Solar price controllers are an essential element to any sun electric panel system. At a maximum fundamental degree, fee controllers save you batteries from being overcharged and prevent the batteries from discharging thru the solar panel array at night time.Note: While the concepts Solar street light price in Nigeria are in large part the same regardless of the energy source (solar panels, wind, hydro, gasoline, generator, and so on.), we’ll be speakme here in terms of solar electric powered structures and will be the usage of the terms “charge controller” and “sun price controller” interchangeably. Similarly, our time period “battery” represents either a single battery or financial institution of batteries.

What Is a Solar Charge Controller?

An important part of nearly all battery-based totally renewable power structures, rate controllers serve as a present day and/or voltage regulator to shield batteries from overcharging. Their purpose is to hold your deep cycle batteries nicely fed and secure for the long term.

Solar price controllers are a necessity for the secure and efficient charging of sun batteries. Think of the rate controller as a strict regulator among your sun panels and solar battery. Without a charge controller, sun panels can preserve to supply electricity to a battery beyond the factor of a full rate, resulting in harm to the battery and a doubtlessly dangerous state of affairs.Here’s why a rate controller is so important: maximum 12-volt sun panels output everywhere from sixteen to 20 volts, so it’s very smooth for the batteries to overcharge without any regulation. Most 12-volt solar batteries require 14-14.5 volts to reach a full price, so that you can see how fast an overcharging trouble could occur.

How Does a Solar Charge Controller Work?

While you don’t always need to understand the technical intricacies of a price controller, being familiar with the fundamentals is useful – whether or not you’re doing a DIY sun installation or turning the job over to the specialists.

The fundamental features of a controller are quite easy. Charge controllers block opposite cutting-edge and prevent battery overcharge. Some controllers additionally save you battery over-discharge, defend from electrical overload, and/or display battery popularity and the drift of power. We’ll study each feature individually beneath.

Modern sun charge controllers work with the aid of detecting and monitoring the battery’s voltage degree and intently regulating the glide of cutting-edge from the panels to the battery. Battery charging is nice carried out in 3 stages: maximizing the modern-day to rate the battery as much as about eighty% as fast as viable (the “bulk charging” level), then reducing the cutting-edge because the battery techniques a complete price (the “absorb” level), and ultimately maintaining a “float” or “trickle” charge to preserve the battery crowned off and ready to be used. For extra information approximately three-degree charging for solar batteries, take a look at out the first video in our How to Charge a Deep Cycle Battery Properly video series.

Types of Solar Charge Controllers

When you begin looking for solar price controllers on the market on-line, you’ll speedy recognise that there are many one of a kind alternatives. You can find a large range of brands, sizes, rate points, and features to select from, which offers you the benefit of getting first rate options – however it can additionally be overwhelming.

Generally, the 3 number one price controller kinds are 1- or 2-level solar rate controllers, 3-level and/or PWM sun charge controllers, and most electricity factor monitoring (MPPT). You’ll also discover rate controllers for electric vehicles and golf carts. The most typically used charge controllers variety from four to 60 amps of charging cutting-edge, but there are more moderen MPPT controllers that can acquire upwards of 80 amps.

Simple 1- or 2-Stage Controllers

These charge controllers use shunt transistors or relays to control voltage in either one or  steps (hence the names 1-degree or 2-degree controller). These are the oldest sorts and are extraordinarily fundamental – and every so often inefficient – in their components. However, their reliability and affordability do still appeal to some humans.

3-Stage and/or PWM Controllers

Manufactured through well-known brands along with Xantrex, Morningstar, Steca, and Blue Sky, PWM fee controllers are less expensive and dependable. Their disadvantage is they have to simplest be used when the nominal voltage of the solar panels suits the battery voltage – or even then, they have inefficiencies in large structures.

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) Controllers

MPPT charge controllers are the highest-exceptional, most advanced alternative to be had, but they come with the high prices to healthy. Produced via manufacturers like Victron Energy, OutBack Power, MidNite Solar, and others, MPPT controllers provide an outstanding 94-ninety eight% efficiency degree, turning in about 10-30% greater electricity to the solar battery than other kinds. Unless your solar device is small (cabin-sized or smaller) and its battery voltage is not any more than 24V, an MPPT controller is commonly worth the extra preliminary investment. With large, greater advanced structures and 48V battery banks turning into an awful lot extra commonplace through the years, MPPT price controllers are the brand new fashionable.