| RSS Web Feed for Renewable Energy UK |  | REUK Shop | Directory | Bookmark Site | About Us  

Solar Charge Controller



Solar Charge Controller

Find out more about Solar Charge Controllers

solar | electronics | electric circuit
Printer Friendly Version Print Article     

A Solar Charge Controller (or Regulator) is a device which protects the batteries in a solar electric system from being overcharged or being over-discharged.

Morningstar SunSaver 10 Amp at 12 Volt solar charge controller

Overcharged batteries have a much shorter life time than well cared for batteries since the electolyte is boiled off as gas and lost. Overly discharged (i.e. flat) lead acid batteries become permanently damaged, so a solar charge controller is used to disconnect any load when the battery is discharged down to a safe cut off voltage.

LCD display on a Solar Charge Controller

LEDs and (in the more expensive regulators) LCD displays are used to show the current state of the charge of the battery, the state of the current entering the batteries from the solar panel(s), and the current being drawn from the battery by loads.

Do You Need a Solar Charge Controller?

A charge controller is not always required if the maximum current going into the battery is not more than 10% of the batteries Ah capacity (C/10) - i.e. if the battery is 60Ah then a charge controller is certainly required if the current from the solar panel is likely to exceed 6 Amps - as long as you make sure you don't over-discharge the battery.
Some suggest a charge controller is required if the maximum current from the solar panel is just 1% of the Ah capacity (C/100) of the battery bank.

PWM - Pulse Width Modulated Battery Charging

Good quality solar charge controllers are up to 30% more efficient than basic 'on-off' regulators as they have provide pulse width modulated (PWM) battery charging. When the voltage of the battery bank reaches the regulation voltage (14.1V), instead of stopping charging altogether, the patented PWM algorithm reduces the charging current and continues charging slow enough to prevent the battery overheating or gassing.

PWM battery charging with a SunGuard 4.5A Solar Charge Controller

PWM helps to get the batteries charged up to well over 90% capacity, extends the life of the battery, and means that more of the power generated by the solar panels is stored. Since the batteries store more energy on average, a smaller battery (or less batteries in a battery bank) can be used reducing overall system costs.

Solar Charge Controller Manufacturers

Well known manufacturers of solar charge controllers include: MorningStar, BZ Products, Iota, Outback, RV Power Products, ProStar, Solar Converters, Statpower/Xantrex,Trace/Xantrex.

Buy a Solar Charge Controller in the UK

Prices range from around £15 to many hundreds of pounds depending on the size of the solar power system to be regulated and the quality and features of the controller.

With solar charge controllers you really get what you pay for. It is well worth spending a few pounds extra to buy a good quality PWM controller from the start since it will pay for itself by getting more energy into your batteries and by protecting the batteries properly.

4 Amp MorningStar Sungard SG-4 Solar Charge Controller

We have a range of high quality pulse width modulated solar charge controllers in the REUK Shop including the 4.5A SunGuard Solar Controller (pictured above), and 10A SunSaver Solar Controller (pictured at the top of this article) - both manufactured by MorningStar Corporation and sold with a 5 year warranty.

NEW - Click here to view our new guide to Solar Charge Controllers on eBay.
Article Last Modified: 11:12, 29th Oct 2009

Comment on this Article

If you have any comments on this article, please email them to neil@reuk.co.uk.


Recommended Related Articles

People who read this article also enjoyed the following articles:

Solar Battery Charger With LM317T
Find out how to make a current controlled solar battery charger using an LM317T
Article Last Modified: 09:34, 30th Mar 2007
solar | education | electric circuit

Solar Charge Controllers on eBay
Find out about the selection of solar charge controllers available on ebay
Article Last Modified: 15:43, 29th Jul 2008
solar | electronics | shopping

Solar Battery Charging
Make a solar charger for NiCd and NiMH rechargeable AA, AAA etc batteries
Article Last Modified: 09:43, 30th Jul 2007
solar | education

Shunt Regulator
Find out about the uses of shunt regulators and dump load controllers in renewable energy applications
Article Last Modified: 15:13, 19th Aug 2008
electronics | electric circuit

Make a Simple Battery Status Monitor
Monitor battery status with this easy electric circuit project - no skill required!
Article Last Modified: 12:33, 16th Mar 2007
storage | electric circuit

Solar Tracker
Set up solar panels to track the motion of the sun across the sky to maximise power output
Article Last Modified: 10:37, 9th Feb 2008
solar | electronics

Wind Turbine Charge Controller
Buy a charge controller for a wind turbine generator
Article Last Modified: 15:46, 3rd Dec 2008
wind | electronics | shopping

Interconnecting Batteries for Battery Bank
Find out how best to connect batteries together into a battery bank
Article Last Modified: 13:53, 23rd Feb 2007
storage

TL431 Battery Voltage Monitor
Monitor the voltage of a battery or battery bank using an TL431 (aka LM431) shunt regulator
Article Last Modified: 16:42, 11th Jun 2007
storage | electric circuit | electronics

Three Phase Basics
Get an understanding of three phase wiring in wind turbine alternators
Article Last Modified: 15:13, 19th Aug 2008
wind | electric circuit | websites

© 2006-2009 REUK - All Rights Reserved
Page Last Updated on 6th November 2009 at 01:36:09pm

Latest
Articles


Drying Clothes Indoors
Tips on drying clothes indoors without a tumble drier
energy efficiency
15:57, 29th Oct 2009

Google Powermeter
Google Powermeter - an online tool to track your home or office electricity consumption in real time online
energy efficiency
13:23, 29th Oct 2009

UK Renewable Energy Degree Courses
Study renewable energy at university in the UK
education
11:18, 29th Oct 2009

Solar Charge Controller
Find out more about Solar Charge Controllers
solar
11:12, 29th Oct 2009

Storing Wind Power with Compressed Air
Find out how wind power can be stored and sold at times of peak demand
wind
07:51, 9th Oct 2009

Simple Solar Water Preheating System
Use solar power to pre-heat water and reduce electricity/gas consumption
solar
14:47, 7th Oct 2009

Battery Desulfation
Find out how to desulfate/desulphate and rejuvenate lead acid batteries
storage
16:56, 5th Oct 2009

Drayton SHR52120 Solar Thermal Controller
Find out more about (and buy) the Drayton SHR 521 20 solar thermal controller
solar
11:44, 3rd Oct 2009



REUK Shop

Popular Items


REUK SUPER TIMER
User programmable 12V powered 10A rated repeating relay timer. 1 second to 99 hours ON and OFF times
£19.99 each.
Complete Circuits



SOLAR PUMP CONTROLLER WITH RELAY
Solar water heating system microprocessor controlled circuit with fitted 10A relay
£25.99 each.
Complete Circuits



12 VOLT 5 WATT SOLAR PANEL
Waterproof 12 Volt 5 Watt Solar Panel with aluminium frame - 290mm x 205mm x 17mm with fitted 5m leads
£33.99 each.
Solar Power



300 WATT POWER INVERTER
Convert 12V DC battery power into 230 AC to power portable televisions, computers, video recorders etc. 300 Watt power rating - peak power 600 Watts
£29.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



CONVERTED PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL TIMER RELAY
Mains powered programmable timer converted to low voltage with relay board
£21.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



12 VOLT REGULATOR
Supply a fixed 12.0 Volt DC to your devices (up to 1 Amp output)
£4.99 each.
Complete Circuits



MR16 CERAMIC BULB HOLDER
Bulb holder for 12 Volt LED spotlight bulbs
£1.39 each.
Energy Efficient Lighting