April 1, 20251 yr Not sure if this is the right place to post, but need some help with setup.We have a 10kw Kodak OG-10 inverter, with 2 packs of Kodak 5kw batteries. 2 strings of panels, east and west, 5kw on each string, each string going into one of the two MPPT's on the invert.The problem is that about 2PM we have a massive pine tree that shades out BOTH strings. We'd like to put more panels on a separate roof, but these panels are different voltage / wattage, so we couldn't add to the same string.Is there a way to attach a third MPPT to our system, and put that straight onto our battery bar? Would that screw up all the communication between inverter and batteries?
April 1, 20251 yr 34 minutes ago, JonanGrobler said:Not sure if this is the right place to post, but need some help with setup.We have a 10kw Kodak OG-10 inverter, with 2 packs of Kodak 5kw batteries. 2 strings of panels, east and west, 5kw on each string, each string going into one of the two MPPT's on the invert.The problem is that about 2PM we have a massive pine tree that shades out BOTH strings. We'd like to put more panels on a separate roof, but these panels are different voltage / wattage, so we couldn't add to the same string.Is there a way to attach a third MPPT to our system, and put that straight onto our battery bar? Would that screw up all the communication between inverter and batteries?In order to assist we need to know the specs and how many panels in each string to make up the current 5kW per string. Yes it is very important. The also the specs and how many do you want to add on the new roof and also in which direction does this roof face. Which part of the country as in town/city?
April 1, 20251 yr 3 hours ago, JonanGrobler said:Is there a way to attach a third MPPT to our system, and put that straight onto our battery bar?Yes, you could install an MPPT onto the DC bus. As long as this unit stops charging below the voltage that the inverter charges to, it will work. However, if the location of the existing strings are problematic, why not move a whole string? You could look into power optimizers if the shade is limited and you could cut down the tree. Edited April 1, 20251 yr by frivan
April 1, 20251 yr 2 hours ago, frivan said:Yes, you could install an MPPT onto the DC bus. As long as this unit stops charging below the voltage that the inverter charges to, it will work. However, if the location of the existing strings are problematic, why not move a whole string? You could look into power optimizers if the shade is limited and you could cut down the tree.This is an easy solution. I have been using the Epever MPPTs which are available up to 40A DC output AFAIK with input up to 150V from the panels.
April 2, 20251 yr 9 hours ago, Scorp007 said:This is an easy solution. I have been using the Epever MPPTs which are available up to 40A DC output AFAIK with input up to 150V from the panels.Hi @Scorp007 where do you buy the Epever units in South Africa? I also wanted to check are they more value for money than the Victron units as I was also looking to just add panels to the DC battery bus to help charge the batteries.
April 2, 20251 yr 1 hour ago, Greglsh said:Hi @Scorp007 where do you buy the Epever units. I also wanted to check are they more value for money than the Victron units as I was also looking to just add panels to the DC battery bus to help charge the batteries.TheSunPaysCharge controller technical specificationsBetween the PV panels ("rough" DC current) and the battery ("smoothed" DC current), there has to be a charge controller to: protect the battery from being damaged, and to ensure optimal current to...Have a look here for the Xtra model. I see they also list the 50A version. Part of the code is the PV input voltage. I have the Xtra 30A with dongle for WiFi remote or local Bluetooth.The unit auto selects between 12/24/36/48V batteries. Edited April 2, 20251 yr by Scorp007
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