Combining 2 Renogy 100w solar suitcase kits?

Sneakle · November 2018

I ordered a Renogy 100w suitcase kit and they shipped me 2 kits. They will issue a refund on return but won't pay the shipping back to CA from Ga which will probably be 50 bucks. I offered to split the shipping $ but they won't budge. I'm debating keeping the 2nd kit if I can justify having both. Have you added panels to an existing kit, what benefit did it and did you have to buy a different controller to manage both?

JustJohn · November 2018

The obvious benefit is a two hundred watt system as opposed to a one hundred watt system. You may or may not have to replace your controller, depending on its rateing. The panels are easy to wire together. You will also need enough battery storage to handle two hundred watts.

Ratkity · November 2018

You just need two Y connectors, one for positive lines and one for negative lines. Then the positive and negative plug into one controller. Do both have a controller? If there are, you'll have to detach the controller from one or see if it can be turned off or disabled via the software if the cables are built in and there are no good way to cut off the cables without making them too short.

I'm slightly decaffeinated.... both sets of cables would have to be detached from their respective controllers. connect with Y cables with MC4 connectors, reattach to one controller.

Sneakle · November 2018

Yes they each have their own controller. I'll spread it all out and see how the controllers connect.

ScottG · November 2018

I'm no solar guru, but I think you will want to connect both panels through a single controller (as Ratkity suggested).

A 100W panel will put out about 6 amps maximum. That would double with two panels wired for the same voltage.

My 100W Renogy suitcase came with only a 10 amp controller. However, according to the specs on their web it looks like they are now shipping the suitcase with a 30A controller. If that's the case with your kit, you should be fine running both through one controller. Otherwise, you may need to upgrade the controller to make it work.

Ratkity · November 2018

I hope the new suitcases don't weigh 47# like mine does! That's a lot to lug around. I have one 100W suitcase and it's permanently located in a suboptimal spot at home, but it's locked to the iron railing of the porch. With the battery switch flipped, it is a great battery tender. It just can't handle the phantom power of the tiny toy hauler, mostly because of where the panels are located. They are easy to clean (since they are on the ground).

I run a Victron 100/30A and bought the suitcase without the controller. BTW, anyone who has a similar Victron, there's a firmware update. I like the Victron phone app and I have a bluetooth dongle for it. It's MPPT, but I wanted versatility to upgrade as solar technology becomes even more efficient.

rcuomo · November 2018

I have the suitcase with the 10a controller but I think ScottG is correct in that they upgraded to 30a. I have seen a max of 5.5a with my setup so a 30a controller should be sufficient. FYI I have used solarseller.com to purchase various cable and connectors.