Hello I’m a bit of a novice on the electrical front - hence my investment in the Apex300. I used AI to provide us with a charging solution and have just ended up cancelling an order that I placed for 4 solar panels !! So first things first don’t trust AI 100%
Having bought the the Bluetti T1Alternator charger this connects to 1 of the 2 DC imputs
I will use the 2nd input for a two panel solar array 200W x 2
However, these Renogy 200W ShadowFlux N-Type anti-shadow panels create a critical volage issue if wired in series!
Solution : Two Panels in Parallel
Power: 400W total
Voltage: 36.5V ✓ (stays same in parallel)
Current: 6.86A × 2 = 13.72A ✓ (within 20A limit)
Wiring: More complex parallel connection
My question is simple - is this OK or should I look at using another panel type that does not exceed the Apex300 power limit when wired in series. Apologies if this sounds like a real dumb question to those of you who understand electricity / solar energy fluently.
Thank you for sharing your charging solution! Your plan is feasible. Connecting two Renogy 200W ShadowFlux N solar panels in parallel will keep the voltage at 36.5V while the current remains within the Apex300’s 20A limit, which is safe.
If you’re still learning about electricity and solar power, that’s perfectly fine; asking questions is part of the learning process! If you have any further questions or need more assistance, feel free to ask.
hi chris! I also have Renogy 200W ShadowFlux Anti-Shading N-Type (3 of them so 600w total) with a GoalZero battery and was looking to upgrade to the Apex300. I was doing research when I came upon this post just worrying about this! So glad to hear it’s feasible, it looks like a great battery! How are you experiencing the battery and did the parrallel panels work for you??
Hi Littlemissfiguringitout, in the end we’ve opted to keep 2 of the 175w panels that we ordered. So we’ve gone from a 800w array to 350w! The reasons quite simple space on the roof and only 2 dc power inputs on the Apex300. I’m sure it would have been feasible to use an external MPPT box to control the output and then input that to the Bluetti but not being a genius on the solar front I want to keep it manageable / I can resolve things if it screws up.
However, the difference between 350 and 800w charging leaves me a little in doubt as to how long we will be able to stay off grid. So it’s gonna be a suck it and see job for us - a couple of test short runs before we set off on our extended voyage. If necessary we’ll add an additional battery that’s the beauty of this kit.
The other thing is make sure if you conclude your purchase to set the voltage on the Bluetti App. as the DC inputs by default are apparently, set to Other and not solar - obviously they need to be configured to Solar and the correct output prior to plugging them in.
I hope this helps a little - we’ve not started using out power bank in situe yet but from the materials we’ve received & the service we’ve had Bluetti appear to be right on point and we’re very happy to date.