In today’s blog, we will go over the different types of charge controllers to give you a better idea of which to pick for your off-grid solar project.
A Charge controller is an essential component of every off-grid Solar system, It’s main purpose is to protect the battery and optimise energy coming from the Solar panel.
PWM Charge controllers
PWM ( Pulse-width Modulation) Charge controller has a more basic charging function compared to the MPPT. An average PWM charge controller will only have 75–80% efficiency because of the way charging function was designed. It’s simple electronics do not convert that larger voltage potential into current.
Consider buying the PWM Charge controller if:
- Your solar array is small with only a few solar panels
- Your module’s nominal voltage is slightly above but close to the battery voltage.
MPPT Charge controller
MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracker) are more complex and efficient, but are usually more expensive than PWM controllers. The electronics allow MPPT controllers to operate the Maximum Power Voltage (Vmp) of the solar panel. This provides 5–25% more efficiency than the PWM, giving our Tracer 3210An series a recorded efficiency at 98%.
It is also more cost effective to run a MPPT charge controller when you have bigger PV arrays like our 60–72 cells Jinko (Perc Mono and Poly), because they usually have a higher operating voltage than battery voltage, the controller are able to harvest more solar energy by converting all of the extra voltage into current.
What did we go with
For all of our off-grid solar kits, we’ve choose to use MPPT controllers, this is because we believe the extra cost will outweigh the efficiency of output. We have a wide range of Charge Controllers to choose from, Please consult with our Solar expert if you’re still unsure which one is most suited for your system.
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