MIPV panel ? (1 Viewer)

Sep 10, 2017
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Ok, it's been a long road but pretty much settled on a MIPV solar panel or 3 up to about 300W. Anyone on here using them and if so what controller please? The MIPV man says they can whack out 30v+ which may scupper my LRM1218 option.
Advice please....
Thank you.
 

Freespirit1

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Ok, it's been a long road but pretty much settled on a MIPV solar panel or 3 up to about 300W. Anyone on here using them and if so what controller please? The MIPV man says they can whack out 30v+ which may scupper my LRM1218 option.
Advice please....
Thank you.

Yes I’m using them and can say you are making a very wise choice! I have fitted 4x55 w and 1x120w in series. Depending on your roof space I would suggest 5 x 55w. for versatility of spacing.

I have a discount code if your buying on line - just pm me for it if you want it?

I am actually using a Photonic Universe controller but the Victron one seems a good choice provided it has an input voltage rated at 150v - my 340w array produces a maximum of around 108volts. Mipv do actually supply controllers as well.

If you fitting the panels yourself i’m happy to give you any advice on fitting them :)

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Urs4_2008

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https://www.victronenergy.no/upload...ller-MPPT-75-10,-75-15,-100-15,-100-20-EN.pdf

Three panels in series will get you at 51 volts at v-max and about 66 volts nominal. 440 Watts pv at 24 volts is supported. The controller supports maximum pv vintage of 75 volts, and you will get maximum 15 amps into your batteries. If you have the cash, you will get a bit more charge (5 amps up to total of 20) with the 100/20 only if 1) your battery bank is low and 2) the sun is strong and 3) the panels are mounted directly towards the sun.

In other word; If your panels are mounted flat, I don’t see a point in forking up the extra cash for the 100/20. Angeled panels and you want to maximize production, and have the cash, bigger is better :)
 

Urs4_2008

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Yes I’m using them and can say you are making a very wise choice! I have fitted 4x55 w and 1x120w in series. Depending on your roof space I would suggest 5 x 55w. for versatility of spacing.

I have a discount code if your buying on line - just pm me for it if you want it?

I am actually using a Photonic Universe controller but the Victron one seems a good choice provided it has an input voltage rated at 150v - my 340w array produces a maximum of around 108volts. Mipv do actually supply controllers as well.

If you fitting the panels yourself i’m happy to give you any advice on fitting them :)

Remember when connecting panels in series it is extremely important to use the same wattage. You will get the added total wattage of n panels times the lowest output. Ie. 100+100+50 gives 150 Watts total. In parallel you get the total wattage, but the panels needs to be of equal voltage.

The Victron 75/15 supports 75 volts on the pv side. 100/20 supports 100 volts. Etc.

Freespirit1 you should connect bundles of 2x55 in parallel and configure the output in series with the 120w panel for optimal power production (to rise voltage in drop cable and thereby halve the power loss), provided your controller is a MPPT. If not, all panels should be in parallel, if they have the same voltage. If different voltage I would suggest a redesign with new panels or more controllers. Ie 2x55 in series with 2x55 in series with 1x120, which yields 330 Watts (you loose 10 Watts)
 
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Freespirit1

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Remember when connecting panels in series it is extremely important to use the same wattage. You will get the added total wattage of n panels times the lowest output. Ie. 100+100+50 gives 150 Watts total. In parallel you get the total wattage, but the panels needs to be of equal voltage.

The Victron 75/15 supports 75 volts on the pv side. 100/20 supports 100 volts. Etc.

Freespirit1 you should connect the 4x55 in parallel and configure the output in series with the 120w panel for optimal power production (to rise voltage in drop cable and thereby halve the power loss), provided your controller is a MPPT. If not, all panels should be in parallel, if they have the same voltage. If different voltage I would suggest a redesign with either new panels or 2 different, separate controllers.

Thank you for your concerns- however my set up is working very well thank you and I have no intention of running it other than in series :)

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Urs4_2008

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If all 5 panels are in series I would be surprised if you ever see more than 5x55 Watts meaning 275 watts on a premium day angeled panels etc :) But it’s just an advice. You only loose 65 watts running all in series.
 
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Thank you people. As always a few answers, which is good apart from confusing a little fat Vans even more ;-)
 

Urs4_2008

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Thank you people. As always a few answers, which is good apart from confusing a little fat Vans even more ;-)
Please share your confusion, and we'll try to set you straight :)

To be clear; Configuring your 3x100 watt panels in series is supported on the victron MPPT 75/15. This will be a good solution for you :) Also, buy the bluetooth dongle along with the controller. This will allow you to download an app on your phone to see all charging data and configure different settings on the MPPT controller - which is simply excellent.

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Urs4_2008

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Different options / information in the Victron app:

IMG_3097.PNG
IMG_3098.PNG
IMG_3099.PNG
IMG_3100.PNG
 

Urs4_2008

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Simplified info regarding solar systems on RV:

1) How much power do you consume pr day?
2) How many days of bad charging conditions will you need?
3) Can you mount the panels at an angle towards the sun?
4) Spend the extra money to get a quality MPPT charger. More efficient.
5) If you spent the money for a quality MPPT charger, connect the solar panels in series to up the voltage in the drop cable and thereby reduce the cable loss / inefficiency.
6) If you get a PWM controller (cheaper) all panels must be connected in parallel, will require thicker cables from panels down to charger, and a bitt less efficiency in the solution.

More panels / capacity is better as you will get more charging in less than optimal conditions as long as you have the means to buy them.

1) Your actual power consumption:
A good battery monitor (ie. Bogart Engineering Trimetric TM2030-RV http://www.bogartengineering.com/products/trimetrics.html or the Victron BM700, 702 or 712) mounted in advance will give you statistical usage history, which will help you to determine optimal solar setup based on your actual needs.

Ie. the battery monitor might show that your regular usage when boondocking is 25 amp hours pr day. If you're running lead acid of some sort, they should not be run down below about 50%. If you want to be able to be boondocking for 3 days with bad weather (no sun) in a row, you will need 25x3=75 amp hour battery. But since you're aiming for not running it below 50%, you will need 75ah x 2 = 150 ah battery capacity. Most RVs has space for about 2 x 95ah batteries. In my experience even cheap batteries work just fine, as long as you have a good charging solution and keep them topped up at "all times".

2) How many days of bad charging do you need?
When it comes to recharging this used capacity, lets assume the 4. day is a sunny day, you will need to recharge the used 25ah x 3 plus the usage the 4. sunny day, meaning 100 ah that will need to be replaced on the 4th day. Assuming summer time (8 hours of charging), great conditions, angled panels - you will need to replace (charge) 100ah / 8 hours = 12,5 ah pr. hour. Maximum output for a 100 watt panels is about 5 amps. This means that 3 100watt panels will yield 15 amps pr hour of sun, which is a bit more than the 12,5 you need. When running lead acid you will always need to put more ah into the batteries than you take out, so this is quite optimal.

3) Can you mount the panels at an angle?
But most of us isn't able to angle the panels, meaning that you will need about 40-50% more panels to get the same production when mounted on a flat roof. Worst case; 300w x 150% = 450 watts. Rounded up will be 5 100 watts panels. 5 panels in series will generate in excess of 110 volts, which will demand a charge controller which supports this high voltage. (Be careful when handling this or get some help). An option to reduce voltage a bit is to go for 6 100 watts panels, running 3 in series paralleled with another 3 in series. This will generate a voltage of ~70, which many MPPT controllers will handle. But to do this, you will need an even number of panels (2, 4, 6, 8 etc). 600 watts of charging (if angled etc) can generate as much as 50 amps+ charging current if the batteries are depleted. So a Victron 100/50 would be a great option in this scenario. Charge current will be limited to 50 amps.

Either this, or reduce usage, or accept another way of charging if you will need more days without sun or lesser sun charging capacity.

Victron's series of MPPT chargers are named things like 75/10 or 100/20, or 150/70. The first number (ie 75/15) means it supports a solar panel array input voltage of up to 75 volts. In practice this means 3 "12 volt panels" or 2 "24 volt panels". The second number (75/10) means it supports a charge current of 10 amps towards the batteries.

2030RV-2.jpg


This is my latest install in my RV:
https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/added-800w-solar-to-hymer-exsis-i.171114/
 
Last edited:

Freespirit1

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Sep 3, 2013
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Short while after a gap of many years.
Simplified info regarding solar systems on RV:

1) How much power do you consume pr day?
2) How many days of bad charging conditions will you need?
3) Can you mount the panels at an angle towards the sun?
4) Spend the extra money to get a quality MPPT charger. More efficient.
5) If you spent the money for a quality MPPT charger, connect the solar panels in series to up the voltage in the drop cable and thereby reduce the cable loss / inefficiency.
6) If you get a PWM controller (cheaper) all panels must be connected in parallel, will require thicker cables from panels down to charger, and a bitt less efficiency in the solution.

More panels / capacity is better as you will get more charging in less than optimal conditions as long as you have the means to buy them.

1) Your actual power consumption:
A good battery monitor (ie. Bogart Engineering Trimetric TM2030-RV http://www.bogartengineering.com/products/trimetrics.html or the Victron BM700, 702 or 712) mounted in advance will give you statistical usage history, which will help you to determine optimal solar setup based on your actual needs.

Ie. the battery monitor might show that your regular usage when boondocking is 25 amp hours pr day. If you're running lead acid of some sort, they should not be run down below about 50%. If you want to be able to be boondocking for 3 days with bad weather (no sun) in a row, you will need 25x3=75 amp hour battery. But since you're aiming for not running it below 50%, you will need 75ah x 2 = 150 ah battery capacity. Most RVs has space for about 2 x 95ah batteries. In my experience even cheap batteries work just fine, as long as you have a good charging solution and keep them topped up at "all times".

2) How many days of bad charging do you need?
When it comes to recharging this used capacity, lets assume the 4. day is a sunny day, you will need to recharge the used 25ah x 3 plus the usage the 4. sunny day, meaning 100 ah that will need to be replaced on the 4th day. Assuming summer time (8 hours of charging), great conditions, angled panels - you will need to replace (charge) 100ah / 8 hours = 12,5 ah pr. hour. Maximum output for a 100 watt panels is about 5 amps. This means that 3 100watt panels will yield 15 amps pr hour of sun, which is a bit more than the 12,5 you need. When running lead acid you will always need to put more ah into the batteries than you take out, so this is quite optimal.

3) Can you mount the panels at an angle?
But most of us isn't able to angle the panels, meaning that you will need about 40-50% more panels to get the same production when mounted on a flat roof. Worst case; 300w x 150% = 450 watts. Rounded up will be 5 100 watts panels. 5 panels in series will generate in excess of 110 volts, which will demand a charge controller which supports this high voltage. (Be careful when handling this or get some help). An option to reduce voltage a bit is to go for 6 100 watts panels, running 3 in series paralleled with another 3 in series. This will generate a voltage of ~70, which many MPPT controllers will handle. But to do this, you will need an even number of panels (2, 4, 6, 8 etc). 600 watts of charging (if angled etc) can generate as much as 50 amps+ charging current if the batteries are depleted. So a Victron 100/50 would be a great option in this scenario. Charge current will be limited to 50 amps.

Either this, or reduce usage, or accept another way of charging if you will need more days without sun or lesser sun charging capacity.

Victron's series of MPPT chargers are named things like 75/10 or 100/20, or 150/70. The first number (ie 75/15) means it supports an solar panel array input voltage of up to 75 volts. In practice this means 3 "12 volt panels" or 2 "24 volt panels". The second number (75/10) means it supports a charge current of 10 amps towards the batteries.

View attachment 218009

This is my latest install in my RV:
https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/added-800w-solar-to-hymer-exsis-i.171114/

Man!! Your on a roll eh! Lol - but all very informative - thanks :)

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andy63

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Interesting discussion..(y)
The series , parallel debate is a long standing one...
Ive always thought that parallel might be more suited to the motorhome enviroment... because of the shading effect on any panel reducing the output of the whole array if they are series wired..
Most motorhomes dont have the number of pannels been discussed here..
What is the maximum power that the victron 75/15 controler can handle charging 12v batteries
Im not sure ive got that from reading the information..
Andy.

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Freespirit1

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Interesting discussion..(y)
The series , parallel debate is a long standing one...
Ive always thought that parallel might be more suited to the motorhome enviroment... because of the shading effect on any panel reducing the output of the whole array if they are series wired..
Most motorhomes dont have the number of pannels been discussed here..
What is the maximum power that the victron 75/15 controler can handle charging 12v batteries
Im not sure ive got that from reading the information..
Andy.

Look - if you are concerned about shading and series / parallel then the Mipv CIGS panels are definitely for you!! Series every time with these provided your controller will take the higher voltages.

These panels have bipass diodes on every other cell within each panel and each panel has a bipass diode - shading really isn’t an issue except we don’t really want any shading of course :)
 
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Urs4_2008

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Interesting discussion..(y)
The series , parallel debate is a long standing one...
Ive always thought that parallel might be more suited to the motorhome enviroment... because of the shading effect on any panel reducing the output of the whole array if they are series wired..
Most motorhomes dont have the number of pannels been discussed here..
What is the maximum power that the victron 75/15 controler can handle charging 12v batteries
Im not sure ive got that from reading the information..
Andy.
True about the partial shading and connecting in series, but if you have solar and need to charge, would you park in a partly clouded spot? If you have antennaes and things on the roof which generates a bigger bit of shading on a regular basis I would also consider parallel and a thicker cable.

The Victron 75/15 supports up to 15 amps charge rate on the battery side.
 

andy63

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ook - if you are concerned about shading and series / parallel then the Mipv CIGS panels are definitely for you!!
I didnt know that..
I was aware that bipass diodes were built into pannels for that reason but
But didnt know it was to that extent..
And most of the panels ive had anything to do with only had blocking diodes as far as i was able to find out..
Thanks for that..
Andy..

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andy63

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If you have antennaes and things on the roof which generates a bigger bit of shading on a regular basis I would also consider parallel and a thicker cable.
I usually carry a 5m long sea kayak
Not really ideal:LOL:
Andy
 

hilldweller

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If all 5 panels are in series I would be surprised if you ever see more than 5x55 Watts

We have already done this in another thread, you are correct but maybe he is too.

You see his bigger panel is also double the voltage of the 55W ones so I guess it is electrically 2x55W in series.

I'm not sure if I ever asked him what happens if he blocks a single panel. This may drag the whole lot down, which would not happen if parallel wired.

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Urs4_2008

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Look - if you are concerned about shading and series / parallel then the Mipv CIGS panels are definitely for you!! Series every time with these provided your controller will take the higher voltages.

These panels have bipass diodes on every other cell within each panel and each panel has a bipass diode - shading really isn’t an issue except we don’t really want any shading of course :)
I haven't found any review showing testing of these panels. Do you have any sources?
Nice(y) I bet that paddles lovely.

Martin
When assembled it’s quite good! When disassembled it’s very hard to even stay afloat :D
 

Freespirit1

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funflair

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I would like to see these CIGS panels tested side by side with some rigid Silicon, as they certainly make some impressive claims for them.

Martin
 
OP
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Ok, just re read every reply a few times. Thank you!
So if I go down the MIPV route I plan to have a 240w panel (2 x 110) and later a 110w panel on it's own if I find I am running out of juice. The man at MIPV tells me they can chuck out over 30v, I guess this is per panel? So am I right in thinking I will need a controller that will take 90v & 25w if I put all three panels up wired in series?
Up till now I though I was a bit of a techie... ;-)
Ta for all the feedback.

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