Mppt Solar
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
Which Charge Controller for solar project?
I’ve decided to turn my 1972 Ford Champion RV into a Green machine. It will be a series of projects, but I guess you’ve got to start someplace. I’ve purchase 2 20w 24v solar panels, and I want to connect them to my RV. There initial job will be to keep the battery charged, but later to charge a set of batteries to run the electrical appliances (mostly the interior lights).
currently, I’ve only purchased the two solar panels. I figure that the charge controller should be next. Should I just buy a cheap charge controller and lose some of the efficiency of the solar panels (i’m guessing i’ll lose some charge when the panels drop to match the battery voltage)… or should I choose the more expensive MPPT charge controller.
Another note… what device should I use to have the solar panels automatically switch over to charge the 2nd set of batteries once the started batter is fully charged?
Thanks in advance.
MPPT is a waste at those power levels. Generally, you will only benefit from power tracking when the array is 500w or more.
In fact, at 40w total, you might be able to get away with no charge controller – you’ll be putting less than 2 amps into the battery.
Outback FLEXmax MPPT Solar Charge Controllers – Overview
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Sunforce 7 Amp Charge Controller $17.37 The Sunforce 60012 7 Amp Charge Controller prevents overcharging of 12-volt batteries. It is intended for use with 12-volt solar panels, and can handle up to 7 amps of array current and up to 100 watts of solar power. The controller is easy to use with a charging light that indicates that your battery is charging, and a green light that indicates a fully charged battery. The 60012 measures 4 x 1 x… |
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Sunforce 60031 10 Amp Digital Charge Controller $32.52 The Sunforce 10 Amp Digital Charge Controller is the perfect solution to prevent the overcharging of 12V batteries. It protects the battery from both overcharge and discharge. This product is for use with 12 Volt solar panels and batteries only. The unit handles up to 10 Amps of array current, and 150 Watts of solar power. With an LCD digital display, this unit also allows for completely maintenan… |
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Sunforce 60032 30 Amp Digital Charge Controller $78.52 The Sunforce 60032 30 Amp Digital Charge Controller prevents overcharging of 12 volt batteries. It is intended for use with 12 volt solar panels, and can handle up to 30 amps of array current and up to 450 Watts of solar power. The controller will continuously display the charging current or battery voltage on the LCD digital meter, and also automatically indicates the charged condition of your ba… |
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Xantrex Charge Controller for DC Charging Sources – 40 Amp, Model# C40 $134.75 Whatever the charging source, this Xantrex charge controller is sure to meet your DC controller needs…. |
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Outback FM80 Charge Controller $589.97 MPPT Solar Charge Controller The FLEXmax family of charge controllers is the latest innovation in Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) charge controllers from OutBack Power Technologies. The innovative FLEXmax MPPT software algorithm is both continuous and active, increasing your photovoltaic array power yield up to 30% compared to non-MPPT controllers. Thanks to active cooling and intelligent ther… |
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Outback FM60 Charge Controller $525.00 MPPT Solar Charge Controller The FLEXmax family of charge controllers is the latest innovation in Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) charge controllers from OutBack Power Technologies. The innovative FLEXmax MPPT software algorithm is both continuous and active, increasing your photovoltaic array power yield up to 30% compared to non-MPPT controllers. Thanks to active cooling and intelligent ther… |
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Sunforce 50048 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit $279.95 Dead batteries got you down? Soak up some sunshine with this 60 – watt Solar Kit! Solar power: efficient, abundant and FREE. Looking for a little juice? Solar may be the answer! These super-efficient crystalline Solar Panels were designed for use with cabins, outbuildings, RVs, boats… anywhere running electrical line is not practical. A 7-amp charge controller and 200W inverter help use the sun’… |
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Extending the Endurance, Missions and Capabilities of Most UAVs Using Advanced Flexible/Ridged Solar Cells and New High Power Density Batteries Technology $2.99 The extension of flight time for military miniature unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been demonstrated through the implementation of thin-film photovoltaic (TFPV) cells. Currently, most electric mini-UAVs are powered by high energy density lithium-ion or lithium polymer batteries; however, the flight endurance is usually limited between 60 to 90 minutes beforerequiring a forced recovery to repl… |
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Application of Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide Photovoltaic Cells to Extend the Endurance and Capabilities of the Raven RQ-11B Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Prior thesis work has demonstrated the possibility of extending the flight time of military Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (SUAV) by 200% with the implementation of thinfilm photovoltaic (TFPV) cells. In this thesis, we investigate how thin-film photovoltaic cells, made out of Copper Indium Gallium Di-Selenide (CIGS) semiconductor materials and mounted on the wings of the Raven RQ-11B SUAV, provid… |
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HIGH EFFICIENT STANDALONE PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SYSTEM: Novel MPPT and Sun Tacker $64.42 This book proposes an efficient stand alone PV system by considering two approaches. The first approach is by developing an efficient maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller of the PV system while the second approach is by developing an accurate model of an active sun tracker. To achieve an efficient MPPT controller, a new boost converter design and an improved MPPT algorithm are incorporat… |