What do I need to expand my photovoltaic solar installation

The installation of photovoltaic solar panels is a growing trend given the success that these have had throughout many countries, both at a private level and in large areas belonging to the business world.

What do I need to expand my photovoltaic solar installation

Elements to expand an isolated solar installation

When we get down to work with the expansion of our installation, we will have to take into account what devices are necessary to be able to expand it.

solar panels

Depending on our daily consumption, it will be necessary to invest in a greater number of photovoltaic panels, this expansion in most cases will be done through additional charge regulators. We can only use the same regulator that we already have if it is big enough to be able to put some more panels and it is only recommended to put more panels connected in parallel to the ones we already have if they are going to be the same or very similar (in electrical characteristics) to the ones we already have. If not, you have to put an additional regulator for the new panels.

Charge regulator

If the regulator is MPPT we will have to check the maximum power of the panels that it admits for our 12, 24 or 48V battery system and if it is a PWM regulator, we will have to see the maximum intensity that the panels can generate in order to calculate the correct regulator. Read more about charge regulator

Inverter

On some occasions a second inverter can be added to the installation and connected in parallel to the one we already have, but for this they must be identical inverters and allow parallel coupling. If we have had the investor for a long time, surely this possibility no longer exists. As a general rule, we will have to change the current inverter for a higher power one if necessary, or the current one can be maintained if there are not going to be more power consumptions than there have been up to now.

batteries

Batteries that already have a certain use cannot be expanded, so those that were already installed must be eliminated and the new battery bank sized according to the consumption that our new installation will have.

Errors in the expansion of the solar installation

Of all the elements, solar batteries are the ones that require a larger investment, for this reason, it is best to try to take the necessary measures to extend their useful life and thus get the maximum profitability. This is achieved by correctly calculating the capacity we need and making sure that we have a solar system that fully charges the batteries on a regular basis throughout the year.

There is a common mistake that is usually made and that is to connect new batteries in parallel with the old ones, since over time, new batteries deteriorate quickly due basically to wear and tear because the charge is not uniform or because its operation is irregular. less than it should, all this caused by being connected to other batteries whose performance is much lower because they are no longer new.

Another common mistake is connecting different solar panels to the same regulator, which causes a drop in performance for all the panels, which will be greater depending on how different their electrical behavior is under the same radiation conditions.

If you have come this far, it is because you are surely thinking of expanding your solar installation. You can consult our products in our online store and get advice without commitment from our technical team.