Hi All, there is not much real life reviews of those devices. Is there someone who can share some experience with some or both of them.
Does it worth the extra money for having a single RS device vs two or mode smartsolar MPPTs (the classical brick ones) like 250/70? Are the RSs really such high efficient? Here is a similar question in Victron community.
What about reliability? Would you choose one of these as the only PV charger for your system or would add one small charger like (150/35) for basic redundancy?
I like the possibility to overpanel the RS. Do you think that running the 450/100 model on its limit for most of the time will cause it to derate and/or decrease its life? Should you bet on the 450/200 (if not taking into account the extra two trackers)?
However, not only related to the above, but any experience shared will be helpful.
The main point of the MPPT-RS is the higher DC input voltage (450V).
If you just look at the spec sheets, the older brick ones are actually a little more efficient. Efficiency doesn’t matter too much, you can more than overcome that by installing an extra panel in the string
You can also overpanel the brick types, as long as you stay within the maximum input voltage and current limits.
The 150/35 is however a lower-end device, with more in common with the cheaper models (such as the 100/50, etc). IE that’s the kind of device you buy for camping. I’m kidding just a little. The 150/45 and upwards, depending on what you need, is probably your safest bet, and would be my recommendation on a value for money basis.
Hi, I can not complain about them and have installed a few for customers.
The 450/100 in my opinion is not worth it, the panel capacity exceeds the output current and its easy to over panel that unit very quickly. To answer your question, over paneling is possible and running these units at max capacity for extended periods of time does not cause any issues what soever. Have one running like that for about 30 months now.
If you can buy the 450/200, its a better balanced unit and the max panel capacity match the output current better. You also have the extra mppt allowing for panels to be installed in different orientations.
There were a couple of them that gave issues but it was concluded that the failures were caused by errors during installation. Victron then went and redesign/improve the product and the first batch of improved units were delivered to the distributors late last week.
The RS is in a totally different class than the Blue and Smart solar unit, better protection and definitely more efficient.
It remains my go-to for larger size installations. I still love the Blue and Smart solar units dearly, but the RS have changed the game for me as installer a bit.
To add to that, there is a definite design change in the RS series. RS devices need to work together without requiring a GX device, or that is how the design is going. Of course you still need a GX device if you want any sort of telemetry, but the idea is that in a smaller system, you can hook three Multi-RS units and a couple MPPT-RS chargers (for extra capacity) together on the can-bus, set it up with Victron Connect, and it should just work.
The fancier features (scheduled charging, DynamicESS, etc) will however always require a GX device.
