Heater element matched to solar panel output = diode string

[orangezero]

A few years back I purchased a dmppt450 from Electrodacus but did not have enough solar panels to use it. Now I have some more panels and ten 16 gallon plastic barrels with 18awg wire for some tests. It should be rather automatic which was the selling point for me. There wasn't any technique I read about that was automatic or relatively affordable.

I believe if you have enough panels the dmppt450 can do up to 31 levels. Thoughts?

How does this 2:1 or 4:1 switched load range you mention compare to the diodes testing? I thought a proper diode string could basically do better than any of these more basic manual or automatic switching techniques. I don't think I've heard any real negatives here that can't be overcome by using different types of diodes. 160c seems fine for heating water, no? And they can be super cheap in bulk. As best I can tell, my dmppt450 needs an actual resistance load and diodes wouldn't work, but a lot of people using Dacian's newer sbms0 design seem to be talking about using diodes.

I like the idea of using a long wire, as I didn't have to cut extra holes in my barrels and the heat is not as concentrated into a single, small element.

 

[gotbeans]

Just liquid cool your solar panels then they'll produce more power and you get hot water to use elsewhere

 

[SeaGal]

Just liquid cool your solar panels

Hmmm... "Just" is not the adverb that springs to my mind.