Solar charge controller From £19.99
This 4 Amp charge controller (volatge regulator) is for the 18W, 28W, 43W and 60W panels.
It offers:
- Battery reverse feed protection
- Overload protection
- Battery open circuit protection
- Lightning surge protection
- Deep discharge protection
- Charge current protection up to 4 Amp
All solar panels (except the 5W & 10W) require a voltage regulator to ensure that the battery is not overcharged.
Also availabe:
- 8 Amp Charge Controller for the 80W and 120W panels
- 12 Amp Charge Controller for the 150W panel and installations up to 180W
- 20 Amp Charge Controller for installations up to 320W
- 30 Amp Charge Controller for installations up to 480W
What do i need a charge controller for?
A charge controller, or charge regulator is similar to the voltage regulator in your car. It regulates the voltage and current coming from the solar panels going to the battery. Most "12 Volt" panels put out about 16 to 20 volts, so if there is no regulation the batteries will be damaged from overcharging. Most batteries need around 14 to 14.5 volts to get fully charged.
Why 12 Volt Panels are 17 Volt
The obvious question then comes up - "why aren't panels just made to put out 12 volts". The reason is that if you do that, the panels will provide power only under perfect conditions and full sun. This is not something you can count on in most places. The panels need to provide some extra voltage so that when the sun is low in the sky, or you have heavy haze or cloud cover, you still get some output from the panel. A fully charged battery is around 12.7 volts at rest (around 13.6 under charge), so the panel has to put out at least that much under worst case conditions.