Can Additional Panels Be Added Into A Go Power Solar Panel System

Question:

I have a camper equipted with the Go Power IC 3000 and the Go Power 40 amp MPPT solar controler. I also have four 300 watt solar panels on top of the camper. My question is this. . would I be able to add another 300 watt panel? I do not now how they are wired , that is in series or parrellel. is there any way to tell which way they are wired?

asked by: Robert H

Expert Reply:

Hi Robert,

The amount of panels you can have is going to depend on their output and the maximum input capacity of the solar controller. For example, the Go Power MPPT Solar Charge Controller # GP54FR you were looking at has a maximum input of 1040W @ 12V; 2080W @ 24V; 3120W @ 36V; and 4160W @ 48V.

The Go Power 40 amp MPPT Solar Controller you currently have has a maximum input of 600W @ 12V or 1200W @24V. Go Power doesn't currently offer panels at 300 watts so you likely have a 100 watt or 200 watt panel and would need to check the wattage rating for each panel to determine how much power you currently have running to the controller. You'll match the panel wattage up to the capacity of the controller and if there's still space then you can expand the system. If not then you can swap out the controller with a higher capacity one (like the # GP54FR) and then increase the number of panels.

When it comes to adding in solar panels you'll want to have each one with the same wattage rating because the system will go with the lowest rating. This means that if you have a 100 watt panel and 200 watt panel the system will go with the 100 watt rating and only use 100 watts from the 200 watt panel. This means the 100 watt panel is essentially useless since you'd still be getting 200 watts instead of 300 watts.

The panels will typically be wired in parallel if you have a 12v system. If you have a 24v battery then you would wire the panels in series to increase the voltage from 12v to 24v. Go Power uses MC4 connectors with a positive and negative cable so it's super easy to add in additional panels with an expansion branch # 34267040 (1 male connectors 1 female) or # 34267049 (1 male connector 2 female).

expert reply by: Kevin C

Robert

3/28/2024

Thanks Kevin, the 300 watt panels are not by go power. They are mission solar and are 300 watt. My system battery bank is currently made up of three sets of six volt batteries to provide 12 volts. Does this info help to determine if I can add an additional panel?

Kevin C.

3/29/2024

@Robert You're only limited by the solar controller. Doublecheck the input capacity of the solar controller and then verify the output of the panels to confirm if an additional panel can be wired into the system.