Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 48V

[Barriesimpson]

My installation is this:
2 x 95ah AGM leisure batteries
1 x Vechline 235w solar panel
Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 48V controller.
NE DC-DC charger
NE 287 B2B

My questions are
1- Why is the controller 48v while the system is 12v?
2- Can I just buy and install lithium battery or batteries to replace the AGM? (according to the manuals, all is lithium ready)
3- Can I install another solar panel (or do I even need it) and does it need to be the same as the one I already have installed?

I probably need lots of 12v power as I have the Bergstrom Open Air full inverter air conditioner installed, this is my main concern.

 

[Tombola]

I'm sure it's suitable for 12 24 and 48

 

[Jabstatt]

Your MPPT accepts the solar panels output.

I’ve got mine in series and the voltage goes up to 90.

Your controller needs to accept the input given.

Tony

 

[Raul]

Your MPPT accepts the solar panels output.

I’ve got mine in series and the voltage goes up to 90.

Your controller needs to accept the input given.

Tony

90v is intended for 48v output system, for a 12v system is not that good. One, the mppt has to work very hard to buck 90 into 12 and wastes energy heat. And second, 90v is to close for the cold absolute limit of 100v VOC. Potentially in Avery cold morning your controller can receive 100v plus before it starts to work, or blow.
Oh, the panels are always the input, and battery side is the output.

 

[Raul]

My installation is this:
2 x 95ah AGM leisure batteries
1 x Vechline 235w solar panel
Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 48V controller.
NE DC-DC charger
NE 287 B2B

My questions are
1- Why is the controller 48v while the system is 12v?
2- Can I just buy and install lithium battery or batteries to replace the AGM? (according to the manuals, all is lithium ready)
3- Can I install another solar panel (or do I even need it) and does it need to be the same as the one I already have installed?

I probably need lots of 12v power as I have the Bergstrom Open Air full inverter air conditioner installed, this is my main concern.

The controller has some numbers printed on it 100 that’s the max panel voltage on cold, and 12, 24, and 48v for battery connection. It can be used in 12,24 and 48v systems, providing you configure and connect suitable panes to match the system requirements.

The controller is compatible with lithium batteries, and yes you can install a lithium battery, providing that all other sources of charging are lithium compatible as well: that’s alternator and EHU charger.

Yes you can install a second panel, ideally same spec or at least within 5% difference in voltage and amps. Sometimes is best to go for two new ones and sell the old one on.

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[Tombola]

Solar panel, Id say no you dont need it esp Spain and Canaries,and if you move every few days................ but as Raul says
Your B2b is Lithium ready yes
So get your lithium in, fix the settings on teh MPPT and NE287 and you are pretty much done.
remember if you get 2 lithium batteries(say 2 x 100 instead of 1 x 200) you can draw higher amps and have some redundancy if one fails

 

[autorouter]

Those Victron SmartSolar MPPT controllers will be OK for 12V, 24V and 48V batteries. Most of them are OK for 36V batteries. When you first connect up, connect the battery first, before the solar panel. The MPPT checks what the battery voltage is, and sets itself to whatever you have connected. For 36V, you may have to go into the settings and change manually.

The other limitation is that the voltage from the panels needs to be at least 5V higher than the battery voltage: about 19V for a 12V battery (charging at 14V), 31V for a 24V battery, and 61V for a 48V battery. Panel voltage can be higher than this of course, but if lower you'll get nothing out of the MPPT.

 

[Barriesimpson]

Thank you everyone for the informative information. I'm starting (slowly but surely) to understand now.

All the best.