I Have Two Solar Panels, Should I Use One or Two Solar Controllers?

Question:

Jeff, first of all, congratulations for the good job you have been doing on your YouTube channel. Very informative. I use the same logic as you regarding installing the solar system on the house side. But about the use on multiple MPPT controllers, it wouldn't be better to use the new SunPower pannels instead? They have bypass diodes on each cell, and if they work properly, that would be even more effective than having a dedicated MPPT controller for each solar panel. And as a plus you save a huge amount of solar cable and space on the usually tight electrical compartments.  - Leandro

Answer:

Good points!  Here are the considerations to weigh in for single or multiple controllers: 1) less wiring for single controller 2) single point of failure (e.g. no redundancy) with single controller 3) if your panels experience different shading conditions because of obstructions (e.g. boom, radar, antennas) better to have dedicated controllers.  

We have posted the original question on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkQfs3ItBvw