The reason for the ever gaining popularity of solar products despite their high upfront costs is simple. The long term savings are much higher! Solar Power products should be robust enough to last for years to recover the initial cost plus give huge savings too. That’s where quality of these products comes in. For a solar power product to yield benefits its quality should be outstanding; otherwise it won’t last long enough to do so. When we talk about the durability of a solar based PV system, one question that hits our minds is the batteries.
How long will the batteries last or what is the typical life span of the batteries? After all batteries don’t come cheap! Solar charge controllers are therefore one of the most critical components of a solar PV system because the life of the batteries are totally dependent on it. A charge controller’s task is to regulate the power going from the panels to the batteries. For example on a very brighter day the power generated from the panel may exceed permissible limits and in turn harm the batteries. The charge controller control and makes sure that right amount of power is flowing to the batteries.
What is PWM Technology and why use it?
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) is the most advanced technology pertaining to charge controllers and they perform constant voltage battery charging by switching the solar system controller’s power devices. When in PWM regulation, the current from the solar panels tapers according to the battery’s condition and recharging needs. Charging batteries using solar power requires challenging technology like PWM for prolonging the batteries’ life. The issue with batteries is that, while charging and discharging, they release lots of gases that can reduce their lives. An ordinary solar charge controller cannot regulate the charging and discharging that accurately hence gassing problem arises.
A PWM system works on algorithms; so the PWM algorithm gradually reduces the charging current to avoid heating and gas releases of the battery, yet the charging continues to return the utmost amount of energy to the battery in the unswerving time. The result is a higher charging efficiency, quick recharging, and a healthy battery at full capacity. Some of the advanced Pulse Width Modulation Charges also have features like recovering lost battery capacity, increase the charge acceptance, equalize drifting battery cells, disulphate (removing excess sulphur deposits) the battery, regulate battery heating & gassing and prolong battery life.
Choosing the right PWM based Solar Charge Controller
There are many leading manufacturers of PWM based Solar Charge Controllers in the market and choosing the right one can be sometimes quite confusing. To add to worries they don’t come cheap too! Make sure you read the whole manual to know the credentials of the manufacturer; because in the longer run instead of prolonging the battery life they may in fact harm them. So don’t go for low quality cheaper options. Check out manufacturer warranty too as servicing and repairing may be required going forward. Rest assured this technology will be really beneficial for your precious batteries.
Solar Power Charge Controllers
There are several components to a solar powered home that many people are unaware of. Most people think that you just buy some solar panels and wire them into the houses electrical wires. It’s not that quite simple.
Let me first describe the components required in a solar powered home.
1) Solar Panels
2) Charge Controller
3) House Batteries
4) Power Inverter
5) Electrical Box
6) Cut off Switches
7) Fuses
1) Wire
The purpose of this article is to discuss charge controllers. I’ve covered power inverters in a previous article and I’ll cover the other components in future articles.
A charge controller is an essential component in the system. Without an adequate charge controller, the house batters could be permanently damaged. This device plays a few different rolls. As power is generated by the solar panels, it flows into the charge controller. The charge controller constantly monitors the condition of the batteries. It also regulates the charging process. If the batteries were connected directly to the solar panels without the use of a controller, they could easily be overcharged.
When we first bought our little home it had a few solar panels and some deep cycle batteries installed. Our home is in the mountains and the previous owner used it as a cabin. He only visited it on the weekends. The problem with this approach was that the batteries were constantly being overcharged and damaged. Without a charge controller, there wasn’t anyway to discontinue the charging process when the batteries were fully charged. The previous owner thought that the solar panels were not working correctly. He didn’t have any idea that they were working so well that they were overcharging the house batteries.
When we bought the home, we recycled the old battery bank, bought and installed a charge controller, and corrected some other installation problems. From that point on, it has functioned perfectly.
Charge Controllers are also required for homes that have wind turbines. They play two roles in this application. The first is regulating the charging process. The second is redirecting the excess power that is created when the batteries have reached their full state of charge. The traditional tactic is to have what is called a “diversion load” or a “dump load”. With wind turbines, you can’t just turn them off when the batteries are fully charged. They continue to create electricity and that power has to go somewhere or it will build up as heat and destroy everything. Charge controllers will sense when the charging process is complete, and divert the electricity to something like heating water.
Whether you’re buying one solar panel to keep your remote cabin’s house batteries charged or you are installing a huge array of panels on your primary home, don’t forget the charge controller. You’re batteries will thank you for it and they’ll last for many more charging cycles than they would without one.