Is it safe to connect 3 solar panels in series to the Bluetti AC200MAX, each 405 watts.
The no-load voltage of a single solar module is 40 watts at 10 amps. So I would have 120 watts with a total of 10 amperes at the solar input.
The panels are not set up so optimally that they will permanently produce 405 watts per piece and I live in middle Europe 48° N.
So I would only exceed the 900 watt limit in summer with a cloudless sky.
Does the AC200Max suffer damage if the solar input exceeds the 900 watt limit, but the voltage and current are within the permissible range, or does the AC200Max limit the watt output of the solar panels to 900 watts without problems, even if more watts are at the solar input.
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You can overpanel I have 1000w going into mine in series. You just need to keep the VOC under the 150v the rest is not an issue.
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Hi @montgomery , Wattage and amperage exceeding will only be wasted, don’t worry about it.
Just make sure that the VOC of the solar panels when connected is within the AC200max range.
This is interesting. Can I try to be clear on the Amperage. I have 3 panels in series currently which produce around 1050w (voc 45, 11amp each)and I am happy that my AC200max just limits the watt input to 900.
If you say the the amperage isn’t an issue could I in theory double this so 3 panels in series x 2 in parallel so the volts are still under the 145max voc but the amps would be 2 x 11amps. This takes it over the 15 stated on the ac200 max manual.
Does this make sense? I’m just getting started on solar generator stuff. Thanks so much in advance,
Yes, you could do a 3s2p configuration (3-series, 2-parallel) with your 350w (voc 45, 11a) panels for a system total potential of 2100W. The power station will always control the amount of current it pulls and will never exceed its maximum (15A for the AC200Max) even if your solar panels COULD generate more. The result is that you’d generate roughly twice as much during cloudy conditions with a 3s1p config but not more than 900W on sunny days.
Thanks so much for replying. I know my question, in various forms is asked quite a bit on here, and whilst all say Do Not go above the VOC rating there seems rather a lot of folk saying that you can only go to or slightly above the amp rating. This was the first time I’d seen an answer from a bluetti admin saying that over amperage was ok.
Sure thing.
For what its worth and put differently: an electricity source’s current rating (ex. the sum of all your panel strings’ current at max power or Imp) represents the system’s potential in perfect weather conditions. The device that’s consuming the electricity can either pull as much current as the electricity source can provide, or, its internal circuitry can pull only as much current as it needs. Key here is understand that the control over the current draw is with the load device itself. What it can’t control, however, is the input voltage.
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“This was the first time I’d seen an answer from a bluetti admin saying that over amperage was ok.”
If it helps put your mind at ease, I’ve heard this from tech support before as well. I’ve been running ~2 kW capacity at ~120 VDC max, with no issues.
But, definitely be CERTAIN that you do not exceed 150V. The 145V you mentioned seems very close, especially since voltages change with temperature, amount of sun, ac200max charging load, etc. There may be some headroom to the 150C, but there’s no way to know.
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What is the VOC and how do we test for that. I was wanting to overpanel at 1000W. Is the VOC going vary based on the brand of panels, or should it be the same for all panels producing 1000W? Thanks
Yout dont need to test de VOC of your PV modules. The manufacturer of the PV modules has already done this for you and wrote this Values in the data sheets … and yes, its depends on the brand of the panels …
Look at the data sheet for your modules, there you will find the VOC → Open-circuit Voltage (Voc).
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But always remember that it could be slightly higher under certain conditions (very cold and very high solar radiation).