Victron BlueSolar MPPT 150/45

In a nutshell

Medium-sized MPPT solar charge controller, 150 V and 45 A, for 12, 24 or 48 V batteries. It uses up to 2,600 W of panels at 48 V. Ideal for a small home system or to expand an existing one.

How to read the two numbers of an MPPT

• Input voltage: this is the maximum combined voltage of the panels connected in series. Take into account the Voc (open-circuit voltage) of your panels: for example, if a panel has 50.6 V, two in series add up to 101 V and three, 152 V, more than this device accepts. On cool mornings the voltage rises a little, so you must leave some margin.
• Amps: this is the maximum current the controller delivers to the battery. The panel power it uses comes from multiplying this current by the battery voltage. That is why it is best to work at 48 V: the same device delivers four times as much as at 12 V.
• If more panels are connected than it can handle, the controller simply does not use the excess (excess power does not damage it). But you must NEVER exceed the input voltage: that does break it.

About this model (150 V · 45 A)

• It accepts several strings of panels in parallel.
• Usable power: 650 W at 12 V · 1,300 W at 24 V · 1,950 W at 36 V · 2,600 W at 48 V.
• Panels and battery are connected with screw terminals. Efficiency 98 %.
• It does not include built-in Bluetooth: it is configured and monitored through its VE.Direct port, with the VictronConnect app via a VE.Direct Bluetooth Smart dongle or a VE.Direct to USB cable.