Looking more closely at the photos, it seems the charge controller is a stand-alone item. Still, it can only handle 4 amps, so putting two sets in parallel is not an option.

You could ditch the controller and connect the individual panels in parallel. However, you would need to monitor the battery's voltage very closely. 14.2 VDC is the cutoff point for charge controllers I've seen. Much above that and you can overcharge (fry) your battery. Hint: it always happens when you're not looking.

BTW: many higher-end solar setups are wired in series, and run at 24 VDC. Less line loss (a.k.a. the toaster effect) that way.

(There's no inverter included -- I misunderstood. Small inverters are cheaply and readily available these days. Don't try to run a Mac off one, they don't like the modified sine wave and the power supply overheats.)


Edited by dougwalkabout (06/24/08 11:37 PM)