I hace a AC200P for my overland trips in our Land Rover Defender.
Also have an DC enhancer connected for the 12V while driving.
And a portable Bluetti PV350 which we can take out when we are camping.
I also want to put 2 flexible solar panels from Renogy on my Rooftop tent, they are exact the size I need.
But I can’t figure out if it is possible to connect 2x in parallel on my bluetti?
Hope some one can help.
The specs of the solar panels:
|Maximum Power at STC: 100 W|. Open-Circuit Voltage (Voc): 23.5 V|
|Short-Circuit Current (Isc): 5.51 A| Maximum Operating Voltage (Vmp): 19.4 V|
|Maximum Operating Current (Imp): 5.20 A|. Maximum System Voltage: 600 VDC|
|Maximum Series Fuse Rating: 15 A|. Module Efficiency: 15.7%|
|Operating Temperature: -40°C to 80°C|. Dimensions: 1093.0 x 582.0 x 20.5 mm|
|Weight: 2.4 kg|Output Leads (Pair): 12 AWG, 1 ft / 2.05 mm, 30.48 cm|
@PatrickSlegt The AC200P PV input has a VOC range of 35-150 V. With the proper interface, you will need to connect two of your 100W panels in series to charge the AC200P.
My 2 cents here. I haven’t tested that Renogy model yet (I suppose you refer to RSP100DL-36-UK) so it’s only experience speaking here. Considering the Vmp of 19.4Volts, you really need ideal conditions otherwise the setup might be almost useless.
2x Renogy 100W in series total 38.8 Volts.
AC200P’s MPPT requires 35V to start operating.
Under load (ie. recharing your AC200P), your panel’s voltage drops.
Unless you have the most optimum sun conditions, you’re never likely to get this much out of flexible / lightweight panels.
See an answer I recently shared on the forum with a practical use case of a flexible “100W” portable panel:
Adding a 3rd panel in series might help with the voltage drop under load… but then, please keep in mind that even rooftop grade panels don’t produce much before 9am and after 6pm even in summer. So consider that flexible ones will always lag behind. If you pack your tent during peak hours and hope for late afternoon / early morning sun to replenish your AC200, then it might not be ideal.
It just strikes me. You mention your Defender. That’s an awesome off-grid beast with lots of mounting potential. Did you consider this sort of setup? Always exposed to sunlight, no need for your tent to be outside:
Next one is probably more for the hardcore sun harvesters (needs some serious fixations to avoid the panel partially detatching on the motorway and covering your windshield… darwin award material):
(hint: that website has abnormally high price tags, I didn’t test the panels myself but flexible/portable ones should NOT cost more than 1-1.25eur per Watt)
