Testing the Limits of the Victron 50 Amp Solar Charger
The Experiment Setup
so a question I had maybe you have is how much solar can you throw at a 50 amp victron solar charger before it maxes out or something bad happens let's find out today
so we got a little project going on I got a bunch of these commercial panels that planning on putting on the bus but uh for right now we got it just uh running a little solar experiments and charging various things up in the shop so I figured let's throw these at a 15 amp charge controller and see what happens these are 455 watts each bifacial and uh it's a little actually chilly this morning so actually they're performing better than I thought they would let's go see what's going on in the shop
Initial Observations
just to show you I'm not uh fooling you here this guy here is at about 90 degrees yeah we lost the cover on that uh if you want us to get better thermal temp guns continue to like comment and subscribe and watch our videos so we can afford a better one how about that actually you can tell it is getting warmer by the second here it looks like so I think we may see some thermal throttling here at some point as well which is definitely going to be a point of this video let's see what happens still kicking out over 50 amps at some point
Thermal Performance and Derating Observations
Temperature and Amperage Milestones
all right we are still putting out sometimes over 50 amps and temp-wise we're up to 117. so no D rating yet
a good ways later and still 50 amps and we are up to 129 I thought I saw 130 on there there we go so interesting to know I actually thought that they derated before this but I guess not we'll keep going
well here we are again sometime later still pushing 50 amps uh we're going backwards on the battery that's why the voltage keeps dropping and we're at 136 here and still pushing full so you got to get these things really hot to get them to derate and Throttle Down
Understanding Wattage, Amperage, and Clipping
Impact of Load Removal on Watts
here's something a little bit interesting I have removed the load and the voltage is going up and now take a look at the Watts we were at about 660 this before keep in mind this charger is limited by amps not by Watts again going back to our 12 24 versus 48 conversation the higher the voltage the more watts so as this voltage approaches even 14 we're going to see closer to 700 Watts
Optimal Solar Input and Clipping Explained
all right now we are just a little bit further in the day and now we're down to 45 amps but still I would say you know still making great power so that leads me to believe that this 900 watts or so is about perfect because we don't have a ton of clipping anyone doesn't know what clipping is that is when the solar charger well I wish I had a whiteboard to draw down but that is when a uh solo charger reaches reaches its Max while there's still room above it where the panels can still produce a little bit of clipping is just fine you probably don't want to clip a ton uh just because you're wasting you know potential capacity but bigger charge controllers also cost a lot of money so when in doubt I usually err on a little bit more solar rather than oversizing your charge controllers but to each their own so I've had customers with anywhere from 600 to 800 but we haven't done too many at 900 which is what we're testing right there I can't Point very well so uh I would say somewhere between 800 and 900 watts is about your sweet spot for these Chargers if you want to Max them out I think it would probably be safe to even go a little bit higher if you wanted to just for over paneling for better shade performance all that sort of stuff so if uh if you want to do that I would say go ahead
Conclusion and Call to Action
so once again from all of us here at soda solar thanks for watching uh comment and leave your suggestions for other solar experiments and things we should try out we love doing them especially when we get a little bit of break in the action all right thanks bye
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Charge Controller | Victron 50 Amp Solar Charger |
| Panel Type | 455 Watts each, Bifacial Commercial Panels |
| Maximum Amperage Output | > 50 Amps (observed before sustained derating) |
| Observed Derating Temperature | Approaching 136°F (where derating started to become apparent) |
| Charger Limiting Factor | Amps (not Watts) |
| Recommended Optimal Solar Input | 800 - 900 Watts (sweet spot for maximizing output with minimal clipping) |
| Safe Over-paneling Recommendation | A little bit higher than optimal for improved shade performance |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is the recommended maximum solar input for a Victron 50 Amp charger to ensure optimal performance?
A1: Based on our testing, the "sweet spot" for maximizing a Victron 50 Amp solar charger without excessive clipping is approximately 800 to 900 watts of solar input. Over-paneling slightly more than this (e.g., for better shade performance) is considered safe.
Q2: At what temperature does the Victron 50 Amp solar charger start to derate or throttle its output?
A2: Our experiment showed that the Victron 50 Amp charger was still pushing full 50 amps even as temperatures reached 136°F. This indicates that these chargers require significantly high temperatures to begin derating and throttling down their output.
Q3: What is "clipping" in the context of solar power systems, and why is it relevant to charge controller sizing?
A3: Clipping occurs when a solar charge controller reaches its maximum amperage capacity, even though the connected solar panels are capable of producing more power. While a small amount of clipping is acceptable and often a trade-off for not oversizing an expensive charge controller, excessive clipping means you are wasting potential energy your panels could be generating.