Solar Charge Controller
Solar Charge Controller
Find out more about Solar Charge Controllers
solar | electronics | electric circuitA
Solar Charge Controller (or Regulator) is a device which protects the
batteries in a
solar electric system from being overcharged or being over-discharged.
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.
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 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.
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 2009Comment 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 LM317TFind out how to make a current controlled solar battery charger using an LM317T
Article Last Modified: 09:34, 30th Mar 2007solar | education | electric circuitMake a Simple Battery Status MonitorMonitor battery status with this easy electric circuit project - no skill required!
Article Last Modified: 12:33, 16th Mar 2007storage | electric circuitLM2940 12V 1A Low Dropout RegulatorFind out how to use an LM2940 to efficiently regulate voltage
Article Last Modified: 09:07, 30th Jan 2010electric circuit | storage | general | lightingLM317 Current CalculatorA handy online output current calculator for the LM317, LM338, and other linear voltage regulators
Article Last Modified: 12:47, 12th Mar 2008electric circuit | electronics | generalSolar Battery ChargingMake a solar charger for NiCd and NiMH rechargeable AA, AAA etc batteries
Article Last Modified: 09:43, 30th Jul 2007solar | education12 Volt Battery Low Indicator LM741Plans for a battery low indicator for a 12 Volt battery using an LM741 operational amplifier
Article Last Modified: 10:17, 28th Jul 2007electronics | electric circuit | generalVoltage Doubler for Solar Battery ChargerBoost the voltage of a solar panel to power higher voltage devices or charge batteries
Article Last Modified: 13:15, 16th May 2007solar | electronics | educationPermanent Magnet GeneratorBuild a wind or water power system with around a PM Generator
Article Last Modified: 16:43, 6th Apr 2010wind | hydroLow Voltage Battery Disconnect CircuitsFind out more about low voltage battery disconnect (LVD) circuits - used to protect batteries
Article Last Modified: 15:04, 28th May 2009electric circuit | electronics | storageZener Diode Voltage RegulatorMake a simple zener diode voltage regulator
Article Last Modified: 17:31, 7th Mar 2008electric circuit | education