The way we connect our solar panels is largely dependent on the type of system we are trying to build and what we want to achieve. we basically have two choice when connecting solar panels: SERIES and PARALLEL. (NB: this solely depend on the type of project we are working on.
SERIES CONNECTION: for this type of connection, we are trying to accumulate more voltage while maintaining the current. For example in the below(also refer to the series connection image attached). Assuming we want to connect 3 solar panels each with a ratings of 30.5V and 8.3A.
then, total output voltage is; (30.5+30.5+30.5)V = 91.5V
while total output current remains the same i.e 8.3A
PARALLEL CONNECTION: on the other hand, here we want to stack enough current while maintaining the same voltage. using the same example as above. we want connect 3 solar panels each with a ratings of 30.5V and 8.3A.
then, total output voltage is; 30.5V
while total output current is; (8.3+8.3+8.3)A= 24.9A