Hi, I’m new here and just read a lot of comments about solar charging issues with EB3A.
I had the same issues at first. It’s obvious, a PV of 100W is not enough: it’s too long for a full charge
So, I bought a 1st PV of 170W and after having calculated the average daily yield of 1 solar panel, I added a second.
Now I have 2 solar panels of 170W installed in parallel (never install in series).
With these 2 PV, I can get up to 195W input from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. then a decrease until 6:00 p.m.
When necessary, I have 6 hours to fully charge (a few days only) the EB3A.
I paid each PV 72 euros.
Now I am satisfied…
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Good to know @DenisTH. I might do something similar, because I have a portable 100W panel, which might not be enough if I understand you correctly. I also have a fixed 150W panel, which would already be better.
Just for my understanding, how do you make sure you stay under 200W for the EB3A? Because 2 x 170W could potentially go well over the 200W maximum that the EB3A can take according to the manual right?
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@Dvaer the Bluetti will only draw the watts it needs, so extra watts is not an issue. It’s volts, in particular OCV, that you cannot exceed over the unit’s maximum.
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As i wrote, i tested 1 panel first to check the maximum power : i get about 60% of 170W. Only after, i bought a second one.
What is important is to mount in parallel and use exactly same pv. In parallel, the power adds (170w+170w=340W), the VOC keeps same (22V+22V=22v) but the ISC(8.33A+8,33A=16,66A) adds. This is not important because Bluetti EB3A will get Watts et Amperes only needed.
In serial, VOC added (44V) and it is dangerous for the powerstation… Be also careful about a good position of the solar panel (angle, orientation, shadow) to get the best
Thanks for elaborating on your setup @DenisTH - that all makes sense. So connect the panels in parallel to keep the voltage the same and don’t worry about the wattage.
I tested today with a 150W panel in good sun and that worked nicely for me. Less so of course when there were some clouds at some point. So I’ll consider overpanelling as well.
Thanks again!
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You are welcome.
As i am living in Thailand, we often have electricity outages.
Don’t expect too much from this small powerstation. I consider it as a “backup” in case of electricity outage. I use it daily to load a respiratory machine, smartphones, drone, cameras and some others little devices.
I also use the 2 12V ports to plug in 12V led lamps.
Actually, i am waiting for the release of Ecoflow Powerstream in Thailand. I will install it with a big powerstation to feel safer about autonomy.
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Yes, I wasted 2 days of my spare time trying to find panels locally that fit their requirements. Until I hit upon a forum that stated the unit would ignore the overage. Now have two 200 watt panels and am getting a good charge.
When I had a single 200 watt panel I was lucky to get a third of that at noon. Cheap asian panels I suppose. Still, they’re inexpensive.
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