Do I Need A Regulator For Solar Panel

A solar charge controller frequently called regulator is similar to a regular battery charger i e.

Do i need a regulator for solar panel.

It does this by using a transistor to shunt the pv charging circuit. Every solar panel needs a regulator to make sure we don t overcharge the battery when it s full and to give it everything the solar has got when the battery is low. In this photo i have two trojan l16 6v batteries wired in series for a 12v 400ah bank. Its function is to regulate the amount of charge coming from the panel that flows into the deep cycle battery bank in order to avoid the batteries being overcharged.

See all solar charge controllers. In conclusion a solar panel regulator is just a switch that regulates the current and voltage coming going into the battery from the solar panel. A charge controller or charge regulator is basically a voltage and or current regulator to keep batteries from overcharging. This solar charge regulator protects and regulates the charge of a 12 volt storage battery using solar panels.

The charger is set for 14 4v and the batteries were allowed to become chock full once chock full like an unregulated solar panel can do all this bank needed in order to not over shoot 14 4v was just 0 1a of charge current. A solar regulator is a small box consisting of solid state circuitry that is placed between a solar panel and a battery. 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.

The solar charge regulator features three led indicators high voltage low voltage charging and three connections for the solar panel keyed two pin connector battery keyed two pin connector and 12v output 3 in. 400ah bank just 0 1a to maintain 14 4v. The function of a charge controller is to regulate the charge going into your battery bank from your solar panel array and prevent overcharging and reverse current flow at night. You will probably have heard of the two types pwm and mppt pulse width modulation or maximum power point tracking.

This involves varying charge stages voltages and current depending on the type of battery and other factors. A solar charge controller is designed to receive power from a solar panel or array of panels and use it to charge a battery or bank of batteries. If you are connecting a large number of panels in series creating a high voltage take special care to ensure that this is within the mppt s maximum input voltage window. So using the above example for an mppt regulator you will need one that can handle more than 20 8a maximum current and 18v maximum solar input voltage.

Put simply solar voltage regulators do this by basically disconnecting the solar panels from the battery. This means if your battery is full it stops the charging and if your battery is reaching an unhealthy. Choosing the right solar charge controller regulator. Why do you need a solar charge controller.