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Replacing the solar panel was the finishing touch to the electrical work. The main things I learnt:
– polycrystalline panels are blue; monocrystalline ones are black
– for the same size, blue panels cost about two-thirds as much and produce about two-thirds as much power
– cheap Chinese charge controllers don’t maintain a stable voltage and slowly, irreversibly damage the battery
– so it’s worth splashing out on a Victron Energy MPPT controller
– choose the controller’s maximum current by dividing maximum panel wattage by circuit voltage. I chose a 15A controller, able to handle up to 200W
– panels rarely produce their rated output: expect around 50W from a 100W panel much of the time
– AGM doesn’t like constant topping-up, so you need a switch
I bought a 100W polycrystalline panel for €75, a Victron 15A MPPT controller for €104, a switch for €33, MC4 connectors for €26, ten metres of twin-core 4mm² copper cable for €38, metal strips to adapt the panel mounting holes for €13, an aluminium mounting frame for €35, and M8 bolts and screws for €20. €350 in all.
Halfway through the day, I went for lunch at the restaurant by the neighbouring marina. An interesting dish: two fried slices of bread topped with finely chopped pork belly and a fried egg, with traditional German pickles — cucumbers and cabbage — on the side.
And so August, and the summer of 2023, ended in a flurry of repair work.
#maintenance
– polycrystalline panels are blue; monocrystalline ones are black
– for the same size, blue panels cost about two-thirds as much and produce about two-thirds as much power
– cheap Chinese charge controllers don’t maintain a stable voltage and slowly, irreversibly damage the battery
– so it’s worth splashing out on a Victron Energy MPPT controller
– choose the controller’s maximum current by dividing maximum panel wattage by circuit voltage. I chose a 15A controller, able to handle up to 200W
– panels rarely produce their rated output: expect around 50W from a 100W panel much of the time
– AGM doesn’t like constant topping-up, so you need a switch
I bought a 100W polycrystalline panel for €75, a Victron 15A MPPT controller for €104, a switch for €33, MC4 connectors for €26, ten metres of twin-core 4mm² copper cable for €38, metal strips to adapt the panel mounting holes for €13, an aluminium mounting frame for €35, and M8 bolts and screws for €20. €350 in all.
Halfway through the day, I went for lunch at the restaurant by the neighbouring marina. An interesting dish: two fried slices of bread topped with finely chopped pork belly and a fried egg, with traditional German pickles — cucumbers and cabbage — on the side.
And so August, and the summer of 2023, ended in a flurry of repair work.
#maintenance
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