question

rolio avatar image
rolio asked

unused solar power

I'm new to solar energy. I want to buy a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 to charge the leadbattery in my old sailboat. I want to power it with a 100 watt solarpanel. If the battery is fully charged what happens with the leftover unused solar power? Can things heat up?

MPPT SmartSolar
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2 Answers
James Trotter avatar image
James Trotter answered ·

I assume it opens the circuit, so no

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nickdb avatar image
nickdb answered ·

The panel heats up until it eventually turns to liquid and melts a hole down through the center of the earth, until eventually ejected into space on the other side..

Not quite. :)

Like all chargers it provides what the battery wants and tracks the appropriate power point for the panels until it goes to sleep.

1 x 100W panel may be better off on a PWM charger, which tend to be better at such small requirements. Check your panel specs on the MPPT calculator linked to on the top right of this page.

This is where a skilled, authorised retailer should be able to help you with the learning curve.


1 comment
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rolio avatar image rolio commented ·
Thanks for your answer!
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