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Solar Panels : Series or Parallel & Effects of Shading


Alan de Enfield

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If I have remembered correctly, the series connection dropped from about 15A to about 1A when just s single cell was in shade. I am struggling to understand how this can be true, anyone care to explain ?

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If I have remembered correctly, the series connection dropped from about 15A to about 1A when just s single cell was in shade. I am struggling to understand how this can be true, anyone care to explain ?

 

It was explained to me as being like 'Christmas tree lights', if a single bulb 'blows' non of them light-up.

If multiple cells are 'part covered' (as in the example covering 1/4 each of 4 cells) then the cell can still function (a bit) and allow the current generated from the other cells to pass thru, if the cell is totally covered then the 'door is closed' and no current can pass.

 

Maybe them as knows how this 'snake oil' called solar panels works can confirm this analogy.

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Just did a quick test on my panels : 3 x 100W in series. Blanking out a single cell, then multiple cells on the same panel had a very different effect to that in the video. As I would expect you only lose half a panel for a single cell, or a complete panel for multiple cells. But we don't have the benefit of a clear blue sky so the clamp meter was forever changing. It looked like the MPPT took a few seconds to re-adjust then things continued as normal. So I have no idea what went wrong on the video, they had the perfect opportunity to carry out a scientific test but left unanswered questions instead !

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