solar

Hi all l have a 80 watt solar pannel that has a 20amp fuse from the + on pannel to cantroller and 2 10amp fuses from +@- on controller to battery if l wire a second pannel in parallel do l need same fuses on second pannel. thanks to all
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Reply By: Battery Value Pty Ltd - Sunday, Apr 18, 2010 at 20:00

Sunday, Apr 18, 2010 at 20:00
Hello Ron O,

your solar panels don't need fuses, so don't worry about putting fuses on your second panel.
The only place where you need to put a fuse is on the battery positive.
If you're expecting the sum of all your load currents to be less than 20A, a 20A fuse will have you covered. If you think your load currents will exceed this amount, you'll also have to take a closer look at your wire size to avoid too much of a voltage drop and wire heating.

Best regards, Peter
AnswerID: 413477

Follow Up By: Member - Ron O (VIC) - Sunday, Apr 18, 2010 at 20:13

Sunday, Apr 18, 2010 at 20:13
Peter from controller to solar pannel l will have 6mmsq wire about 6m long with anderson plugs will this set up be ok Ron
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FollowupID: 683570

Follow Up By: Battery Value Pty Ltd - Sunday, Apr 18, 2010 at 20:27

Sunday, Apr 18, 2010 at 20:27
Yes, no worries Ron O, 6mmsq offers heaps of current leeway for your app.
Unless your solar controller is MPPT, a slight voltage drop won't make any difference in your usable solar amps from the panels because your panels act like a current source which effectively negotiates smalll voltage drops in the wiring.
And even in case of an a MPPT, a small voltage drop of around 0.1V would only account for 5% or so loss in available amps.

Best regards, Peter
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FollowupID: 683573

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