Dual MPP tracker inverter - two different panels?

[SolarCity]

My colleague asked me earlier if it was possible to fit different panels to an inverter that had a two MPP trackers - for example a string of 10 Sharp 185s on one MPP tracker and another string of 7 Sharp 245s on another?

I didn't know so I thought I'd ask on a forum where someone probably does.

 

[dansk]

As long as the panels drop into the voltage range then why not?

 

[Ramjam]

Niether sunny design or PV*Sol let you run that configuration, I tried almost the same config myself but gave up and used Romag 185 panels instead!

 

[cookiemonster]

i would agree with dansk. each MPP tracker is to all intents and purposes a seperate inverter. why would one know about what the other was doing?

 

[SolarCity]

Thanks fellas. That's exactly how I see it. I don't know if I'd be confident enough to try it out though.

 

[dansk]

me neither!

 

[cookiemonster]

why not put the question to the techy boffs at the inverter manufacturers and see what they say?

 

[cjapeterborough]

You can model it on Sunny Design by setting each panel set on seperate PV arrays ie 1 and 2 and then linking each string

 

[Worcester]

There shouldn't be a problem at all so long as it is an inverter with proper twin MPP trackers, (SMA, Fronius ...) it's just two different strings with different characteristics just like orientation, shading, slope etc.

Some of the cheaper inverters seem to have pseudo twin MPP's (one MPP controlling seperate inputs).

Both PV*Sol and Sunny Design happily let you model this configuration (PV*Sol, One system inverter, multiple arrays), and the results are fine.

Sunny Design, Set up the two arrays, choose an inverter, manually configure the strings to match the panels installed

 

[SolarCity]

Thanks for the info, fellas. I'll leave the option in the back of my mind and come back to it if a design situation calls for it.