Thank you both. I'd assumed if
panels were linked in parallel to a
single controller, it would not be able to maximize for both a shaded panel and an unshaded panel. I was surprised how little voltage drop I saw with six cells shaded, but did not measure amps in that situation.
noelex 77, thank you for that very complete explanation. How do separate controllers divvy up the demand from the
battery (and running loads)? Is the
Victron "local talk" required, or is the system dynamically self-regulating, each panel contributing amps based upon what it's capable of at the 14.6v of your example?
Is there a "system" upper limit of total amps? It would appear that my
panels are capable of significant amperage, all in. Is there a
danger of over amping
battery bank or wire on a bright sunny day, or does absorption capacity rate of battery preclude this?
With that in mind, I suppose my 1.8 Kw of proposed
solar might be a bit, just a bit, of overkill. I will have to see how the first three panels perform in the real world of the cloudy
Pacific Northwest while driving
refrigerator compresor, ancient two-pump WH
autopilot, and add in the spec of a
water maker.
Thank you again,
~ Erik Dolson