CS6P-200 Canadian Solar PV / Xantrex C40 project - Page 5

Xringer · 03-19-11, 02:16 PM

Tested the two new panels with the 10 ohm heater load and the clamp-on Amp meter.
It was very cloudy, but all 4 panels were showing about 2.5A each.

Installed the new PV on the outrigger arms. Needed some pulleys to get the array back up. (On the center support arm).

Hazy sunshine kicked it up to 757 watts (8.7A into 10 ohms).

That's about 94.6% of 800 watts, which is surprising, since I have not yet reconfigured the load to 20 ohms..

Better get to work on that load..

Edit:
I may have to build another load. I just realized that one can not get 20 ohms with four 40 ohm resistors.
I could get 20 ohms by putting two in parallel, but two of these (at 250w each) will only be good for 500w..
All four of them are 1kw. So, I'll be staying at 10 ohms for a while..

It seems very weird that the meter showed 8.7 Amps.
These panels are rated at 7.68 shorted. (6.93 Imp). Maybe it was Cloud Edge effect?
Tomorrow is going to be real sunny. I guess we will find out if 10 ohms
is too much of a mis-match for 4 panels.

If 10 ohms turns out to be a bust, I'll try reconfiguring the panels into series-parallel.
The voltage would be the 1/2 (or same as two panels in series), but double the amps.
That would increase the line loss a bit..
I know that 2 panels work pretty well into 10 ohms, (over 400w many times),
so changing the panel config might be the best way to go..

Xringer · 04-01-11, 10:08 AM

Looked out back this morning and saw a bad April Fool's joke..
A large limb had fallen near the new panels! I Hope it didn't bounce off them.

Yeah, I know.. Those panels should have been installed on the roof..

techhi · 05-21-11, 12:44 PM

I got my 10 panels back in march and still haven't put them up yet to dam BUSY and need some tree pruning
also 10 enphase.
but now I need 2 more of these panels will just look better on the roof
best price I can find NOW is $400 plus $100 shipping unless I buy in QTY.
seen any lower ?

Xringer · 05-21-11, 05:42 PM

Nope, I have not seen them.. But I only looked once. Back when Snaketray sold out.

You've got 2kw, get them installed.. You are gonna miss out on some good sun (coming soon).

Speaking of 'tree pruning', I just went out and picked up a nice chainsaw..

I will be felling some trees and limb pruning this week.
Some of the work has to be done anyways, Solar notwithstanding.

Big tall trees, rooting in swampy ground, precariously leaning toward
the house, must be safely dropped, before they get too big..
Never should have waited this long..

Xringer · 05-22-11, 02:57 PM

Speaking of fine Canadians, I've been wondering if two of my CS6P-200 panels would
produce enough voltage to run my TS-45 charge controller into the 48V bank..

So, I put the 500w tracker back on the hot-water heater and connected two Canadians
in series for 48v bank charging.. (My backup system).

It's all overcast here, so turning off the PV to make the switch wasn't a big deal..
But, after I made the new connections, I noticed the TS-45 LCD was displaying PWM 20%
It was sitting in bulk before, not displaying any amperage of charge.
That's very promising. I guess the high open voltage of the pair (72.4v)
is going to allow it to work in some fashion.. I'm just not sure about
the Max power point being at 57.8 volts (14.45v per 12v battery).
That is not high enough to equalize (eq v=60.41v) at full power.
I guess an equalize operation is going to take a bit longer than normal..

Anyways, If I can't get close to 400w out of the pair, I may try putting three in series.
With 3 panels, the MPPV would be 86.7v and open Volts would be 108.6v.
A little high (and dangerous) but still within spec for the TS-45.

We have sunshine in the forecast for June 2nd and June 4th!

I'll report my results then..

Xringer · 05-24-11, 08:16 PM

Well, it was very hazy here today, but there was some power from the Canadian pair.
I saw the charger was running, so I tried Equalize, and it ran just fine..

It was up at 60.4v (15.1v each battery) and running a couple of amps at the start.
When I checked later, it was still at 60.4v but amps were at 0.5A ish..
After it was done, it went back to PWM charge mode.

I think this config is going to run just fine. My plan is to try using the full 400w
on sunny days (after the bank is charged fully) and not waste so
much juice on this old PC...

Now, I've got to figure out what I'm going to do with the other two Canadians.

Since the summer is coming, I just might put them in parallel with
the other two. (same voltage) And use the more that just the 400w PC load.
I could easily feed the downstairs freezer and dehumidifier this summer.

If the load jumps up over 800w, the batteries will pick up the slack.
And maybe even recharge a bit when the downstairs loads are idling.

My only worry is the higher current. Will the losses be killer?
I can't wait for some real sun to come along!

Xringer · 05-25-11, 10:44 AM

Wow! The dehumidifier hates MSWs!! It buzzes like crazy. That's without the compressor and fan running..
Must be a transformer type power supply for the controller..
Sounds like some really old hair clippers! And, this thing is almost new from H-D in 2010.

techhi · 05-28-11, 09:01 AM

Just picked up 2 x 200 watt Canadian solar to match my other 10 now I'm set just need to get a few more micro inverters and cut down some giant branches - got the panels for $900 shipped total for both much more then the $250 each I got for the 10 but all in average a great price below container cost - will need to start a new thread when i get time.

Xringer · 05-28-11, 09:15 AM

Wow, that's a lot of power capability. And, you will get the max out of your panels,
even if some are in the shade once in a while. Very nice.

Can wait to see the new thread. Take lots of pics!

techhi · 05-28-11, 10:01 AM

I marked out on my roof where the 10 panels would go and it looked like a big square 2 rows of 5 each
so I thought 2 rows of 6 would work/look better
just now need to get out the chainsaw and get ride of the shade

03-19-11, 02:16 PM	#41
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Cloudy, but still seeing 757 watts! Tested the two new panels with the 10 ohm heater load and the clamp-on Amp meter. It was very cloudy, but all 4 panels were showing about 2.5A each. Installed the new PV on the outrigger arms. Needed some pulleys to get the array back up. (On the center support arm). Hazy sunshine kicked it up to 757 watts (8.7A into 10 ohms). That's about 94.6% of 800 watts, which is surprising, since I have not yet reconfigured the load to 20 ohms.. Better get to work on that load.. Edit: I may have to build another load. I just realized that one can not get 20 ohms with four 40 ohm resistors. I could get 20 ohms by putting two in parallel, but two of these (at 250w each) will only be good for 500w.. All four of them are 1kw. So, I'll be staying at 10 ohms for a while.. It seems very weird that the meter showed 8.7 Amps. These panels are rated at 7.68 shorted. (6.93 Imp). Maybe it was Cloud Edge effect? Tomorrow is going to be real sunny. I guess we will find out if 10 ohms is too much of a mis-match for 4 panels. If 10 ohms turns out to be a bust, I'll try reconfiguring the panels into series-parallel. The voltage would be the 1/2 (or same as two panels in series), but double the amps. That would increase the line loss a bit.. I know that 2 panels work pretty well into 10 ohms, (over 400w many times), so changing the panel config might be the best way to go.. Last edited by Xringer; 03-19-11 at 04:30 PM.. Reason: Resistance to thinking ahead?

04-01-11, 10:08 AM	#42
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Near-miss?? Looked out back this morning and saw a bad April Fool's joke.. A large limb had fallen near the new panels! I Hope it didn't bounce off them. Yeah, I know.. Those panels should have been installed on the roof..

05-24-11, 08:16 PM	#46
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Thick Overcast 80% of the day! Well, it was very hazy here today, but there was some power from the Canadian pair. I saw the charger was running, so I tried Equalize, and it ran just fine.. It was up at 60.4v (15.1v each battery) and running a couple of amps at the start. When I checked later, it was still at 60.4v but amps were at 0.5A ish.. After it was done, it went back to PWM charge mode. I think this config is going to run just fine. My plan is to try using the full 400w on sunny days (after the bank is charged fully) and not waste so much juice on this old PC... Now, I've got to figure out what I'm going to do with the other two Canadians. Since the summer is coming, I just might put them in parallel with the other two. (same voltage) And use the more that just the 400w PC load. I could easily feed the downstairs freezer and dehumidifier this summer. If the load jumps up over 800w, the batteries will pick up the slack. And maybe even recharge a bit when the downstairs loads are idling. My only worry is the higher current. Will the losses be killer? I can't wait for some real sun to come along!

05-21-11, 12:44 PM	#43
techhi Lurking Renovator Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: S.Jersey Posts: 20 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I got my 10 panels back in march and still haven't put them up yet to dam BUSY and need some tree pruning also 10 enphase. but now I need 2 more of these panels will just look better on the roof best price I can find NOW is $400 plus $100 shipping unless I buy in QTY. seen any lower ?

05-21-11, 05:42 PM	#44
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Nope, I have not seen them.. But I only looked once. Back when Snaketray sold out. You've got 2kw, get them installed.. You are gonna miss out on some good sun (coming soon). Speaking of 'tree pruning', I just went out and picked up a nice chainsaw.. I will be felling some trees and limb pruning this week. Some of the work has to be done anyways, Solar notwithstanding. Big tall trees, rooting in swampy ground, precariously leaning toward the house, must be safely dropped, before they get too big.. Never should have waited this long..

05-22-11, 02:57 PM	#45
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Speaking of fine Canadians, I've been wondering if two of my CS6P-200 panels would produce enough voltage to run my TS-45 charge controller into the 48V bank.. So, I put the 500w tracker back on the hot-water heater and connected two Canadians in series for 48v bank charging.. (My backup system). It's all overcast here, so turning off the PV to make the switch wasn't a big deal.. But, after I made the new connections, I noticed the TS-45 LCD was displaying PWM 20% It was sitting in bulk before, not displaying any amperage of charge. That's very promising. I guess the high open voltage of the pair (72.4v) is going to allow it to work in some fashion.. I'm just not sure about the Max power point being at 57.8 volts (14.45v per 12v battery). That is not high enough to equalize (eq v=60.41v) at full power. I guess an equalize operation is going to take a bit longer than normal.. Anyways, If I can't get close to 400w out of the pair, I may try putting three in series. With 3 panels, the MPPV would be 86.7v and open Volts would be 108.6v. A little high (and dangerous) but still within spec for the TS-45. We have sunshine in the forecast for June 2nd and June 4th! I'll report my results then..

05-25-11, 10:44 AM	#47
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Wow! The dehumidifier hates MSWs!! It buzzes like crazy. That's without the compressor and fan running.. Must be a transformer type power supply for the controller.. Sounds like some really old hair clippers! And, this thing is almost new from H-D in 2010.

05-28-11, 09:01 AM	#48
techhi Lurking Renovator Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: S.Jersey Posts: 20 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Just picked up 2 x 200 watt Canadian solar to match my other 10 now I'm set just need to get a few more micro inverters and cut down some giant branches - got the panels for $900 shipped total for both much more then the $250 each I got for the 10 but all in average a great price below container cost - will need to start a new thread when i get time.

05-28-11, 09:15 AM	#49
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Wow, that's a lot of power capability. And, you will get the max out of your panels, even if some are in the shade once in a while. Very nice. Can wait to see the new thread. Take lots of pics!

05-28-11, 10:01 AM	#50
techhi Lurking Renovator Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: S.Jersey Posts: 20 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I marked out on my roof where the 10 panels would go and it looked like a big square 2 rows of 5 each so I thought 2 rows of 6 would work/look better just now need to get out the chainsaw and get ride of the shade