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What is a solar array?

Your solar panels, wired together. Connecting them in series adds their voltage; in parallel adds their current — the design picks the mix that suits your controller.

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Why it matters

How you wire your panels together changes everything downstream: series adds voltage, parallel adds current, and the right mix depends on your charge controller and your roof.

Where it fits in your system

The array feeds the MPPT charge controller, which converts it to the right voltage for the battery. Panels can be combined in series, parallel, or strings of both.

How Wattonomy handles it

Design your van, boat, cabin or RV system in Wattonomy and it works out the series/parallel arrangement that suits your controller and shows the string layout, with a fuse on each string when there are three or more — from the appliances you actually run, sized to the recognized standard for your region. You see it on the wiring diagram, in the sized parts list, and in a plain-English build pack that explains the reasoning behind every choice. No account, no email — about a minute to a complete, validated design.

Questions

Should I wire panels in series or parallel?

Series raises voltage and suits longer runs and most MPPTs; parallel keeps voltage low but raises current. Wattonomy picks the arrangement that matches your controller and array.

Do solar panels need fuses?

A single string usually does not, but once you parallel three or more strings, each needs its own fuse so one faulted string cannot be back-fed by the others.

Design your system — free

It takes about a minute. No account, no email.