Fixed solar panels

I just got the AC200MAX and I would like to set it up close to my electrical panel with a transfer switch. I would like to mount some solar panels outside and ideally run some of my house from solar. But the primary goal would be that in a power outage I could run things like the fridge (125W) and some LED lighting and charge laptops, phones, etc.

So - my question. I want to generate 900W. Is it better to get 5x200W solar panels or say 3x325W panels?

I understand that I need to keep the voltage under 145V max, but other that that is there any advantage of having more panels or less panels that have higher wattage?

Thanks!

Excellent question, I dont know if theres a right answer to this. I would consider price and quality of panels but if they were equal I would probably go with 3 panels as opposed to 5. Less connections and hopefully less potential for malfunctions. If one panel goes bad you can still take it out of the array and not lose a lot of capacity.

I can only recommend the fewer panels which reduces mounting and cabling costs. In my home I plan to use 400 W panels as they are simpler to connect. I plan to buy four for 1600 W of solar power for my two AC300 units, which allow up to 1200 W each. So initially I will allocate 800 W each. And the B300 battery packs allow 400 W each, too.

Hey guys,

I run my AC200Max+1xB230 with 2x375W fixed Panels in series since last month.
Also have a transfer switch installed, to completely go from grid to PV.

It works. I tested the panels before they went to the roof.
Unfortunately it turned out to be only ~60% of the 2x375Wp (~450W) at the Bluetti Input at ~28°C outside with a little wind.

I really want to max out the solar input of the AC200Max at a sunny cold day without using the D300S step down module. Hard to predict what is the real max. power output of the panels.
I would not reach the 900W limit if I’d only run 3 of them in series, if the power efficency is always below 80%, which seems reasonable.
PV-Module manufacturer states a power loss of 0,381%/°C, so I would still be around 773W maybe @-10°C.
The single voltage of each panel is 41,54V open circuit, so acc. to the Bluetti manual I could also only run 3 of them in series.

Another alternative would be to run 2 series-pairs in parallel. Acc. to the Bluetti manual, the overcurrent would just be wasted. So I guess, I’ll give this setup a try.

Best Regards,
Bernd.

So with 3 x 325W panels in series I am maxing out the input at 900W @ 25 degrees C.

However, it’s only in direct sunlight. If there is shading on even one of the panels there is a large drop in power.

Even so, throughout the day I can run most things in my house from solar. I only have one AC200Max and no extra batteries so I need to be careful what I run at night.

I’m curious how well this will work in winter when I have less hours of sunshine.