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Old 01-30-2019, 02:33 AM   #1
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Solar charge controller?

Hi all, for the past 2 years now I've been slowly building our solar system for our 27' Kodiak 240BHSL. I initially purchased a Renolgy 100W starter kit

(Renogy 100 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Starter Kit w/ 100W Solar Panel + 30A PWM Negative ground Charge Controller)

Next purchase another 100W panel and installed it on the roof, so I now have 200W on the roof.

Then finally I just installed a Victron BMV-712 battery monitor system.

Now I'm wondering if I should upgrade the charge controller to a MPPT? It seems that the MPPT is far superior to the PWM controller. More efficient and able to squeeze more power out of the panel to the battery.

My question is would it be worth upgrading to a MPPT controller?

If it is should I stick with a 30amp controller? Is there a reason to go bigger. My converter is 55amps.

The one I'm considering is a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30https://www.amazon.com/Victron-SmartSolar-Charge-Controller-Bluetooth/dp/B073ZJ3L13/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1548819079&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=victron+SmartSolar+MPPT+100%2F30&ps c=1&smid=AERMGYAT5R869

Finally, I have 2 - 6Volt batteries giving me 215 Amp/hrs

Thank you,
Randy
2014 Kodiak BHSL
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Old 01-31-2019, 08:28 AM   #2
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Apples and Oranges. In my opinion the MPPT is overrated on all but the larger systems. I did a bunch of research and based on my projected use and system size of < 400 watts solar 380 amps of battery storage I did not see an real advantage for me.

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Old 02-07-2019, 03:13 AM   #3
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PWM vs MPPT

I have the exact same system on my 242RESL. I to was thinking of changing the controller to a MPPT but could not find a flush mount one to replace the Adventure. What I have works very well and really do not need to make any changes. This past year I added the victron battery monitor and It to works very well to let me know how the system doing. Kind of hard to justify spending the money and fixing the hole the other one left.
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Old 02-08-2019, 12:28 AM   #4
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PWM vs MPPT

I agree with the others, the value of an MPPT controller over PWM is marginal. However, I did want to point out that MPPT controllers are nice if you want to run your panels in series. The advantage of series is that you get higher voltage and lower current, simpler to cable down. The disadvantage of series panels is that SOME panels will not perform well if there is partial shading. Series panels aggravate the shading issues.
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Old 02-08-2019, 04:17 PM   #5
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I think MPPT becomes a more economical choice when you are putting together a larger system, say >500 watts. The MPPT controller costs more than a PWM, but the MPPT controller allows you to use high voltage panels which are usually much cheaper per watt than 12V nominal panels. So at some point you can justify the more expensive controller as the cost is offset by the savings in panel costs.
But in a small solar setup, I don't think the increased cost of an MPPT controller pans out. But it can squeeze more charging amps out of your panels during bulk charging.
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