TYPES OF SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER

What is charge Controller?

A solar charge controller is needed all solar power systems that utilise batteries. The
job of the solar charge controller is to regulate the power going from the solar panels
to the batteries. Overcharging batteries will at the least significantly reduce battery
life and at worst damage the batteries to the point that they are unusable.
PWM SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER:

Simple PWM, or pulse width modulation solar charge controllers have a direct
connection from the solar array to the battery and use a basic rapid switch to
modulate or control the battery charging. The switch (transistor) is open until the
battery reaches the absorption charge voltage. Then the switch starts to open and
close rapidly (hundreds of time per second) to reduce the current and maintain a
constant battery voltage. This works ok, but the problem is the solar panel voltage
is pulled down to match the battery voltage. This in turn pulls the panel voltage
away from its optimum operating voltage (Vmp) and reduces efficiency.

PWM solar charge controllers are a great low-cost option for small systems where a
single solar panel is used for simple applications like solar lighting, camping and
basic things like USB/phone chargers.

MPPT SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER:

MPPT or ‘maximum power point tracking’ controllers are far more advanced than
PWM controllers and enable the solar panel to operate at its optimum voltage for
maximum power output. Using this clever technology, MPPT solar charge
controllers can be up to 30% more efficient, depending on the battery voltage and
type of solar panel connected.
As a rule, MPPT charge controllers should be used on all higher power system with
2 or more panels, or whenever the panel voltage is much higher than the battery
voltage.

The MPPT is designed to continually track and adjust the voltage to generate the
most power no matter what time of day or weather conditions (Note, only high-end
MPPT controllers will detect partial shading, or be able to track multiple power
points). Using this clever technology, the solar panel efficiency increases and the
amount of energy generated is up to 30% more than a PWM solar charge controller.

PWM VS MPPT

In the example below, a common 60 cell (24V) solar panel with operating voltage of
32V (Vmp) is connected to a 12V battery bank using both a PWM and MPPT charge
controller. Using the PWM controller, the panel voltage must drop to match the
battery voltage and so the power output is reduced dramatically. With an MPPT
charge controller, the panel can operate at its maximum power point and in turn
can generate much more power.
 BASIC TYPE OF INVERTERS/ HOME SOLAR SETUPS:

ON-GRID INVETER:
On-grid means our solar system is tied to our local utility company’s system. This is
what most residential homes will use because we are covered if our solar system
under or over-produces regarding our varying energy needs. All this means for you is
that our utility system acts as your battery space. If we are producing more energy
with our solar panels or system than we are using, the excess energy is sent to our
grid’s power company, allowing us to build credit that we can cash out with at the
end of the year, in a process called net metering. Being grid-tied is beneficial because
we don’t have to buy an expensive battery back-up system to store any excess
energy.
OFF GRID INVERTER:

Being off grid means we are not connected in any way to our grid’s power system or
utility company. This is appealing because we are 100% self-sustaining our energy
use. However, there are disadvantages because off-grid systems require us to
purchase back-up battery which can be expensive, bulky, and not very
environmentally friendly which defeats the purpose of going solar. 

HYBRID INVERTER:
Hybrid systems combine both the concept of off grid and on grid together for an easy
“plug and play” solution. The goal with hybrid systems is to help reduce our peak
energy consumption during the day. With more utilities shifting to an on-demand
pricing framework (means we pay more when energy is in higher demand), the cost
efficiency of solar + batteries starts to make sense.