Mono vs Poly vs Flexible Solar Panel + Series vs Parallel Wiring
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ย. 2017
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When it comes to choosing a solar panel that will work best for your needs, there are lots of variables that you need to consider: monocrystalline vs polycrystalline, hard panels vs flexible panels, wiring the solar panels in series vs parallel or a combination of the two. This video will help bring clarity to these decisions you will need to make.
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Disclaimer → None of the diagrams or added images are my own... they are simply being used to illustrate these concepts and ideas.
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Hi! We are Michael + Jenny Justus. We post videos on our life of alternative + sustainable + healthy living. Our desire to live a more meaningful life led us to concoct a crazy plan: Downsize our belongings, ditch the "9-5," and move full-time into a solar-powered, self-sustainable tiny home on wheels with our two dogs, Chase + Roni. Taking this leap into the unknown has completely transformed our future, so be sure to hit that SUBSCRIBE button, join the Justus League, and follow along to see where the journey take us!
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Hey fam. Michael here. I hope you enjoyed the video and found it helpful and entertaining. If you've ever considered installing solar on your home, my day job outside of TH-cam is solar consulting. If you’d like to schedule a free - no obligation - solar consultation to see what the options are for you to switch to solar, save money, and become energy independent, please click this link and enter your zip code to see if your home qualifies:
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I'm an electronic's technician and I've done quite a bit of research into this subject. I have to say that you've done a fantastic job of explaining this. I couldn't have done any better ... as a matter of fact, I really couldn't have done as well! keep up the good work.
Indeed, a fantastic explanation, for both - experienced and unexperiencied people! Congratulation.
Can you email the wire diagram?
Amazing explanation. well done. Thanks
For a person new to these concepts, comparing a solar panel to a battery (AA for example) can really help to bridge the concepts. They can use a couple of batteries and see how connecting in parallel vs series changes the voltage. Then the solar panel discussions can make more sense.
Thanks for the great intro video.
Ive been researching solar and trailer coversions into campers for the last year+ and i love the fact that so many of you guys inherently give credit whare it is due. ( referrence to another youtuber (Gone with the wynns)) you guys are great
35 years in Telecom trade.
Touched pretty much everything from battery Banks to transmission lines. Central office installations. Microwave tower construction. You name it.
You have done an outstanding presentation Justus!!! Great Job!!!
I just found you yesterday and I'm basically just watching all of your videos. I absolutely love how you present information. I feel like you're very in-depth in your explanation but it's stated in a way that makes it so easy to understand. So many people who are doing RV renovation just gloss over how exactly to do things but you actually explain all the steps to do everything. It's so helpful and I'm so happy I found your channel right when I'm about to buy my first RV which is gonna be a 1987 allegro. Thanks for everything you're doing. Have a wonderful day!
You can eliminate the whole series panels going down in shade with a bypass diode. This should always be included in a series wired install so failure of one panel does not stop the output. Generally running panels in series up to 300vdc sections in series is best bet for reasonable controllers. Heavy parallel amps creates a lot of heat and requires heavy duty controls
Thanks for this contribution.
Please how can one include the bypass diode to serve this purpose?
I have my panels set in sets of 9 240 watt panels. Having do a lot of heavy electrical work. I took my panels and set them up then I took a large cardboard and covered a panel I lost the out put from that panel and nothing more. I also covered just a spot of one panel and I lost about half of that panels out put. I have contacted the builder and they said all of there panels made over the last 10 years have bypass diodes built into them to reduce the lose. Now what I have found is two of my sets of 9 panels are then tied together and then I would block off one panel in one group of 9 and it dropped at the combiner the output of doth sets as if they only have 8 panels working together.
Michael, you are a very good and patient teacher. Thank you for the thorough instruction on solar arrays.
Thank you! I'm still a bit overwhelmed but you have lifted at least a layer from this mystery for me. As a visual person, your side-by-sides & your diagrams are invaluable.
Your video is saved & you've earned a new fan. 👏👏👏👏👏
💞👵
Cool i to follow you advertise
Got my system in a kit, and it works great. Only comes in series. Now I have done my research and I will say you have put things out very direct and simple. The visual aids really helped. Excellent work.
WOW Michael, you did an amazing job on this solar series!!! You explained it and broke it down very well. I learned a lot.... Well Done!!! Thanks!!!
+Shel Ribelin Thank you Shel! That’s so nice of you to say 😊 I’m so glad you got some value out of it 👍🏼 Thanks for watching!
Well done one of the best breakdowns of it. Well done sir.
Thanks Roger 😎
That was the best and most comprehensive explanation of solar I've seen to date. You set the bar very high with this video. Awesome job sir!
Thanks. This is probably the most informative explanation I've seen yet on TH-cam of the in series/parallel options for wiring solar panels. Great job!
you mentioned gone with the wynns and I freaked out!!! That's crazy I literally came from their channel because I was interested in solar!!!!!!
GREAT EXPLANATION! I finally learned the in depth info I was looking for!
Hello Justus, I am very impressed by the way you explain this concept of wiring solar panels both in series and parallel. Aside from the different classifications and benefits with disadvantages of types of panel. I have learned a great deal of knowledge. Respect Botherly!
Thanks for demystifying this subject for the rest of us. You've explained it in such a way that even the average Joe (like myself) can follow along. THANK YOU!
Great series. The information is presented very well so just about anyone can understand the basic concepts. Good job!
Yes, you are right. He has clear all the concepts regarding the solar panel
I am very much agreed with your comment
Awesome video ! The way you explained it made my 2 year old brain understand it, only thing is what system works best for someone whos boondocking alot more and doesnt want to fire up his/ her generator? I am guessing the parallel with the more amps?
interesting points ,if anyone else wants to uncover easy to install solar power try Magonsi Solar System Expert (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? Ive heard some super things about it and my m8 got cool results with it.
Produceeee Green Energy . How to produce free energy using a simple device. > bit.ly/2C0qCeE?-your-home-solar-panels
thanks so much for the great video on solar and I'm looking forward to viewing the entire series. Great job!
Best info on solar for off grid! Thanks for all the effort it takes to put together these videos. Really appreciate it.
i have been watching lot of solar panel array videos to find a suitable system for me.. by far this is the best video explaining everything i needed to know..thank you @Duet Justus
Excellent presentation! Thank you, sir!
Great video. Easy to understand. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching! 😊
and wrong ... from the start ...
Nice explanation, eazy to understand, I started in this about 35 years ago, when I bought my first ARCO 40 watt solar panel (used) for $250.00 !! and an actual mechanical/electronic solar charge controller, that had contacts you could hear clicking PWM, wow has solar progressed !! Great Video, THANKS William Orange county, ca.
Excellent, thank you! There are quite a few people who know how to do this, but presenting it in a manner that others can understand requires excellent communication skills on top of the technical skills. This is the first video of yours that I have watched, but you are so good at both I have to subscribe.
And once again, I've learned by attending your class! :) Thanks for the great info!!!
+Tom and Lori RVLife 😊😊😊
Thank you for teaching and sharing your expertise!
Thank you for this video. I understand everything you described and as a result, I feel much more confident about selecting components that work well for my needs.
Adding solar to my boat has been a blast. Thank you for the education and sharing your experience.
Excellent explanation of Design and theory of the pros and cons for different panels and Solar panel wiring
Thanks James!
Nice job except for two things. First, your comment about controller capacity is somewhat misleading. First, if you are going to wire your panels in series or series parallel you will want to use an MPPT controller NOT a PWM controller. In that case you need to look at the maximum solar array wattage that the MPPT controller can handle AND the maximum open circuit voltage that the controller can handle. For typical 12 volt panels the open circuit voltage is in the 21.5 volt range NOT the 17.5 volts you mention, which is the operating voltage. So when picking an MPPT controller for series or series parallel wired panels you need a controller that can handle your total system wattage and the total open system voltage for your array as wired. For example, four panels wired in series will have a maximum open circuit voltage of 4 times 21.5 or 86 volts, so you need a controller that can handle at least 86 volts (say a controller rated for 100 volts) Another consideration is that the amperage rating for MPPT controllers is typically the charging amps NOT the panel amps. For a series wired array the charging amps can be estimated as array wattage (say 600) divided by charging voltage (say 14). So for the 600 watt array 600/14 = 43 amps, so you would need a 50 amp rated MPPT controller to handle a 600 watt solar array. Second although your graph showed the dependence of wire size on amperage AND wire length you completely forgot to mention length in your discussion. Wire length is a critical parameter in choosing wire size. The longer the wire run the larger the wires need to be. I say this is critical because someone listening to your video might come away thinking that wires should be sized based on amps alone. That can lead to a very unsafe setup. I say unsafe, because under sizing the wires can cause a fire. Other than those two details a very nice video.
+Todd Dunn This is all great information Todd. Thank you! 😊 As I’m sure you know, there is only a certain amount of info that I can put into a video before I lose the attention of the viewer. All of this will be covered at some point in the future but this video was strictly focused on the solar panels of a solar power system. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you on the next one 👍🏼
Gary Hornbuckle, you've got it reversed. Increased wire resistance will cause a VOLTAGE drop, NOT a current drop. Current is the same at all points in a series circuit. Ohm's Law says P = I*I*R. For example, if a wire carrying 8 Amps, has a total end-to-end resistance of 0.1 Ohms, the power dissipated in that wire will be 6.4 Watts. Decrease the resistance by making the wire larger, say to 0.05 Ohms, and that wire will dissipate 3.2 Watts.
If it weren't a safety issue, then it wouldn't be an NEC violation to protect a branch circuit in a house comprised of AWG 12 wire with a 40 Amp breaker. AWG 12 wire is rated for 20 Amps max. The wire will eventually overheat and cause a fire long before the 40 Amp breaker trips.
Its voltage drop that is the concern im going to be lazy with the figures but you will get the point
Say you have 2000w solar system at 100v 20a and you have 10v drop over your cable well the charge controller will still see 20a but now only 90v so your useable power is 1800w it doesn't matter where on that circuit you test there will be 20a as for any danger well no if the cable is made for 20a it will be fine just wasteful, now i know what your saying about the cable affecting series resistance but it is such a negligible amount you never worry about it a 2mm or 12 gauge wire which is rated 20a is .5ohm per 100m or roughly 330feet which you would never do with a cable that size
@@garylhorn the reason i used such a small cable and large distance is to show how small the resistance is but if you want to use your 3 feet of 0000 gauge well that is 0.000143 ohm so double that for positive and negative so if you were working out your ciruit resistance would you bother adding 0.000286 or just forget that bit
A total run of 100 meters wouldn't be too difficult. Don't forget you have to count both the supply side and the return side of a wire pair. So a 50m run of 2 conductor wire would effectively be 100m. My house is 120 feet long from end to end. My load center is 28 feet from one end of my house. There's four runs from the load center to a room at the opposite end of the house aproximately 90 feet away. Adding another 3m for vertical travel, i.e. from the load center to the attic and the attic to the receptacles, the total one-way distance for each of the runs is ~100 feet. accounting for the pair, that's 200 feet of wire per run. So while a 100m run is not likely to be a common occurance, it's definitely not difficult to do.
I can't believe you explain this point so clear!.... I finally got it!! Thanks a LOT!
I just do g some research on solar panels and your video is by far the best I have seen so far.
Keep up the good work mate.
Well done.
That was a good video explaining solar clearly and in basic terms thanks.
and wrong .. very very very wrong ... monocrystaline panels use one wave length of light generaly blue ... while poly panels use 2 to 4 wave lengths of light ... and operate in lower light conditions ... poly panels use blue red yellow and green light wave lengths ... and because they do they start charging and working as soon as light hits them ... and stop when its dark ... mono panels start after sun is up and about 3% above the horizin .. comparing the two panels must be done from dark to dark ... to actually calculate them
@@0623kaboom OMG...I knew it! I feel better now...howsabout you? Group hug everyone...
Nice video. I haven't done my solar yet but shading on an RV is always a concern for me so I am leaning to parallel. Happy travels.
Depending on where you'll be parking and what you have on the roof of your rig, parallel is definitely the way to go 😎 Wishing you all the best!
Great delivery of information. Working on my own electrical plan for our van. This series helps a lot. Thanks!
Thank you dearly. You are a godsend. Please keep up your hard work! It's much appreciated. I couldn't have asked for a more clear and concise description.
Nice video. Great job explaining things! I look forward to more!
Thank you John. I really like making them so I'm glad you are enjoying the series!
Depending on manufactuer, most panels from 60w and bigger have 1 or more bypass diodes that help with shading issues for series connected panels. If 1 bit is shaded, the diode conducts so rest of string continues production
Thanks so very much. You have made this process so simple for me to understand. Now I can move forward with much more confidence in the results I was looking to obtain. Again, many thanks for simplifying the set-up for me!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow the best video yet on explaining the amps, volts and watts. New subscriber thanks for your information you got me excited and I feel I have a much better understanding on solar panels. And probably can install them into my new RV when I buy one.
You should consider that The search for flexible panels had free shipping.
When I went to buy panels, a 300 Watt framed panel was $120 which seems fantastic. But they ship exclusively through freight shipping; that ended up being $260 for shipping one 300 Watt panel. I ended up going for a flexible 300 Watt kit for $360 with free shipping.
A lot to take in, but you explained it well. Thank you.
Lovely clear explanations. I normally don't get electricity at all but I understood every bit of this. Thank you soooo much.
I am a Physician by profession but became so interested in Solar lighting after a strong typhoon hit our locality and rendered us helpless when our electricity provider was totally damaged. I've been looking for a way to learn the technique of putting up the system of solar lightings and its only now that Im gradually knowing what to do. Thank you so much for this video. A very informative discussion. God bless.
Thank you for all this!!! Very easy to understand :)
Awesome Lucas. Glad to hear!
Thank you for the information
👏👍😉
I'm a science teacher and I completely agree with the previous comment by Will James, that's a very clear and easily understood explanation of this topic. I might even use it for some of my classes. All the best from England.
Great tutorial that was made easy to understand & unlike many other videos, there was no waffling. Well done, appreciated. :)
Thank you that was helpful.
FYI solar now a days used internal diode incase of shading, so shading one of the panel that is connected in series only affect the solar been shaded.
Thanks for adding that comment, I just installed two panels in series and when one is shaded I was still getting full output from the other.
Wow, great video! The content, layout, and explained brilliantly! Thank you!
An excellent presentation, a well done video, I just wanted to point out a way around the loss when running panels in series and one getting shaded, The reason for the loss when shaded is the fact that an unlit cell is almost an open circuit therefore allowing the rest of the cells to reverse the polarity of the shaded cell or cells, however most of the newer high quality panels have blocking diodes across portions of the panel as they cannot put them across individual cells as the forward voltage drop of a standard silicone diode which is 0.6 to the threshold and as high as 0.9 at it's full rated current, is greater than the voltage produced by a single cell which is 0.5 nominal depending on cell temperature. The easiest way to get a series string of panels to operate just like the parallel panels do losing only 25% when one panel is shaded in a group of 4 as he is showing, is simply to place a shot-key bearer rectifier diode across each panel, as they only have a 0.3 volt forward voltage drop to the threshold and will be less than 0.5 volts at full rated current making it equivalent to the loss of a single cell.
Great video! You covered the basics quite well! I would only add that, when comparing poly and mono panels, the panel power ratings may be the same for full direct sun, but the poly panels perform better in less than ideal conditions, like partial cloudiness or a shallow angle to the sun. This difference can be significant over the long term. And, it can best be measured by looking at total daily solar production for both mono and poly panels added up for thirty days, then averaged by dividing the total production for 30 days by 30 to get the average production per day under identical but less than ideal conditions. Then, subtract the totals to get the difference. Spoiler: The poly panels win.
Never read anyone mention this before? I am skeptical so I will do my own digging into that comment. If that is true then why are poly cheaper? Seems the companies would not want you to know that the "cheaper" ones are better? hmmmm
Thanks for the info. Btw you didn’t mention about the big difference between mono and poly. Mono are designed to be exposed perpendicularly to the sun rays, the crystals are oriented all in the same direction. Poly has multiple oriented crystals, so less efficient compared to mono at 90 degrees but more efficient in any other angles. I think polys are best in winter, northern regions and places where the sky is cloudy the most of the day. This is what i found reading over internet but if i’m wrong or i’m missing something as technology improvements, feel free to correct me (sorry for my broken eng)
Thanks for this very important addition about mono and poly.
Thank you for this clarification. I have been looking for this information.
very important to know. could not find this info previously and seems like the absolutely most important distinction. thanks :)
This is the best video ever, which explains in detail how solar panels work and how to set them up and get the best efficiency from your system.
thank you , very clear and precise , I didn't know about the series and a panel being blocked stopped the rest from working .. now in my notebook :)
Awesome info thanks very much
Series Wiring @7:58
Parallel Wiring @10:20
Wire Sizing Chart @12:15
Series Vs. Parallel Wire Sizing @12:26
Series Vs. Parallel Shading @12:54
Series Vs. Parallel Charge Controller Requirements @14:00
Great Job Explaining!!! You made the knowledge very accessable to someone with no electrical background. Very Clear and Concise, Thank You!!
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. It was very helpful!
Excellent well done, great series
Thanks Theo!
Thumbs up! Going solar on our next RV! More boondocking! Oh yea!
Yeah! Boondocking rocks!
THANK YOU for your formula explanations! You make it so simple.
aahh ! ..The Value Of an Intentionally Intellilgent Learn'ed Mentality' ThankYou For Complimenting Our Intelligence By Valuing Yours' ! Greatly Informative and Well Spoken Via' a Most Competant Video ! Blessings Always To You🌈
Great information, thanks for sharing!
Fantastic, you made this so simple thank you
Great Video, and a very clever person, I tried to get my panel supplier to explain why I should connect them his way and I got baffled with jargon. Thanks for posting the video. Thumbs Up.
Silicone is the rubbery stuff. Solar panels are made from the element "silicon".
So glad you said that. I did a word search and nobody seems to care.
Yeah that really disturbed me!
This is a fantastic series. I know enough electrical and other things to be dangerous....LOL This series clarifies several things, but I will have a question or 2 later I am sure. Like how do I combine my solar input with other inputs to the battery such as converter with input from gen to be able to charge batteries quicker.?
Todd Ramsay : Same here! Teletype techie in the Army many years ago and a long-time PC gamer. This is right up my alley!
GREAT JOB !!
I finally understand how all this series vs parallel stuff goes. Best and easiest to understand explanation I've ever seen !
Thank you, thank you, thank you.👏 👍👍
+Jeff S You are so welcome Jeff! Thanks for watching! 😊
Thank you. This helped me start to.undetstand how solar power works
As appreciate your taking time to explain .
WTF is with the dislikes. That's a informative video. Good job Michael!
The dislikes are only 1% which makes up the small amount of freaks there are in the world, but is still discerning.
Probably because he keeps saying silicone
Dislikes come from oil selling pricks.
Big oil
That's the electric company employees... That's why.. 😁🤣😂
Wiring in series lesson begins at 7:05 Wiring in Parallel begins at 10:18 Lesson on pros and cons of series vs parallel begins at 11:47 Wire size chart at 12:17 Lesson on third option wiring in series AND parallel begins at 14:45
Wow! Amazing explanation , A person who is completely new will understand it easily. Difficult concepts explained easy ! Thanks a lot! This is gonna help me a lot in my solar research (especially combination of the parallel and series).
This is the best explanation I've seen so far. Nice job.
It was really great n not confusing at all. May Allah the al migjty give u hidayah
Love from Pakistan
@c dawkins show some respect, your comment proves you are the childish one here.
Yes Sir, I am an ordinary electrician new in solar power system and you tackled the subject very loud and clear, fantastic. Now I understood, thank you and GOD bless 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Thank you so much bro!
Your clarity & simplicity is brilliant👍🏼
However lol you didn't give any examples of pros & cons of wiring in both series & parallel
But the over all presentation, very clear, simple & concis.
Great job 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
What’s the advantage of having more volts over amps or vice versa?
High voltage thin kabel, thick isolation, expensive charge controller. High amps the other way around.
Where is a good website to buy solar panels and all the equipment . Also can you leave links. I want to solar power my home
Hey! I just posted a video on our personal solar panel setup and here is a link to the eBay seller I purchased my panels from (goo.gl/WdPnn5). Hope this helps!
reptiles miami www.wholesalesolar.com
Wow thank you so much, I learned so much. I’m going to rewatch it again!
Very easy to understand video! I chose parallel on my RV trailer because of continuously changing trailer positions where some shading and roof mounted equipment can come into play at times.Series would be better suited for a stationary array at home in an open area where a longer wire run could use smaller less costly wire. Thanks.
Silicone is something you put in a chalking gun. Silicon is a semiconductor found in solar panels. Just saying.
true true....
he also got supply and demand wrong.
Yes, but some are failing to the possible ramifications of new laws on both chalking and caulking guns. I also worry that some terrorist will find a way to mix silicon with silicone and then add both of those to sillyputty and then well, I don't even have explain the rest. Now do I?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Err..I think it's caulking.
silicone is sand
He keeps saying "silicone" but he means "silicon." Silicone (long "o" sound) is the squishy, soft gel; silicon (short "o" sound) is the hard, brittle element.
absolutely brilliant video and I also want to thank Jenny for her help in this video as well thank you both
+Steve Napoli Thanks Steve! Yes, she helps out a ton on these videos and deserves lots of credit 🙏🏼😎
Nicely done. Clear and concise. Lots of good usable info that could be applied to a number of different applications!
BEST Understanding of SOLAR arrays out there! :)
Thanks for presenting the brief on basics of solar panels
incredibly well done - both verbal and illustrations.
... LIKE THAT .... "if you're curious how i(m) personal wired ........ my panels on our camper ... 👍🏻👍🏻😂😂😂 The video was already GREAT and education simple (sort of!) but this was the BEST part with your pause in that line. GRWAT 🤗🤗🤗 Video, Thank you! Servus from Bavaria.
Seriously, thanks for the explanation. Learned a lot of new information. Great video, and even better narration.
Excellent explanation, very helpful for someone like me an amateur solar beginner.
Thank you
Thanks a lot, this is genuine video i have ever seen among more than 50 videos on solar science, very calm and peaceful environment u gave, last part which is both model put together is confusing for me, its 11:50 pm here in india and watching this video make me feel great,once again thanks
Nicely explained. Thanks for clearing up these concepts.
Very good explanation of parallel vs series, thanks!
Great video , very informative and easy to understand , also helped me to decide which direction to go with my panels . thank you
Very educational and straightforward....much appreciated
Well done......now I know what I need to know for my rough camping California. Cheers
GREAT video!! Probably the best I've seen. It would be great to have links to other videos on solar power...battery sizing, load calculations, inverters, etc. Again, it's a really great video