance.
The only time I use smaller panels is due to space constraints or voltage limitations. If you have shading issues, that can be improved with half cut cells.
Thank you for that information. So if your charge controller will only take so many amps, do you still need to size the wire to the amperage available or to only what the system will allow?
Find More information for this project and others on my website: projectswithdave.com
This panel can put out close to 100 watts ruclips.net/user/postUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.
gtfo with your advertising and fake likes
All the solar questions that go through my head, clearly you had those questions also...
But you ALSO discovered the answers AND are good enough to share them with us!
Thank you Dave!
Just found your channel ' this the first video of yours I've watched .
Subscribed
Thank You!
I enjoyed this video. You really do great work!! Thank you for breaking it down so clearly 🙏
Glad it was helpful!
This is amazing!! Awesome and very important video!! Thanks!
This is the best and most understandable explanation of voltage, amperage, and wattage involving solar panels I've seen so far. Really awesome job. Even this old fart understood it.
By the way, I've been looking forward to the off grid build video. Sure hoping you post it soon.
Thanks! Working on it now... Unfortunately it is very long... too much content, I'm trying to streamline it so it won't put you to sleep. : )
i like these hands on videos.. like showing how to connect series vs parallel tyvm
Thanks Dave! I learned a lot from the label explanation.
Glad it was helpful!
Another great video. Thanks for your time
Great video
Excellent explanation.
Thanks for making it easy
Glad it was helpful!
Very good video! I have two of those exact BougeRV 180w, 9BB panels and your explanation of when to choose series or parallel connection made me realize I have them wired wrong. They get partial shading, at times, so it looks like wiring them in parallel will result in a higher net charging output to my batteries. Thank you for showing that in such simple, easy to understand terms. Two MC4 "Y" cables are on their way!
Great! It's nice when you can make a small change and optimize the output of your system.
@@ProjectsWithDave So it will be advantageous to leave the panels in parallel all the time correct?. In full sun no benefit over series but better on cloudy days. I just have to reach the 80 v low input threshold on my inverters.
Good stuff, Dave. Cheers.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
This was a flipping great video, thank you good Sir!
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
That’s really impressive,Dave👍
Thanks!
Thanks..great information
Glad it was helpful!
Yes solar panels 👍 ☀️💡🔋
Thanks!
Thank you for your support!
@@ProjectsWithDave Really appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge and experience!
Also there is less glass deflection during 60 mph winds/pressure differentials with smaller panels. I can watch my large 475W QCell bifacials flex 1/8" in 30+mph winds.
Yes, that's another good point. Thanks!
HOWdy P-W-E-D-D,
12V Panels review
Thanks
COOP
...
Would be nise to see you tilt your array.
Please make note for people that may not know. If you are connecting panels in parallel please ensure you are using the correct gauge wire, he fails to mention that if you are using a 14 awg wire for your "regular one panel charge" that may be < 10 AMPS but with 2 or more panels that will at min double the current, 14 AWG will no longer be sufficient enough for that load and you would need to upgrade to 12AWG or even a 10AWG to help with voltage drop rather than the 14 AWG. based on BougeRV's website their 200 Watt panels come with 10AWG wire, but that may not be the case with all brands. most no name cheap brands will come with 14 AWG. just make sure to read before blindly following someone on youtube that does not explain the dangers of over paneling without first properly ensuring your wiring is up to spec for what you are doing. This just made me think of someone saying to themselves "since my charge controller can only handle 20v, I can just stick 10 panels in parallel to power it" well take those 10 panels and multiply by 10 at 10 amps each and your looking at 100AMPS! and you will have a fire from melted cables. this is just an example to overdramatize what could happen.
Thanks for the reminder to consider the increased current when putting panels in parallel. However, if you put 10 panels in parallel that could each produce 10A, you would not be carrying 100A on the conductors unless the charge controller was capable of drawing 100A. Most 20V charge controllers can not draw more than 8A, the 10awg wire I recommended for this setup would have not problem in that case. All that being said, to get the most power at the lowest resistance, you should target a voltage close to the high end of the voltage range of your charge controller.
The wiring only needs to be thicker after the Y connectors. The wires on the panels themselves don't need to be thicker.
@@ProjectsWithDave 5
buddy it's about time Solaredge sends you another 7KW inverter to add to your system, stop the clipping hhhh, by the way this is my favorite Solar Power youtube videos, sorry the guy from Renogy you're my #2
Thanks! That's a great idea, you would think they could justify sending me one with all the traffic they must get from my videos. 😀
Delivery and buying a small amount of panels at a time is the biggest issues that I know of..Those panels are delivered free from Amazon, and big panels are shipped on a truck with a lift gate and cost a fortune, if your not lucky enough to live close to a warehouse, and can pick them up yourself....In Europe those huge panels are cheap, not in America..So if you have a 12 volt system, or even a 24 volt system, it might be easier to use the smaller panels, you can also buy 1 or 2 at a time, with the big panels you have to buy atleast 10 at a time, which is thousands of dollars..I'm 48 volt and need atleast 120 volts to operate..
Hi,
Is it OK to mix different types of solar panels ?
I now have 2x 150W, 12V, poly panels in parallel and would like to add a 3rd panel. As I don't find the same panels anymore, I would like to add a 170W, 12V MONO panel, also in parallel. Can I do this without extra parts ?
Nb, the wires now go straight into my Ecoflow Delta 2 power station.
I do not have an external regulator, only the build in of the Delta unit.
Supplement question.
Later I would like to use these setup, with the 3 panels, to also charge a fix battery using a MPPT controller.
Can I put a Y splitter to go to my Delta 2 and the other Y splitter out into the controller, and if so do I need to put something extra to do so ? (Diodes, fuses)
Dying to hear your opinion on the Bougerv controller!!!!!
I'm still testing, but there are there are both things I like and things I don't like about it. This round of testing has been more complicated than I anticipated, but I'll get it out as soon as I can. Thanks!
Are you somehow using that NEP microinverter in an off-grid system? Most microinverters I've seen require some kind of grid-tie.
It is grid tie.
How many of these can I hook up to Bluetti AC200 max? I’m about to order 5 or 6 of them if they will work. Also series or parallel? Waiting on your response.
Thanks!
I will assume you are referring to the panel tested in this video: 9BB 180W Solar Panel: amzn.to/3O29Vl9
This panel is rated at 180W with a VOC of 23V and a max current of 10.23A.
The AC200 Has an input voltage of 35-150V, a max input of 700W and can utilize up to 12A of available current.
If you put 6 panels in series you will have a max voltage of 23V*6=138V This is less than the 150V max and because the current would never exceed 10.23A, you won't have any clipping under the 700W max input. This is the best solution for your setup.
If you made two parallel strings of 3 panels, you would have 20.46A available but you would only be able to make use of 12A due to the AC200 current limit. This would dramatically reduce your performance.
Keep in mind with 6 panels you would have 1,080W available on a bright sunny day, but you would never see that input since the max input on your system is 700W. However, the advantage is, you would have much more power available on cloudy days due to the extra panels.
I have quick question, I tried many BougeRV and other 200w panel on different power station. All get around 110-130w instead 180-200w. 90 degree weather live in Los Angeles. Is it because LA smog and hot weather?
If I over panel it using parallel it won’t damage my system right? Long as I need under the maximum voltage. Thank you
What charge controller are you using? Is it MPPT? Hot weather will impact the performance, but not as much as you are showing. You could measure the short circuit current for your panel in full sun to give you an idea if it is the panel or the charge controller. You should be able to add additional panels in parallel, as long as you do not exceed the max voltage for your charge controller. However, additional panels won't help if your charge controller can not utilize the available current. For instance, the Bluetti EB70S has an 8A limit, so the best it can do with a 200W panel is usually 160W. 20V*8A=160W.
I tested on EB3A, river pro, delta pro. Your explanation make sense I’ll do more research, I have 70ft 10AWG cable from BougeRV not sure it aluminum or copper. All that could might cause lower input. I’m going to try over panel. See how much it can improve! Thank you
Check the voltage at the end of your solar cable. The closer you can get to the 28V max, the more of the 200W charging capacity you will be able to utilize. Long distance will drop the voltage.
Got it I’ll give it a try Thank you
Way up North here I think we're lucky to get 600 watts per meter Square in the summertime.
Where are you? I can get 1000 W/m^2 in Anchorage Alaska.
@@ProjectsWithDave northeast US. If you're getting that in Alaska, I guess there's hope. I'm going to buy that irradiance meter and measure it myself. It's in my Amazon wish list.
Presently, my forty 240W panels are peaking at about 3.5kW in the noon day sun in June and July. Hopefully that's because my MPPT charge controllers have not yet arrived due to backorder.
How many 240W panels do you have and what is the tilt and azimuth?
@@ProjectsWithDave I have forty panels in two groups, hooked up presently in 5S 4P each group and feeding a pair of Growatt SC4880-MPV controllers. The controllers have boosted my energy harvest about 50% over direct connection to batteries, but not as much as I'd hoped.
Tilt is set for late fall and early spring head on sun angles--45°. I have white marble stone on the ground in front of the panels to act as reflector as well.
Awaiting my Fluke solar irradiance meter (just shipped today) and an get a better idea of how strong or weak the sun is up here.
You can get a very good idea of what your system should be producing by putting your system specs into this PV system calculator: pvwatts.nrel.gov/
You can get an illustration of how the calculator compares to my actual performance in this video on sizing your solar system: ruclips.net/video/rbFnZqA0GCI/видео.html
The irradiance meter will help you understand at any given moment if your system is producing what it is rated to. In my experience at 1000W/m^2 the max you should expect from a single panel is 85% to89% of the rated performance. Also, if your array is oversize for your inverter you will see clipping at times of high irradiance.
... smaller panels have the risk of theft ...but slightly prevents shading issues if daisy chained to match those bigger ones..
The only time I use smaller panels is due to space constraints or voltage limitations. If you have shading issues, that can be improved with half cut cells.
Thank you for that information. So if your charge controller will only take so many amps, do you still need to size the wire to the amperage available or to only what the system will allow?
Size the conductors for the current they will be required to handle and the breakers to be less than or equal to the max current for the conductor.