I'm new to Solar Power. I want to use this to power a 500 watt 5K BTU Window A/C unit. I will be using a 100W solar kit to charge the battery. I'm ok?
1090125
It may for a very little amount of time, I would say go with a couple golf cart batteries.
1490074
Youre going to need deep cycle batteries as far as output it depends on how manyamp hours the batteries have the solar panel should always charge of 400 watts if tHeres sun look online how to calculate Amp hrs depending on what ur running I can run some fans lights a tv and a fridge in my rv with two batt
409642
If you are using 4 panels with this kit it only uses a 20 amp controller. You must be using a 24v battery bank to use up to 400 watts. Can you explain your situation a little more? We are a bit confused with what setup you have. Thank you. AW
1283048
A 30A Charge controller WILL be adequate and will work but it is a narrow margin for your 145 watt panels. I estimated the amperage on your panels @ 7.25 amps each, that put you right at 29 amps. Barring any solar fluxes that might tip the controller to temp shut down you should be ok.
2064084
If you have 500 watts of solar collecting capacity my understanding is that it would exceed the capacity of this controller. I recommend getting a 40amp MPPT controller. I got this controller for testing purposes but even my two panels rated at max 140watts each would exceed the capacity of this charge controller in full sun.
1173233
Eileen, Thank you for your purchasing.The situation is normal in most of cases.The 5w kit can charge 1-2AH/day to a 12v battery in good sunshine. So if the battery is larger than 12v 10ah, it take more time to full charge the battery.You can use a multi meter to test the current to the battery to confirm that the panel is still charging the battery.
2284815
You are more likely to over charge the battery with a 12 volt unit. Just ensure the whole solar array is in the sunlight for optimal charging.
616969
This is why I hooked my 520 watts of panels in series so you halve the amperage. I can add another 2 panels in the future and still keep it under 30 amps. Remember too that the charge controller can charge a normal 12v battery bank, that's what mine is. I recommend making a 24v panel setup.
984230
Depends on what you are going to use it for. If you are going to use your Setup for Emergency Lights, Battery Chargers, Small Appliances the Inverter you use will draw harder off of the battery the more devices you use. I use one 50 watt Solar Panel, Charge Controller, Inverter and two of these Deepcycle 35aH batteries for power outages, emergencies etc. A Small Solar Panel will just trickle charge the battery and you won't be able to use it for powering much before it drops down to the minimal low voltage. A 50 watt Solar Panel is probably a good starting point, then go from there as to what you need to meet your needs. Depends on what you are going to use it for. If you are going to use your Setup for Emergency Lights, Battery Chargers, Small Appliances the Inverter you use will draw harder off of the battery the more devices you use. I use one 50 watt Solar Panel, Charge Controller, Inverter and two of these Deepcycle 35aH batteries for power outages, emergencies etc. A Small Solar Panel will just trickle charge the battery and you won't be able to use it for powering much before it drops down to the minimal low voltage. A 50 watt Solar Panel is probably a good starting point, then go from... » Read More Depends on what you are going to use it for. If you are going to use your Setup for Emergency Lights, Battery Chargers, Small Appliances the Inverter you use will draw harder off of the battery the more devices you use. I use one 50 watt Solar Panel, Charge Controller, Inverter and two of these Deepcycle 35aH batteries for power outages, emergencies etc. A Small Solar Panel will just trickle charge the battery and you won't be able to use it for powering much before it drops down to the minimal low voltage. A 50 watt Solar Panel is probably a good starting point, then go from there as to what you need to meet your needs. « Show Less
1648403
In my opinion I would work backwards first. AC Energy Needs: What do you need to power? How many watts? Yousay laptops, radio, and possible fan (just kidding). None of those are big energy hogs. So you could probably get by with a system that outputs a continuous 100 watts. On the safe side lets say 150 watts of continuous AC power. OK, so you need an inverter (converts DC power to AC power) that output at least 150 watts of continuous power. There are lots of good inverters in this range. I suggest one that has a built in fan, high conversion efficiency, and an alarm for low power supply voltage. DC Energy Source: Solar panels output DC energy; however, their out put varies with time of day, cloudiness, and much more. You need a continuous power source. In steps the battery, a power reservoir or buffer. We are not talking car batteries here, as they will not handle the deep discharges and recharges that you could subject them to. Deep cycle batteries are what you want. If you read Northern Arizona Wind & Sun's battery FAQ (http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm) you will fidn they recommend AGM batteries, such as these: UPG UB12350 Group U1 - AGM Battery - Sealed Lead Acid - 12 Volt - 35 Ah Capacity - I2 Terminal. Charging the battery: In steps the Solar Panel. Simply put you use the solar panel to charge the battery. You will also need to put something in between the battery and the solar panel(s), such a charge controller (avoids over charging) or diode (prevents charge from batteries leaking back through to the panels). Of course, you also need the best direct sunlight you can get. Mostly, that is what you need.
1509654
I highly recommend using a charge controller with any solar panel to eliminate problems that you are speaking of. After I started using a charge controller I have not had any problems at all. Even on a 5 watt panel I would use a charge controller.
880317
Many years ago i was told in powering my boat, any solar panel 50 watts or less would be ok without a controller. Over that and it may fry the battteries. Yes you can godirect, but you have to moniter and be tne controller.
1042251
Just because the panels are 100 w each dosen'T mean you will receive 100w all the time. 100w is the best you are going to get at top conditions. perfect alinment, perfect sky, alinement faceing sun all the day, so don't expect 100w all the time. There could be a haze between you and the sun,Wire size, conectors , if you are using it to charge batteries, Every thing can efect your wattage.
693461
I've heard that the controller that comes in this kit only handles a max of 60 watts. The excess is bled off. But if you get two kits and connect the two panels together, you could attach a higher wattage controller to the system. Then just use your two kit controllers as portable power sources that can be hooked up to any auto battery.
1955408
I have five 100 watt panels now, wired together with MC4 split connectors and running 25 feet to my charge controller. My panels have a working voltage of 18.5V. That gives me 5.5 amp per panel in direct sun. In total I get 27 - 28 amps on a clear day. I have no problem with voltage drop but I am now max'd out on my 30 amp charge controller and the 10 guage wire. If you have a larger system than that you will need heavier wire, unless your panels operate at a higher voltage, wich would lower your amps. As long as you are under 30 amp this wire works great. I hope this helps.Dan
974745
That will work just fine. Just make sure your solar controller is rated for at least 10 amps and preferably 15 amps just to be safe.
1332100
The charge control can handle up to 7A. Your 30 watt panel puts out ~1.68A at high noon. You should be fine with one charge controller charging two or more batteries and it would require more charge time. Just make sure you hook up your batteries correctly. Personally and for convenience I would much prefer to get two charge controller with two solar panels for the two batteries so that I could avoid having to move and or reconnect the batteries. A larger solar panel can would benefit you quite a bit if you need to drawn power from the battery each night. Hope you are using deep cycle batteries.