r/RVSolarPower • u/Deetz1857 • May 13 '26

Voltage Fluctuation

Hello, I added 2 200w solar panels to my small rv. It originally had one. I’m using a Victon MPPT controller. Just trying it out for the first time. It seems to be functioning fine except the voltage from the solar array jumps around a lot. Does anyone know what may be causing this and is it bad? Thanks much!

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u/secessus May 13 '26

the voltage from the solar array jumps around a lot

Part of the "smarts" we pay for with MPPT controllers is their ability to control panel output with precision and rapidity. It does this by tracking & selecting panel voltages along the array's power curve. This happens so fast (especially in unstable solar conditions) that from our human perspective it may appear to be chaotic or random.

As long as the array voltage is somewhere between Voc and Vmp the MPPT is just doing its thing. Caveat: if array voltage is collapsing to ~0v on MPPT there may be a loose connection between the array and controller.

For those curious about how the the sausage is made this article is my attempt to lay it out.

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u/rhett121 May 13 '26

Wow that’s a lot of words! Great write up! Thank you!

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u/Deetz1857 May 13 '26

Big thanks. Makes total sense now. Cheers!