Bob you hit the ball outta the park. Covered it all, never went too techie. The newbies who are considering solar should listen to this video 3 or 4 times to grasp and absorb this important info. It is really important in selecting the controller which is the heart...the guts of a solar system. The panels are slaves to the battery and the controller is the master. Great job!
Thank you Bob I have watched many supposed professionals try to explain and build solar systems and you answered all my questions in one video with plain simple talk
Thanks Sir, and my thanks to the crew as well. I must admit I had to wstch twice. I was taken in and highly distracted by yhe background. Talk about the million dollar view. Film here more often, because you have found a little slice of heaven on earth.
Excellent presentation on Charge Controllers Bill. You were well versed on this subject and made it very easy for me to understand. Thank you so much for taking the time to help us learn more especially before we go out and buy something I personally know nothing about until I heard about this from you who has first hand experience already! 👍
I'm sure this was a great presentation and I did understand part of it. But I'm going to have to review this video probably several times since a lot of it went straight over my head. I'm not a newbie by any stretch of the imagination; however, I am so old school I never used any of these contraptions. I am trying to learn the best way and the least expensive because my money is tight and I will have to save for many of these products. To reiterate, you did a good job Bob and I watch you again over and over and over 🤔
Hi Bob. Ive been full timing for 2 yrs now. Part time motorhome part time minivan. I have noticed how within those two yrs nomad products including solar has changed for the better due to all your hard work. The way things are manufacturerd today are more geared toward the market of nomads. Go Bob!! Thank you!!
Bob, you have managed to make a tough subject clear and understandable in one go. A subject that previously caused me to lose the will to live. I can't thank you enough! I am no longer afraid of this "solar" business. Looking forward to your next tutorial!
Very nice presentation. Lots of good info but presented in a way that people with basic knowledge could understand. Felt like you were talking to me instead of over my head. Gary
I love how you explain things. I love your Passion it's just so cool I just get the biggest chuckle out of you and I learned so much you are truly a blessing I am sorry that you went through so much sadness for some time in your life.....it shaped you into this wonderous being you are now. Love you madly
We have whole house solar now so I always ask the sales person we talk to if we can add solar to the rig because it’s something we already believe in. Thank you!!
Good video Bob, you got a couple of the acronyms wrong but the information was right. PWM = Pulse Width Modulation and MPPT = Maximum Power Point Tracking. Not trying to beat you up just making sure everyone asks for the right thing. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for all the good information. I am in the electronics field but fairly new with solar. I learned a lot from you so i will be better off when i am upgrading my small system of just one sealed ups battery and one 100 watt solar panel. Thanks again and greetings from sunny Jamaica.
This is the most impressive setting for a solar kit video I have ever seen. I was expecting Geronimo to show up on a white horse and shot arrows at you like in an old western.
Wow, what a brilliant, simple, clear explanation of charge controllers! I must be AGM, i feel like I’m at 14.8 now after watching. We’ll be selling the house soon and out there with you before too long. Hope to see you some day.
Another "Cool" solar "thing" is one of those small ($100 size) portable packs. I use it to power my Service Cat's miniature USB connected swamp cooler, which is attached to her stroller. The solar keeps the cooler running, and a miniature battery charged.
Well said. I just got a deal on a 40 amp rich solar. I mind my batteries pretty carefully but like you explained a good charge controller will them fully charge and smart enough not to be boiling off your batteries lol!
Can't wait until your next solar info video as I'm just in the throws of making a decision on kits and what is best for my needs and you are giving me lots of food for thought in an easy explanation. I am so confused with all these technical videos plus those who say they are making it simple still make it full of tech greek .
Great vid, Bob. I'd have liked to hear about Controllers as they pertain to Lithium Batteries, and I heard that Batteries are the next vid, please include Controllers as they pertain to Lithium, as well. I know there are several components in a Solar System, I'd love a diagram that shows each component 'In Line' from Panel all the way to the Battery. That would be a great start to each video in this series, moving down the line as you describe each component. Thanks for your help and the love and concern you have for us!!!
Very helpful. I had been confused about why the two kinds of chargers, and what's the value of each to the batteries. Now I understand perfectly. :) (Made my day)
Frater Mus Oh shoot! And I thought I was buying American! Can you recommend a good cheap MPPT? How does Morningstar and other $400 MPPTs justify the high cost?
I bought a cheap 30 AMP controller off ebay for 8 bucks and it has worked great full time for over 2 years on my barn. BTW, I am using it well below it's rated power, around 10 amps. A 30 amp controller is often as cheap as a 10 amp. I would not go lower than 30 amp.
Bob, just an FYI...one other advantage of the MPPT controllers that you didn't touch on, is that a good one will usually be fully programmable in what type of charging it performs, which is especially important if you are using lithium batteries. with the PWM controllers, they are usually pre-programmed (and can't be changed) to work with a specific type of battery...AGM, Gel Cell, lead-acid, etc. with lithium, they need a constant, steady voltage setting when charging to get the most life out of them, and with a programmable MPPT, that can be done easily. as i'm sure you're aware, lithium batteries are very expensive compared to the other types of batteries (sometimes up to 10x more expensive for the same amp-hour rating), so you definitely want to do all you can to extract the most life out of them as you can.
a few months ago I picked up a Renogy 100w poly kit, and it came with a 30amp controller. They made quite a fuss about the ability to add more panels to that kit. :)
MPPT is the abbreviation for Maximum Power Point Tracking. Your rule of thumb of 10 amp SCC each 100 watt of panel is not always true. You pick a specific SCC based on total voltage (VOC) of the actual arrange of specific panels and the maximum amperage that can be delivered to the battery bank. Many times you can over panel a system, but you better know what you are doing. Nate at Explorist Life has very good tutorials on RU-vid that to me, is the gold standard for solar systems and more.
Hi Mr. Bob, just wanted you to know, because you made these videos so easy to understand, I now have a way to run my nebulizer, charge phone, small fan, cooler, inflate small anything etc. I live in Florida, we have power outages, I can cook, boil water and have enough canned goods to get me through a week or so.....but I was befuddled by all the solar info on the net. I had a marine battery, bought a Renology 100 watt panel & 30 amp charger. Harbor Freight has a great wiring kit for $9.99. It all works super and I can grow it. Thanks for taking the time and helping us "old timers" 70 and explain this tech to us....be safe....be happy......be well:) Martha
Well done Bob...as always.....What charge controller are you using that is $300? I am curious to know what is working for you and if you have an amazon link or something......
I don't feel good about my purchase of a 100 watt solar kit. It has a 30 amp PWM controller and I will use it with a wet lead acid battery. I understand that my battery won't last...unless I ensure that the voltage remains above 12.5 . Wish I had seen this video first Thank you Bob
I had 1,200 watts of solar on a 30 amp controller however there was only 400 watts facing the sun. 400 watts facing west, 400 watts facing south, and 400 watts facing east. So you can over size the solar above the rated current as long as they are not facing the same direction. Now the lead type battery is obsolete. A Lithium type battery lasts longer and is about half the weight. Lithium iron phosphate (LifePo4) are safe. You can use 100% of the power capacity. In the near future lithium battery technology will be available which can be charged in minutes instead of hours.
What would you tell me to buy to run a CPAP machine. I think for me a kit would be better since I’m not well versed on anything electric. It needs a regular plug not a USB connection. Brand name and model would help. Thanks
I wish someone would do a video on solar power in the Eastern states ? It has been a lot of cloudy days the last several months. Summer you would need a country acre of solar panels to keep up with air conditioning in this Bear of a humid climate
I am back watching again. I am considering solar charging tool batteries that are neither 12v or 24v. My tool batteries are 18-21v. So I am assuming I need mppt
There's no advantage to MPPT over PWM when the PV panel gets hot. All in all, Bob's right. I've had a PWM controller die at 5 and a half years. It was 45 dollars. I'd hate to spend $300 on a MPPT controller and have it die when the warranty is up. An AGM battery is a lead acid battery, it's just not a flooded lead acid battery. I wish Bob would tell us about his new refrigerator. I wonder if those refrigerators would last longer on 120 volt sinewave power over straight from the battery? If one has enough solar, I would try leaving the inverter on 24/7. No voltage drop might lead to longer fridge life.
Excellent info, Bob and presented in a way that's understandable. Thanks! I want yto be dure I understand something you said about MTTP charge controllers. When it calculates how much it needs to step down the voltage, you ssid the excess voltage is converted to amps. Does this mean the batteries will then charge faster?
I had a simple 12v system that did ok with PWM but not very impressed by it. When i built a new camper i went 24v and used a MPPT cc on 24v battery setup. (Used buck converter for 12v). Decided to go back to a 12v system so sold all of it. A day later remembered the CC would have worked fine just needed 12v battery setup. Brain fart. Lol.. new camper build i'm buying a single 200w panel and i have a new 40a MPPT cc. Our average draw is only 5A so more than we need but should be ok on a single 100ah battery. Entire solar should be about $600. If you check reviews and test videos you can find cheaper components that will do the job of the name brands. I can't see me paying more than $100 on a controller, i'm cheap 😂
