[nathankaye]

Many may know that ive been using solar panels for quite a while now to charge my leisure batteries up. I simply used my digi controller to keep an eye on the voltage so I didnt fry the  batteries, (especially in summer) and as long as it topped it up to 13volts I didnt care too much for them. A small booster panel came out in winter months to help top up the battery and that was that, job done.
 But recently P&F went one step further and got a more powerful panel and recorded the ampage in and out with a MPPT controller which proved very interesting and so I went down the same route.

So now I have a 20 & 50w panels, connected together and fed into the MPPT controller then into a watt/amp meter to record the input a d then into the battery. Yet with low and little sun I felt it was pointless using the MPPT and connected the panels through the meter and direct to the battery. At most so far ive had a max of just over 2 amps going in, but its  becoming addictive to how i can maximise the input of free electricity.

So ive ordered these, as my supplier of the previous amp meter has ran dry, so putting a little faith in cheap china ones;



So when these arrive, i wil connect each panel upto a meter, so I can see the performance from each panel. As I have both tilted at angle, one forward facing and the other rear facing.
So i can record the input from each panel and connect them into the input on the MPPT.

[P @ F]

I have been tinkering too after seeing the solar yield fall through the floor !
I went up to that shop where we got them amp meters from , only 30 mile away or so and i was going to Varitech anyway .
I got some leads to enable me to swap between parralell and series wiring of the panels within seconds , seems to be working better in overcast conditions having the panels in series and then letting the MPPT work its magic on the over voltage !

Last Wednesday I had nothing in at all solar wise wired parralell , today is  much the same weather and with them in series through the MPPT its pulling in 1 amp an hour , bit of a result , its sat out there now charging for the morro 

[Mike Halliday]

I can Understand the fun of tinkering around, but would the cost of this tinkering never be offset by the cost?, meaning you will never recoup the money you spend with the free electric you produce.

Or are  you a tree hugging free spirit who lives off grid in a camper van....not wanting to give money to the evil electric corporations 

[P @ F]

I can Understand the fun of tinkering around, but would the cost of this tinkering never be offset by the cost?, meaning you will never recoup the money you spend with the free electric you produce.

Or are  you a tree hugging free spirit who lives off grid in a camper van....not wanting to give money to the evil electric corporations 

For me its not to have to lug the battery out every night for a charge , free electric is just a bonus really .
During the winter it will need to come out once or twice a week , and the summer is no issue at all , this is when i get more in than goes out .
As for cost , I got lucky with that , the whole system , 2 panels and all wiring , MPPT controller , 3 watt meters came to £230 all in , you pay more for a reel these days !

[nathankaye]

I can Understand the fun of tinkering around, but would the cost of this tinkering never be offset by the cost?, meaning you will never recoup the money you spend with the free electric you produce.

Or are  you a tree hugging free spirit who lives off grid in a camper van....not wanting to give money to the evil electric corporations 

Cant remember how much i paid for the 20w and 10w panels as I have had them for a while now. The 50w monocrystalline
Panel was £60   MPPT was £60  2*amp meter £26 and the new order of amp meters £24.  So its only cost £170 plus previous spend on panels.
Come summer i can charge both my leisure batteries, my trolley battery and my electric reel battery all for free!!  Yes I like free electricity.  I just dont do the mileage for a split relay and I dont want to be lugging batteries in most nights to charge them up as I run the main extension at night for the immersion heater.
Oh and yes, I pay the electric company enough already lol

[nathankaye]

I can Understand the fun of tinkering around, but would the cost of this tinkering never be offset by the cost?, meaning you will never recoup the money you spend with the free electric you produce.

Or are  you a tree hugging free spirit who lives off grid in a camper van....not wanting to give money to the evil electric corporations 

Cant remember how much i paid for the 20w and 10w panels as I have had them for a while now. The 50w monocrystalline
Panel was £60   MPPT was £60  2*amp meter £26 and the new order of amp meters £24.  So its only cost £170 plus previous spend on panels.
Come summer i can charge both my leisure batteries, my trolley battery and my electric reel battery all for free!!  Yes I like free electricity.  I just dont do the mileage for a split relay and I dont want to be lugging batteries in most nights to charge them up as I run the main extension at night for the immersion heater.
Oh and yes, I pay the electric company enough already lol

Plus i don't need to run the engine if battery gets low like some do with a split relay. So mostly its win win

[Og]

Bimble Solar will sell you a better panel quite cheap.