and now I'm wondering if I made a mistake ordering a PWM controller.
Tom:
a PWM controller would almost never work--the voltage would never reach 12 volts.
The controller controls the charging volts. Since it is set for an AGM, it's charging... what is it, 14.7 volts or something like that? A panel that isn't facing directly at the sun puts out less wattage.
I jumped from an 80-watt folding set of panels to a 100-watt roof-mounted panel this summer.
I was concerned that this non-optimized panel might not produce enough energy. I had left room on the roof for another 100-watter if need be... but...
Early in the summer, I watched the system like I was sitting in a prime seat watching the World Series. The first thing I would do in the morning was to check how many amps we had used. (Invariably, it was 8-10 amps, mostly from me sucking on my CPAP.)
Then I'd sit down with a cup and watch the app on my phone (via Bluetooth) tell me how much the system was producing. As the sun rose, the production would start out slow and increase the higher the sun rose of course. Invariably, about the time the system was producing the max 7-8 amp/hours, it would start shutting output down because the battery was near capacity. Frequently the controller would limit the output well before the panel reached max production.
So here's the answer: I like the roof-mount better than the portable panels. No more chasing the sun.
Fixed roof panels are fine. Keep in mind that residential solar systems (including ours) seldom use tracking systems anymore.
Tony
Does this make me a cult leader with one member?I always do what Tony does...