<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>I was wondering about battery charging using Tigos. I have a few spare Tigos and modules for them lying around and was thinking of using them with a magnum to run my radon fan and chest freezer. </div><div><br></div><div>Since the Tigos have MPPT built in, would the use of a MPPTing charge controller be unnecessary? If a person used a MPPTing CC what effects would that have on module performance?</div><div><br></div><div>Also I believe the Tigos need to communicate with the MMU unit to operate. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>On Oct 15, 2012, at 4:26 PM, Jay Peltz <<a href="mailto:jay@asis.com">jay@asis.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div>Hi Allan</div><div><br></div><div>I have a client who did indeed install Tigo</div><div>with a outback CC and it all works well</div><div><br></div><div>I don't recommend it for the boat. Too much to</div><div>go wrong. </div><div><br></div><div>Jay</div><div>Peltz power<br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>On Oct 15, 2012, at 12:46 PM, Allan Sindelar <<a href="mailto:allan@positiveenergysolar.com">allan@positiveenergysolar.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>
<meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type">
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Dan,<br>
I checked out the Tigo website, and found nothing there to suggest
that these were intended for off grid battery charging
applications. A round-the-world sailboat is off grid. Are you
suggesting that these will work in battery charging applications?
If so,this is news. Do you have any more info you can share with
us about this?<br>
Thanks, Allan<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">
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charset=ISO-8859-1">
<title></title>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><b>Allan Sindelar</b></font><br>
<small><a href="mailto:Allan@positiveenergysolar.com"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" color="#000099"><u>Allan@positiveenergysolar.com</u></font></a></small><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><br>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic
Installer<br>
NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional<br>
New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician<br>
Founder and Chief Technology Officer<br>
<b>Positive Energy, Inc.</b><br>
3209 Richards Lane (note new address)<br>
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507<br>
<b>505 424-1112</b><br>
<a href="http://www.positiveenergysolar.com/" target="_blank"><u>www.positiveenergysolar.com</u></a><o:p></o:p></span></font>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span> </div>
On 10/11/2012 2:58 PM, <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:dan@foxfire-energy.com">dan@foxfire-energy.com</a> wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:20121011135839.720a661d8db719b1f2ad39509c9edaa3.494325297c.wbe@email14.secureserver.net" type="cite"><span style="font-family:Verdana; color:#000000;
font-size:10pt;">
<div>Check out Tigo Optimizers:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div> <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.tigoenergy.com">http://www.tigoenergy.com</a>/
<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>db<br>
Dan Brown<br>
Foxfire Energy Corp.<br>
Renewable Energy Systems<br>
(802)-483-2564<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.Foxfire-Energy.com">www.Foxfire-Energy.com</a><br>
NABCEP #092907-44</div>
<div class="WordSection1"><br>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF
1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext">
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org">re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>
[<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org">mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Allan Sindelar<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, October 11, 2012 1:04 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> RE-wrenches<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [RE-wrenches] Fwd: Charge control
question<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;">Wrenches,<br>
I'm posting this for Carl Bickford, prof emeritus of the
renewable energy training program at San Juan College in
Farmington, New Mexico. I'll forward your responses to him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div>
<div>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">I
have a very interesting and talented friend who is
rebuilding a blue-water sailboat for a round-the-world
trip. He is well versed in solar and is trying to use
a relatively large array to charge a big battery bank
that will be used for propulsion as well as general
electrical. The propulsion system will be backed up
with a propane generator he is building himself out of
a Toyota truck engine.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">As
you can imagine, there is no place on a sailboat where
shading isn’t a problem. He and I were wondering if
there were products out there that could MPPT either
individual modules, or small groups of them for 12 V
battery charging. I have seen such things for the
inputs of grid-tied inverters, but nothing yet for
off-grid. The other choice is to go with many small
MPPT charge controllers like the ones from Solar
Converters.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Any
advice you can offer?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Take
care,<br>
Carl <br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Carl
Bickford<br>
Professor of Engineering and Renewable Energy<br>
San Juan College<br>
4601 College Blvd.<br>
Farmington, NM 87402<br>
505-566-3503<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" target="_blank" href="mailto:bickfordc@sanjuancollege.edu">bickfordc@sanjuancollege.edu</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> <br>
I offered the suggestion below. Certainly open to other
and better ideas.<br>
Allan<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">I
have not encountered this situation, so I have no
advice from experience. At 12V, it's hardly an issue
as it is with high voltage parallel strings, where a
few shaded cells can cause a whole string to drop out
of the inverter's MPPT. At most, a shaded cell weakens
the output of that module. And since it's charging
batteries, there's a greater amount of head room.<br>
<br>
I would suggest looking into Blue Sky Energy's "i"
series - smaller MPPT controllers that can be
networked. We seldom use them, as our residential
applications are different. But you could put a
controller on a group of modules and network several
together. One advantage, I think (you'd want to check
this) is that Blue Sky's MPPT algorithm is analog,
unlike Outback and others: on the old Solar Boost
series, the MPPT boost was set with a trim pot to a
particular voltage above battery voltage; the target
is to set it to where the boost was greatest. You
could set this boost slightly lower than peak, and
output just a little below MPP. That way the overall
output would be minimally reduced, and a modest amount
of shading would not cause the shaded module to drop
below collective MPP as readily.<o:p></o:p></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><br>
<b>Allan Sindelar</b><br>
<span style="font-size:10.0pt"><a moz-do-not-send="true" target="_blank" href="mailto:Allan@positiveenergysolar.com"><span style="color:#000099">Allan@positiveenergysolar.com</span></a></span><br>
<span style="font-size:10.0pt">NABCEP Certified
Photovoltaic Installer<br>
NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional<br>
New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician<br>
Founder and Chief Technology Officer<br>
<b>Positive Energy, Inc.</b><br>
3209 Richards Lane (note new address)<br>
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507<br>
<b>505 424-1112</b><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.positiveenergysolar.com/" target="_blank">www.positiveenergysolar.com</a></span>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-right:722.25pt;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><br>
<br>
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