DIY Manual

9 | P a g e 10-543-1 REV A
DIY Manual
1. 96A x 12V = 1152W
2. 1152W / 250W (panel) = 4.6 panels
NOTE: In this example, round down to 4 or up to 6 panels.
What about the Classic 200 in 24V?
1. 78A x 24V = 1872W
2. 1872W / 250W (panel) = 7.4 panels.
NOTE: Round down to 6 or up to 8.
The KID and Brat are 30A controllers, so determining the wattage-quantity of panels each can
handle is easy: 12V x 30A = 360W; 24V x 30A = 720W; and 48V (for the KID) x 30A = 1440W of
panels. To allow for inefficiencies due to weather, line loss, dust, panel orientation, et cetera,
MidNite Solar allows the PV wattage to exceed specifications by 150%. This means total PV
wattage in a 12V system can be 500W; 1000W for 24V; and 2000W for 48V.
NOTE: Oversizing your PV array to account for inherent inefficiencies may result in excessive heat
of the charge controller. Ensure proper ventilation to help mitigate the heat build-up.
Concluding with the sizing example and tying it all together…
Let’s revisit all the assumptions and issues …
1. The load analysis calls for 4500Wh of energy per day.
2. For a 50% DOD battery bank, you need 9000Wh of storage capacity.
3. Using 250W panels, you need 3.8 panels.
4. You round the 3.8 panels up to 4:
a. Rounding up ensures you will have enough PV for the 4.7 hours of average daily
sunlight.
b. But wiring 4 in series presents a potential HyperVoc issue:
i. Use the Classic 200 as a solution. Trade-off being the CL200 outputs less
current than the CL150.
ii. OR … use slightly larger panels in terms of wattage and wire 3 in series to
keep the Voc low enough. Be mindful – higher wattage panels will have a
higher Voc.
c. Wire up 2 panels in series, then the remaining 2 panels in series, and combine in
parallel:
i. Wiring 2 of the 37Voc panels in series gives a string Voc of 74V, which is
good for 12V and 24V banks, but insufficient to charge a flooded, lead acid,
48V bank.
Classic Current Output Limits
Classic 12V 24V 48V
150 96A 94A 86A
200 79A 78A 78A
250 61A 62A 55A