12v Charge Controllers

12V Charge Controllers

Whenever you are adding a battery to your solar panels system, you need a charge controller. When using a 12 volt battery, pick a 12V charge controller.

What does a charge controller do?

Just like any other charge regulator, a 12V charge controller protects the battery from panels' high voltage and overcharging. When the load of a battery drops below a certain point charge controller prevents its usage until it’s charged back up again. This prolongs the lifespan of the battery and ensures safety of your solar panel system.

Much like with an inverter, you can monitor the condition of your solar panel system with a 12v charge controller. It tells you the load of the battery, whether it’s being charged or rests, plus measures the voltage of panels.

The difference between PWM and MPPT controllers

A 12V solar charge controller can be either a PWM (pulse width modulation) type or an MPPT (maximum power point tracking) regulator.

• A PWM controller cuts the voltage of panels down to the safe level for a battery. They are cheap, long-lasting, but inefficient. A PWM controller should be used when the voltage of panels is only slightly higher than the voltage of a battery— otherwise you’ll be losing too much electric power of your solar array. A PWM 12 volt solar charge controller goes well with a 30-cell panel and 12V battery.
• An MPPT controller converts excessive voltage into current, which allows panels to use their full potential. This type of controllers is more expensive, but very efficient and fits virtually any solar panel system.

How to wire a charge controller

A 12 volt charge controller goes in between your solar array and a battery. Positive and negative electrical connectors from battery and panels go into corresponding terminals of a controller. The whole process can be summarized in three steps:

1. Connect the battery to a charge controller.
2. Turn on the charge controller. It now should be able to recognise the battery and measure its load.
3. Connect the charge controller to your solar array.

We have a variety of charge controllers for sale

• Our distribution centres are located in California, Washington, Colorado, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, and Missouri.
• We work only trusted manufacturers and guarantee the authenticity of all products we sell.
• We process every order within 24 hours and ship it within 48 hours.
• Delivery usually takes 4-7 business days.

Our A1 SolarStore experts are always here for you, ready to answer all your questions and help you with choosing the right product.