Solar Charge Regulators

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Charge regulators"Why do the people who know the least , know it the l oudest?"

(Geoff Metcalf, KSFO San Francisco)

Different charge regulators produced by STECA GmbH

(courtesy: Steca GmbH )

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The solar charge regulator main task is to charge the battery and to protect it from deepdischarging. Due to overcharging electrolyte boiling could occur causing damage to the battery oreven its destruction. Deep discharging could also damage the battery. Charge regulatorelectronics is most sensitive and crucial to assuring stable photovoltaic system operation. Chargeregulator malfunctioning result in high maintenance cost including battery replacement. Animportant parameter to consider is charge regulator efficiency percentage. For small photovoltaicsystems charge regulators from 5 A to 30 A are available. Some of them could be used in both 12V and 24 V DC systems.

Other topics: batteries > inverters

Charge Regulators

There are many different types of charge regulators available on the market, the simplest switchon/off regulators, PWM charge regulators which charge the battery with constant voltage orconstant current (they are the most often used regulators in PV systems) to the most complexMPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) charge regulators. MPPT charge regulators are moreexpensive and suit large systems better, where the investment in an expensive MPPT regulatorreturns quickly. In most cases, including inexpensive charge regulators for small systems,regulator set includes all necessary electronics for battery protection, such as protection againstdeep discharging and against overcharging. Charge regulator functioning is characterised by twodifferent voltage thresholds, battery and module voltage, upon which the battery is charged. At

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higher voltage, usually 12.4 V for 12 V batteries, charge regulator switches the load to thebattery, at lower voltage, typically 11.5 V, regulator switches the load off. On the market you canfind charge regulators which allow manual settings of these thresholds, or you could merelyadjust the battery type to Pb acid or Gel type, and the regulator will adjust the two voltagethresholds automatically according to the battery type without losing the performance. If excessive ambient temperature swings of more than 5°C are expected, temperature compensatedcharge regulator electronics should be used.

Shunt and serial regulator

Charge regulators produced by Morningstar Corporation(courtesy: Morningstar Corporation )

The energy produced during the day, which wasn’t consumed by loads, is saved in batteries.Saved energy can be used at night or during the days with bad weather conditions. Batteries inphotovoltaic systems are often charged/discharged; therefore, they must meet strongerrequirements than car batteries. Due to the fact car batteries are not suitable for PV systems use!


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service on sustainable development projects in developing countries and in remote areas.

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Blue Sky Energy, Inc. - Blue Sky Energy, Inc. is a privately owned company located in Vista,CA. Their product range are MPPT solar charge controllers used in various, even extreme,

conditions.

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Helios Technology SRL - Established in 1981, Helios Technology is currently the oldestmanufacturer of solar cells, modules and photovoltaic systems in Europe. Its productportofolio includes also charge controllers and accessories.

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Battery related web sites

Any Batteries - Interesting battery related link collection.

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Solar Street Lighting

AirTherm Solartechnik - With more than 30 years of experience in photovoltaics AIR THERM isyour best contact for R&D, distribution and all services in photovoltaic systems. We supportyou with all components for your solar energy system in German quality.

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Literature and more information

Dankoff, W.: What is a charge controller? Home Power, September 1999.

Usher, E.P., Ross, M.D.: Recommended practices for charge controllers - CANMET, Energy DiversificationResearch Laboratory, Renewable Energy and Hybrid Group, IEA IEA PVPS T3-05:1998 (737 kB).

Koutroulis, E., Kalaitzakis, K.: Novel battery charging regulation system for photovoltaic applications, IEEProc.-Electr. Power Appl., Vol. 151, No. 2, March 2004 (832 kB).

Koutroulis, E., Kalaitzakis, K., Voulgaris, C.: Development of a Microcontroller-Based, Photovoltaic Maximum PowerPoint Tracking Control System, IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Vol. 16, No. 1, January 2001 (159 kB).

Maxim: Harnessing Solar Power with Smart Power-Conversion Techniques .

Mpower: Chargers and Charging .

IEA PVPS; Lead-Acid Battery Guide for Stand-Alone Photovoltaic Systems .

Sandia National Laboratories; Balance of system Publications .


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Solar Charge Regulators