Can I mix the newer pv 200 panels with my existing sp 120's?

Hello,

From reading I see the SP 120’s connect serially and the PV 200 uses a parallel connection. Does anyone know if they will work together? Also, if they work together, will the PV 200 production be reduced in this configuration? Thank you for your help. Much appreciated.

Reg

You can, but it will essently turn the PV200 into a a120. When panels are connected in series the “amperage” must match since the string of connected panels will operate at the amperage rating of the lowest amperage panel. Basically the group of panels will operate as the weakest link can produce so yes the PV200 will be reduced to a 120 panel in general terms.

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While some people warn against it as if the panels will burst into flames or the charge controller will get fried, in reality what will likely happen is that you are reducing the efficiency of the overall array. In series, doing this will generally drop the amps to the lowest of the connected panels; if you have three 10 amp panels and one 8 amp panel in series, the whole thing will operate at 8 amps and you’ve lost some potential.

Similarly, if you do this in parallel the entire array will take the lowest of the voltages – so if you have three 22V panels and one 18V panel in parallel, the whole array will operate at 18 volts, again losing some of the potential wattage from the “bigger” panels.

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Hi @Reg,

Thank you for asking.
It is not recommended to use them together. Because they have different OCV and there might be a smell of burning.