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26-03-2017, 16:46
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 17
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3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
My charge controller is showing that my 3 50 watt solar panels are only producing 1.9 amps? Panels are 24 volt panels by Sunware. My batteries are 24 volt.
Isn't this a low output? My controller is not a Mppt type? Would that help?
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26-03-2017, 16:55
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#2
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Writing Full-Time Since 2014
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Deale, MD
Boat: PDQ Altair, 32/34
Posts: 9,560
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
Quote:
Originally Posted by dm567
My charge controller is showing that my 3 50 watt solar panels are only producing 1.9 amps? Panels are 24 volt panels by Sunware. My batteries are 24 volt.
Isn't this a low output? My controller is not a Mppt type? Would that help?
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More data please.
- Open circuit voltage
- MPP voltage
- Charge controller type
- You are sure it is a 24v system?
If the open circuit voltage is 24v, the MPP is probably around 18-19V and you are going to need a booster, not just a MPPT controller. Either that or the panels need to be re-wired in series, depending on the MPPT controller capabilities.
More data.
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26-03-2017, 17:30
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia
Boat: Beneteau, Oceanis, 34
Posts: 77
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
More date will be helpful. That said, u would bet it's voltage drop. Too long a cable at too small a diameter and you'll lose amps. Always my first guess.
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26-03-2017, 18:30
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 17
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
I'm new to this. Voltage is higher than 24 volts. I meant that I have 24 volt batteries. I'll measure voltage from the 3 panels and post. I'm away from boat right now for a few weeks
So I should measure open voltage from panels by dissconnecting each one from the controller and measuring voltage, right?
How do I measure Mpp voltage?
Controller is a photos cml10. It is not mppt
Thanks for getting me started
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26-03-2017, 19:30
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: On the boat, somewhere in Australia.
Boat: Swanson 42 & Kelly Peterson 44
Posts: 9,112
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
Quote:
Originally Posted by dm567
...
Controller is a photos cml10. It is not mppt
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I think that got auto-corrected.. probably a pho cos cml10.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dm567
I'm new to this. Voltage is higher than 24 volts. I meant that I have 24 volt batteries.
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My sincere apologies if this is obvious to you, but it may not be obvious to everyone... there's no chance you have two 12 volt batteries in parallel is there? That might look like 24 volts but be providing 12 volts? The reason I ask is that 24 volt systems are a little rare and usually used on large battery systems. Normally I would expect to see very large solar arrays connected to them (a few kilowatts) not a few 50 watt panels.
__________________
Refitting… again.
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26-03-2017, 19:31
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: On the boat, somewhere in Australia.
Boat: Swanson 42 & Kelly Peterson 44
Posts: 9,112
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
Quote:
Originally Posted by capblasters
More date will be helpful. That said, u would bet it's voltage drop. Too long a cable at too small a diameter and you'll lose amps. Always my first guess.
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Hmmm... sounds like you've been bitten by this one too hey?
__________________
Refitting… again.
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26-03-2017, 19:44
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#7
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: puget sound washington
Boat: 1968 Islander bahama 24 hull 182, 1963 columbia 29 defender. hull # 60
Posts: 12,113
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
My first question would be are you sure that your panels are 24 volt panels?
They would show extremely low if they are 12 v panels hooked into a 24v battery bank.
We really need lots more information.
__________________
Non illigitamus carborundum
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26-03-2017, 20:19
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bellingham
Boat: Outbound 44
Posts: 9,319
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
You don't mention the charge state of the batteries. Full batteries won't take high amperage.
__________________
Paul
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26-03-2017, 20:24
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#9
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Port Moresby,Papua New Guinea
Boat: FP Belize Maestro 43 and OPBs
Posts: 12,888
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
Quote:
Originally Posted by dm567
I'm new to this. Voltage is higher than 24 volts. I meant that I have 24 volt batteries. I'll measure voltage from the 3 panels and post. I'm away from boat right now for a few weeks
So I should measure open voltage from panels by dissconnecting each one from the controller and measuring voltage, right?
How do I measure Mpp voltage?
Controller is a photos cml10. It is not mppt
Thanks for getting me started
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You said that your charge controller is showing 1.9 Amps. The Phocos CML10 doesn't have a display to show current, so where are you seeing the 1.9 Amp displayed?
How many and what brand/model batteries do you have (and are they connected in series of parallel) ?
What was the SOC/battery voltage when you measured 1.9A and what latitude and time of day?
What loads were on the system at the time?
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27-03-2017, 02:03
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: San Francisco Bay
Boat: Fantasia 35
Posts: 1,251
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
24 volts times 1.9 amps equals 45.6 watts. This power is about what one expects out of a 50 watt panel operating at about 90% efficiency. Could it be that you have only one panel connected to the controller, or have only one functioning panel?
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27-03-2017, 10:36
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#11
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cruiser
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Charleston, SC
Boat: 53' Hatteras Cruising Yacht
Posts: 175
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
Wired incorrectly
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27-03-2017, 10:55
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Bermuda
Boat: Privilege 435
Posts: 586
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
I'm with Paul; if your batteries are fully charged, or almost charged, they are not going to accept more than a few amps no matter how much the panels want to give them.
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27-03-2017, 11:37
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: So Cal
Boat: Catalina 387
Posts: 967
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
Quote:
Originally Posted by StuM
You said that your charge controller is showing 1.9 Amps. The Phocos CML10 doesn't have a display to show current, so where are you seeing the 1.9 Amp displayed?
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Phocos has an optional remote display:
I'd guess 12v batteries, possibly the solar is wired incorrectly. Noone can know unless the OP posts back with much more detail.
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30-03-2017, 21:59
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 17
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
This Farr 50 pilothouse is from Europe and it does have a large 24 volt battery bank. The panels are listed as 24 volt panels from the manufacturers website and produce more than 24 volts. Yes, I thought the size of the panels were quite small, but I'm hoping they will at least keep the batteries full while I'm away should something happen to the shore power.
Yes I have the optional Phocos display and it was reading 1.9 amps. The batteries were full. I will test again with the batteries partially drained. It's a different model than the the one pictured but basically the same. I don't know if it reads the amps from the panels or to the batteries. It does have a switch and I set to the picture of the panel with amps written below it so I though it was amps from the panels. What happens to extra power generated that doesn't go to the batteries? I've never seen the controller hot and its small and I can't see any heat sinks?
I will retest every thing based on your comments when I drive down to the boat. It's in Enscenada Mexico.
Thank you for all the input.
I will post again when I get down there. I live in San Francisco.
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31-03-2017, 00:56
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#15
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Port Moresby,Papua New Guinea
Boat: FP Belize Maestro 43 and OPBs
Posts: 12,888
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Re: 3 50 watt solar panels producing 1.9 amps
Quote:
Originally Posted by dm567
This Farr 50 pilothouse is from Europe and it does have a large 24 volt battery bank. The panels are listed as 24 volt panels from the manufacturers website and produce more than 24 volts. Yes, I thought the size of the panels were quite small, but I'm hoping they will at least keep the batteries full while I'm away should something happen to the shore power.
Yes I have the optional Phocos display and it was reading 1.9 amps. The batteries were full. I will test again with the batteries partially drained. .
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Suggest you read up on lead acid battery charging. As batteries approach 100% State of Charge(SOC), their ability to accept charge at the set "absorption voltage" or "float voltage" decreases to zero or close to it. You can't tell anything about the efficiency of your solar system when your batteries are fully charged.
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