SUSTENERGY TRAINING ACADEMY

Course : Solar PV Design and Installation

Instructor:
 Outline

• What is a solar charge controller

• Receives the power from the solar panels and manages the voltage going into the solar battery storage

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 Solar Charge Controller/Solar Regulator

• Receives the power from the solar panels and manages the voltage going into the
solar battery storage

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 Solar Charge Controller

SOLAR
BATTERY LOAD
PANEL

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 Functions of a charge controller
• Continuously monitors and regulates the voltage going into the
battery bank. Prevent battery overcharge.
• Under voltage protection:- Cuts out the battery at a certain voltage level,
preventing under voltage situation
• Blocks reverse current going back into the solar panels
• Displays, LEDs display Battery status
Battery voltage (State of charge)
Charging Current
Panel Current
Operating Mode (Charging Regime)

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 Functions of a charge controller cont…

• Helps maximise energy harvesting and prolongs battery life

Features
• Configure Control Set Points: various set points could be edited and re-
programmed using the charge controller
• Trouble shooting and Events History

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 Pre-settings: Four Key Parameters
1.Regulation Set-point:- This is the maximum voltage a controller allows the battery
to reach. At this point , it will discontinue any further battery charging.
2. Regulation Hysteresis Set-point:- This is the difference between the regulation set
point voltage and the array reconnect voltage. This set point should be as high as
possible to prevent switching disruptions.
3. Low Voltage Disconnect Set-Point:- This is the minimum voltage a controller
allows the battery to reach. At this point, it will disconnect the load to prevent battery
under discharge.
4. Low Voltage Disconnect Hysteresis Set-Point:- This is the difference between
the Low Voltage Disconnect Set-Point and the voltage at which the load will be
reconnected. This set point should be as high as possible to prevent frequent
disruptions to the connected load.

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 Different Types of Charge Controllers
• Three different types
1. Simple 1 or 2 stage controls
2. PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)
3. MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking)

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 Simple 1 or 2 stage controls
• Simplest in design
• Use relays or shunt transistors to control the voltage
• Short or disconnect the solar panel when a certain voltage is reached.
• Range from a few amps to hundreds of amps capacity.
• Limited by the capacity of the relays they are switching.
• Do not offer battery maintenance charging, simply monitor the battery
voltage and trip at a certain level.
• Economical and reliable

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 Shunt Solar Charge Controller

Introduces internal shunt resistance to prevent overcharging (Need Diode to prevent

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 Series Solar Charge Controller

Introduces internal series resistance to prevent overcharging

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 Pulse Width Modulation(PWM)

Varies width of charging pulses depending on state of charge

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 Pulse Width Modulation
• It holds the voltage constantly to a safe maximum until the battery reaches full charge.
• When fully charged, the controller will drop the voltage and trickle the charge to such a
rate that it simply keeps the battery “topped up”.
• A passive controller technology to produce a steady DC output from varying DC input.

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Pros
• Time-tested technology
• Affordable
• Long Lasting
• Comes in a variety of sizes
Cons
• Not expandable and limited for growth

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 Maximum Power Point Tracking(MPPT)
• Maximum Power Point (MPP) ;- The maximum voltage and current that can be
produced by a solar panel under any given conditions
• Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT):- An active controller technology that uses
algorithms to compute the MPP of a solar panel at any given instant.
• Maintain the MPP within a defined voltage range even as the input varies.
• Solar Charge Controller monitors voltages and currents
• Operates Solar Panel at a higher voltage
• Connects to a battery at a standard voltage
• Performs a DC to DC voltage conversion
• Ends up providing more current to battery
• This is referred to as “current boosting”
• DC to DC conversion done by internal switching

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 Maximum Power Point Tracking(MPPT)

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 MPPT…..

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Pros
• Increased efficiency
• Can handle a higher array voltage than that of the battery bank
• Longer warranties than PWM units
• Flexible for system growth
Cons
• More expensive than PWM controllers
• Larger physical units

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 Connecting Sequence
Switching on sequence

BATTERY PV MODULE LOAD

Switching off sequence

LOAD PV MODULE BATTERY

If battery is not connected, high voltage (18V) of PV module may damage Load (Max
input is ~14.5V)

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 Thank you

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