Troubleshooting a Solar Charge Controller 

+CLIFTON RICARDO RUSSELL We're always happy to hear suggestions. We do have a bunch of grid tie solar videos, here's a playlist, ru-vid.com/group/PLoHd6hGDqS06K8QJisE08SZQPMa1IehkV Is there something in particular you are looking for?

+altE Store Yeah overlooked that grid tie video,would love a numeral example of the breaker between the panel and the charge controller,the over-irradiance I have a problem with.An explanation would help me greatly,cheers.

+CLIFTON RICARDO RUSSELL I'm on it!

+George Gardinier Haha! Only 2 takes, I was running out of sunlight for the day, so Mother Nature forced me to get it right (enough).

Current is more affected by the intensity of the sun, so the voltage may drop a little, but the current will drop in direct proportion to the sun. SO if it is half as sunny, you may still get full volts, but only half the amps.

very very thankuu Amy u made my day :) (Y)

You can, but it won't work as well. Solar panels are rated with the sun hitting the panels straight on. The ideal year round angle is your latitude. For example, 42 degrees here in Massachusetts. In the winter, latitude plus 15 is best, so 57 degrees in the winter. If I have it tilted up at 90 degrees, it will work, but I'll get much less energy. You can see the video we did on it here, ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-m_YuPfShbCo.html .

I'm sorry, I've never used that charge controller, so I can't help. You can Google it and find the manual and some videos on it that may help. One thought is that the battery voltage might be too low for it to turn on.

Thanks for your reply,I try and google

miguel cassar Jim

It depends on what size battery you have. A 5W solar panel will only output about 0.2A. In a day, that's only about 1 amp hour (Ah). 5W panels are usually used as trickle chargers, just enough power for a battery that is sitting not being used, and refilling its self-discharge.

altE ohhh.. what is the voltage of the solar panel you used here?

These are two 5W 12V panels in parallel for 10W total. I'm charging a 7Ah battery, and really just using it for demonstrations. It doesn't make much energy for me to power anything substantial.

Over voltage is if the volts from the panel are too high. It does not sound like that is the case, as you have a 12V solar panel. Read the manual for your charge controller, many have the solar light blink to say that it is actively charging.

+George Gardinier Very rarely a panel may become delaminated, the backing may separate from the panel, exposing it to the air. Over many years, oxidization could cause problems. A poorly crimped connector (done by the installer) could cause issues, and is potentially dangerous (always use the right solar connector crimper, not just a wire crimper, or buy pre-crimped cables for the home run). Unfortunately, the biggest cause of damage to solar panels tends to be boys throwing rocks. The biggest solvable problem tends to be stuff on the panel.

I'm sitting here wondering why you care.