question

stevecounsell avatar image
stevecounsell asked

Can I mix 2 X 12v & 1 X 24v panel into 1 MPPT controller

I have space on the roof of my Motorhome fo 1 X 200 Watt 24volt panel and 2 X 100 watt 12 volt panels.

Is it OK / Possible to wire these into 1 controller.

I'm thinking to wire up the 2 x 12 volts in series and then wire those with the single 24 volt in parallel giving me an effective 400 watts at 24 volts.

Also the 12 volt panels would lay "north / south" while the 24 volt would lay "east / west" on the roof.

TIA

Solar Panel
2 |3000

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

2 Answers
wkirby avatar image
wkirby answered ·

As long as the number of series cells is the same and the cell composition (poly / monocrytaline) is the same.
If your 24V panel has 60 cells and your 12V have 30 cells each then the configuration that you propose would work.

1 comment
2 |3000

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

stevecounsell avatar image stevecounsell commented ·

I’ll be using Victron Blue Solar so yes the 200watt has 72 cells and the 100 watt have 36 cells each. Perfect :)

0 Likes 0 ·
marin avatar image
marin answered ·

If all panels are mounted flat, it is not a problem, and like Wkirby stated it is effectively like summing up and the same as 2x200W 24V panels in parallel.

However, if the panels are tilted and mounted facing a different orientation, be aware that for each PV panel it means it has a different current / voltage characteristic at a time of day then the other.

This will mean the current - voltage characteristic isn't as clean as for a system with parallel strings with the same orientation. (the same problem happens with partial shading on pv strings in parallel)

When the tilt is limited, it is possible, but be aware that the result is a somewhat lower total power yield, since some energy is lost in the PV array. (no perfect MPPT)


2 |3000

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

Related Resources

Additional resources still need to be added for this topic