Newbie with no power

[clcdev]

I have 3 flex panels that purport to produce 600 watts each (I originally had 4 but after a major thunderstorm I lost 1). I also have a 30 amp solar controller, a 12v battery bank, and a 12v 2000 watt inverter. I cannot seem to get my system to work. The controller will not show me that the solar panels are connected (even after solving the loose wire connection with fallens) or filling the bank. The inverter seems to be stuck on empty. I followed all directions precisely. No crossing negative with positive, negative first, first battery then solar. The whole 9 yards. Help?

My thoughts are after doing some research to just use one of the panels and a 50 amp controller, but I would like the opinions of others who have more experience in this. Eventually I want to be able to use all of the panels and grow my system to 48 volt system.

 

[Mattb4]

I have serious doubts about a flex panel rated at 600w. This would mean it is close to 3 square meters in size or the size of a 4ft x 8ft sheet of plywood.

However the first question I have is do you have a DMM (digital multimeter)? You will need one to do any troubleshooting. The second question is that you give brand, model and make of the items you have.

 

[Rednecktek]

Those panels are a scam. I bought a set a while back just to see HOW bad they were and in the STC test rig they had a hard time hitting 75w each.

But yeah, you'll need a meter so you can do some troubleshooting and some sunlight.

Disconnect all the things before you start taking measurements so you don't get weird numbers.

Battery voltage? Type (LFP, AGM, FLA?)
Panel #1 voltage in the sun?
Panel #2 voltage?
Panel #3 voltage?
Voltage at the wires coming into the controller?
Are you connecting in parallel (with a Y splitter) or in series (one panel to the next to the next) configuration?
Budget for replacement parts?
I doubt it'll have it, but is there a data sticker on the back? What does it say?

Probable causes of issue:
Your cheap ass PWM controller has died.
Your battery (for LFP) has gotten so drained that it's gone into "Safety Mode".
Something in the wiring isn't quite seating right and the panels aren't getting to the controller (flakey Y-splitter).

The battery can likely be saved by throwing it on a car charger (assuming you're running a 12v based system) so give that a shot once you've measured it disconnected from everything. The charge controller is a cheap replacement part if you need something that "kinda works OK" but can be a bit of an investment if you want something "Really good and reusable in the future". Your panels are WWAAYY less than what they sold it to you as, so you may have to replace all the panels if you want to be able to realistically feed a 2Kw based system.

OK, get us some numbers and we'll help you work from there.

 

[clcdev]

So I used a multimeter on the panels battery and so on. Unfortunately the multimeter I have is a analog multimeter that only goes up to 300 volts. But the panels themselves were flying off of the radar. With a multimeter the battery was at optimal position. As for the solar controller I bought a Renogy Wanderer 30 amps. The battery is a Sealed Lead Acid battery Deep Cycle AGM 12 volt 2000 ah/20 hr also from Renogy. As for the inverter I have a JJ N 2,000 watt sine wave.

 

[clcdev]

I forgot to report that I tested all of the wires and they came out the same as testing the solar panels directly. That includes the Y splitters.

 

[clcdev]

When I get paid Wednesday I can buy a digital multimeter and see what that says. Otherwise also payday I would like to purchase an mppt 50 amp but I'm wondering if I should hold off on that.

 

[Mattb4]

You analog multimeter should be more than adequate to read a solar panel. Typical panels Voc is rarely over 50vDC. Likely the flexible ones are less than that. If you can't get a voltage reading I would bet the panels are no good.

 

[Rednecktek]

I have is a analog multimeter that only goes up to 300 volts. But the panels themselves were flying off of the radar.

Something's not right there, flexible panels shouldn't even hit 30v DC in perfect sun.

 

[clcdev]

When it gets sunny tomorrow I'll get some pics.

 

[JWLV]

Umm... Did you buy something like this? Cuz something like this is about 79990W of scam.

 

[clcdev]

That is not the panel set I bought.

 

[MichaelK]

Can you take a pic of the little meter you have? I'm thinking that most likely you have it set to the wrong parameter and you reading something other than DC volts. Does the meter have more than one scale printed on it? You might have it switched to 3V instead of 30V?

Yes, a cheap analog meter might not give you the most accurate reading possible, but it should measure something close. I'd start with solving that problem before you start spending more money.

 

[Mattb4]

That is not the panel set I bought.

Which ones do you have? As I already mentioned if your panels are not large enough to produce the rated 600w than that is a problem. Something that is sold with fake ratings is not to be trusted to work at all.

 

[wpns]

That is not the panel set I bought.

If we all sign an NDA will you let us in on the deep dark secret of what you bought, what kind of meter you have, and other important details so we can help you?

 

[clcdev]

Can you take a pic of the little meter you have? I'm thinking that most likely you have it set to the wrong parameter and you reading something other than DC volts. Does the meter have more than one scale printed on it? You might have it switched to 3V instead of 30V?

Yes, a cheap analog meter might not give you the most accurate reading possible, but it should measure something close. I'd start with solving that problem before you start spending more money.

 

[clcdev]

I was going to take a pic of me using the multimeter on the solar and the different settings that it provides but the sun decided to play hide and seek today. And by the way I tested it on every voltage setting and it maxed out each time. Including taking off the covered panel where the cords are attached to the panel itself so that I can get a direct flow from the panel.

 

[400bird]

So I used a multimeter on the panels battery and so on. Unfortunately the multimeter I have is a analog multimeter that only goes up to 300 volts. But the panels themselves were flying off of the radar.

As for the solar controller I bought a Renogy Wanderer 30 amps.

Based on my 30 seconds of googling, that renogy charge controller is rated to 25 volt max PV input. So, you may have already blown it up, 25 volts is really low. But, I agree with others, there's either something wrong with your meter or your usage of it.

Also, why the huge secrecy around the panels? Share a link or a pic of the specs from the back of the panels. Helping is going to be very difficult without info.

 

[Rednecktek]

You'd use the 60v setting to the right 2 clicks and the meter should go to the 100/20/4/BAD area. Have you got a fresh battery in the meter?

Based on my 30 seconds of googling, that renogy charge controller is rated to 25 volt max PV input. So, you may have already blown it up, 25 volts is really low.

That would make a HUGE difference. I'm thinking you may have fried the controller on a cold clear morning when the voltage was higher than normal and the sun was really bright.

 

[clcdev]

If we all sign an NDA will you let us in on the deep dark secret of what you bought, what kind of meter you have, and other important details so we can help you?

I bought them from Amazon and when I first plugged them into the solar controller that they came with it said 27.4v because we didn't have a battery or inverter at the time I immediately unplugged it and left it alone. Some of the responders did say that most of those type of control panels can only handle 25v so with it being shown 27.4v I'm assuming that they are correct when I said I blew the box. Because I originally did not know that that was the cause of it when I got the energy box and plugged it in chances are blew that one too without even knowing it. And I only plugged it in after I got the battery Bank in the inverter. As for the name of the company it's obtuse which is why I didn't want to share. Also because of past negative experiences others have had based on this conversation alone many people are quick to judge flex panels without giving others a try. However I do know it does work and well based off of the little information I was able to glimpse from it before everything went to pot. They're really isn't any stickers on them if there was they probably washed away in storms but I could get you some pics of the panels themselves when it's bright out right now it's a stormy day raining craziness.

 

[Mattb4]

Several things. You always connect the battery first to your SCC than solar. Voltage at 27.4v should be easily read by your analog meter. Flex panels are a common source of fraudulent wattage ratings at the moment.

If you can measure (do you have a tape measure?) your panels I can give you a idea of what they possibly can deliver in the way of watts. It is not a matter of flex panel prejudice it is simply math.

ETA: Did a little search on Amazon for 600w flex panel kits. I found one that has 4-600w panels (2400w claimed) however the size is 40.5" X 26.38" and even accepting their outlandish efficiency claim of up to 30% that still only would at best make each panel ~200w (.67 sq meters).

I also noticed the one review had a person mentioning that they had to re-solder the wires from the panels since they had a bad connection.