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Solar powered systems that make use of batteries need a solar charge controller. Its job is to regulate the power from the solar panels going to the batteries. This is a very important equipment to have since batteries that are overcharged significantly reduces battery life at the very least or damage the batteries at the worst, making them unstable.
OLDER SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLERS
There are several versions of a solar charge controller but all of them basically have the same functions. The most basic of all just monitors the voltage of the battery and opens the circuit, stops the charging when the optimum level of voltage is reached. Older models used mechanical relay for the circuit which stopped or started power traveling to the batteries.
MODERN SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLERS
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The more modern solar charge controllers use PWM or the pulse width modulation to lower the degree of applied power to the batteries as they reach their fully charged level. This kind of controller allows the charging of batteries with less stress thereby increasing the battery life. It can keep the batteries indefinitely fully charged – or what they call “float”. The PWM process is more complex than the previous types but it does not have mechanical connections whatsoever.
NEWEST SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER
This brings us to the most recent solar charge controller. The best type among the controllers is called the MPPT or the maximum power point tracking. They basically convert the excess voltage from the solar panel system and into amperage.
Twelve-volt batteries are more commonly used in solar power systems. Due to the source of energy of the solar panels, they are able to deliver way too much voltage than what is only required to charge the batteries. The solar charge controller, in theory, converts the excess into amps so the charge voltage is kept at the best level while charging time is reduced. This process allows the system to operate at its optimum at all times.
Another area that an MPPT solar charge controller enhances is power loss. Lower voltage from the wires of the solar panels running to the charge controller ends in a higher energy loss rather than high voltage.
A PWM charge controller with 12-volt batteries has to have 18 volts from the solar panel to the charge controller whereas an MPPT controller allows higher voltages in wires from the panels going to the charge controller. It then converts the excess into additional amps. Power loss is significantly lower by running a higher voltage in the wires instead.
Finally, the modern solar charge controller prevents what is called a reverse-current flow. When solar panels are not producing energy, like during the night, the electricity can flow backwards – from the batteries to the solar panels – which drain the batteries. The controller is able to detect when no energy is coursing through from the panels so it opens the circuit, disconnects the solar panels from the batteries and stops the reverse-current flow.
As such, a solar charge controller like the MPPT are generally more expensive compared to the PWM charge controllers but it is a worthy purchase with all the advantages and functions it has.
