Wiring Multiple Solar Panels

As you probably already know you can wire solar panels either in series or parallel.

Wiring multiple solar panels.

So if you connect two solar panels with a rated voltage of 40 volts and a rated amperage of 5 amps in series the voltage of the series would be 80 volts while the amperage would remain at 5 amps. In series the current stays the same while the voltage adds up. If you change the wiring you can change the way voltage or current behaves. When solar panels are wired in series the voltage of the panels adds together but the amperage remains the same.

Sometimes you will add more solar panels to your system. For this example i am showing you connecting panels that are for a 12 volt system. The first way i am going to talk about is parallel because this is probably the most common way that panels will be connected. In parallel the voltage stays the same while the current adds up.

When an installer wires your solar panels in parallel each panel s wires are connected to a centralized wire leading from the roof. Parallel series and a combination of parallel and series. Wiring your solar panels in parallel results in more wires running from your solar panel system. The amps of electrical current for each solar panel are summed together but the system voltage stays the same.

If you had 4 solar panels in a series and each was rated at 12 volts and 5 amps the entire array would be 48 volts.