A Comprehensive Guide on Solar Charge Controllers

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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A solar charge controller is one of the most crucial components of a solar power system. It is an electronic device that’s responsible for managing the amount of energy flowing from the solar panels to the battery bank, and this guide will highlight everything you need to know about solar charge controllers.

Importance of a Solar Charge Controller

Solar charge controllers ensure that deep cycle batteries do not end up being overcharged during the day when power is flowing from the panels to the battery and do not drain at night because of negative flow resulting from energy flowing from the battery to the solar panels.

Solar Charge Controllers

 

 

Image Courtesy: Luminous

Types of Solar Charge Controllers

There are two types of solar charge controllers that you can buy: PWM- Pulse Width Modulation and MPPT- Maximum Power Point Tracking.

Let’s have a brief look at the types of solar charge controllers:

PWM- They function as a basic electric switch to ensure that the amount of current flowing from the solar panels to the battery is equally matched. These controllers are smaller sized and come with a maximum capacity of 60 amps. However, their simple design makes them less expensive compared to MPPT charge controllers.

MPPT- They are more advanced in their approach since they track the energy flow from the panels to the battery in real-time. They are highly efficient with an efficiency of up to 95%, and unlike PWM charge controllers, they are made to support bigger solar panels. However, they are more expensive than Pulse Width Modulation charge controllers since MPPT technology is relatively newer.

Key Features of Solar Charge Controllers

Let’s look at a few key features of a solar charge controller:

Multistage Battery Bank Charging: They efficiently manage the charging of the batteries by regulating the amount of power based on charging levels to ensure a longer service life for the batteries.

Reverse Current Protection: Helps prevent battery discharge by stopping the reverse flow of power from the batteries to the solar panels at night.

Low Voltage Disconnect– Turns on the attached flow when the battery is charged and switches it off when the battery is low.

Lighting Control- Some charge controllers come with this capability where it turns the attached light on and off based on time of day.

Display- Some charge controllers feature a digital display showing various parameters such as battery bank voltage, state of charge, and more.

A home solar system cannot function at its optimal efficiency without a solar charge controller. Moreover, there is always an inherent risk of fire or an explosion in case of an overcharge of the batteries, making charge controllers an extremely critical safety component.

Now that you are aware of the basics of a solar charge controller, its types, technology, and features, we hope you will be better able to pick a solar power system with the most efficient charge controller. You can check out Luminous’ exceptional range of affordable charge controllers that are built from the ground up using the best of components and the highest-grade elements to ensure a long service life with minimal maintenance.

Moreover, Luminous is renowned for manufacturing some of the best solar products in the industry with years of experience behind them. You can expect stellar after-sales services and customer support when you buy from them, ensuring that you always have access to genuine spare parts and professional technicians who can get things up and running if you need assistance.

So, check out their stellar range of products and pick the one you think is the perfect fit for your unique power requirements.

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