Solar Panel Connectors
How do I wire 5 Solar Panels in Parallel?
I know the difference between series and parallel. My question is do I have to strip the special connector heads from the wires and just twist them all together or do I need a special piece of equipment or what? I want to make it as professional as possible. Any advice?
Do not cut off the MC connectors on the panels, you may void the warranty. You need to get 5 cables that have the same connector, and cut them in half, so you have 10 cables, 5 for the positive and 5 for the negative. Each half will have a connector on one side and stripped bare wire on the other. You can see an excellent video here – http://www.altestore.com/video/video-MC-Connector-Extensions-Primer-v6/
You need to have a breaker between the panels and the charge controller. A combiner box provides a method to combine the panels with breakers. http://www.altestore.com/store/Enclosures-Electrical-and-Safety/Electrical-Enclosures/Combiner-Boxes/Midnite-Solar-MNPV6-Combiner-Box/p4566/ Each string should have it’s own breaker, so in your case you have 5 strings of 1 panel, so you need 5 breakers. The negative wire of each panel goes to the negative bus bar in the combiner box, that’s what combines those wires. The positive line goes to a breaker. The output of all 5 breakers get combined by the positive bus bar in the combiner box.
The breaker size is either determined by the solar panel manufacturer, it will be listed in their specs as max fuse size, or the short circuit current (Isc) of the panel times 1.56, rounded up. So if the current of the panel is 1 amp, you need at least a 1.56A breaker, so 2A is the breaker size for you. http://www.altestore.com/store/Enclosures-Electrical-and-Safety/Overcurrent-Devices-Fuses-Breakers/Circuit-Breakers/2-Amp-Din-Rail-Mount-Breaker/p5811/?nav=detail-addon.
If each panel is 1A, the output of the combiner box will be 5A, make sure the charge controller is rated for 5A x 1.56 = 7.8A, and be sure the wire is big enough to handle that. There should also be a breaker between the charge controller and the battery, rounded up from that number, or 8A.
If you have an inverter, you need a breaker between the battery and the inverter too. That is determined by the wattage of the inverter, lets say 1000W divided by the lowest voltage the inverter can work at , maybe 10V, 1000A / 10V = 100A times 1.25 = 125A breaker. This info can be found on the inverter specs. http://www.altestore.com/store/Enclosures-Electrical-and-Safety/Electrical-Enclosures/DisconnectLoad-Enclosures/Dc/Midnite-Solar-MNDC125-Mini-125-Amp-DC-Disconnect/p2414/. The breaker for after the charge controller can go in here too.
Basically, you need a breaker between every piece of equipment. Panel – breaker – charge controller – breaker – battery – breaker – inverter – AC breaker.
You can see an example of a kit that has all of these components, and a schematic of the wiring at http://www.altestore.com/store/Kits-and-Package-Deals/Off-Grid-Cabin-Systems/Off-Grid-Cabin-package-2-260W-PV/p716/
This is how you do a professional, NEC Code compliant install. I know this is a very long answer to a short question. If you are interested in solar design, I highly recommend this book http://www.altestore.com/store/Books-Classes-Educational-Videos/Solar-Electric-PV/Photovoltaics-Design-Install-Manual/p481/
Solar Panel Connectors & Charging Cell Phones in Emergency
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Goal Zero Elite Guide 10 Power Pack W/ Batteries Can Also Charge Via Usb $34.99 Very small, about the size of a cell phone. Can also charge via USB. Batteries included. 1 x Guide 10 Power Pack, 1 x 4 Pack AA rechargeable batteries…. |