Solar Charge Controllers
Over the years I have had numerous manufacturers send me boxes of various charge controllers and I have found them to be complete junk, over-priced or missing key features. This is a scary problem because if a solar charge controller fails, your vehicle can be burned to ashes. Due to faulty quality control issues, cheap materials and bad designs, many solar charge controllers are a danger to use.
Key features that you need to look out for:
Key features that you need to look out for:
- It is a true MPPT Controller which will deliver 99% efficiency
- Can be used for over-paneling (which means you can add more panels than what it is rated for). This feature is very hard to find, but present in all of the controllers that I recommend
- Temperature Compensation- This increases the life of your batteries
- Manual charge profiles (charge any type of battery): Only for advanced users. This will allow you to fine tune your charge profile to a specific battery
- Large and strong input terminal that can accommodate large wire gauges (very hard to find)
- Great reviews on amazon
Solar Charge controller options
(I Make A Commission For Purchases Made Through The Links Below)
All of these charge controllers have great reviews and will do a great job, but they have some key differences:
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Renogy Rover Series MPPT
Best Value, easy to program and lithium specific 
Best controller for the price
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Victron MPPT
Best of the best Easy to use, expensive, highest quality 
If you are using a Lithium Battery or Custom Charge Profiles, get this controller.
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Epever Tracer-BN Series MPPT
Great quality and lasts for years, but hard to program. 
If you are using standard SLA/FLA/Drop-in Lithium Battery, get this controller
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Best Value Controller: Renogy Rover Series
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20 Amp MPPT Charge Controller kit:
Max. Solar Input Power: 260W (12V battery) 520W (24V battery) Click Here for a cheap price 30 Amp MPPT Charge Controller kit: Max. Solar Input Power: 390W (12V battery) 780W (24V battery) Click Here for a cheap price 40 Amp MPPT Charge Controller kit: Max. Solar Input Power: 520W (12V battery) 1040W (24V battery) Click Here for a cheap price 60 Amp MPPT Charge Controller kit: Max. Solar Input Power: 780W (12V battery) 1560W (24V battery) Click Here for a cheap price 100 Amp MPPT Charge Controller kit: Max. Solar Input Power: 520W (12V battery) 1040W (24V battery) Click Here for a cheap price |
If you want the best quality controller with bluetooth monitoring, easy charge profile editing, and you are ready to drop some money, buy this:
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100 volt max input, 12/24 volt Battery Bank Compatible Solar Charge Controllers: 15 amp controller Max Solar Array: up to 220 watts with a 12 volt battery, 440 watts at 24 volts click here to purchase 20 amp controller Max Solar Array: up to 290 watts at 12 volts, 580 watts at 24 volts click here to purchase 30 amp controller Max Solar Array: up to 440 watts at 12 volts, 880 watts at 24 volts click here to purchase 50 amp controller Max Solar Array: up to 700 watts at 12 volts, 1400 watts at 24 volts click here to purchase |
If you want the best of the best, and you have a large solar power array
that will produce under 150 volts, use this:
that will produce under 150 volts, use this:
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150 volt max input, 12/24/36/48 volt Battery Bank Compatible Solar Charge Controllers: 35 amp controller Max Solar Array: up to 500 watts with a 12 volt battery, 1000 watts at 24 volts, 2000 watts at 48 volts click here to purchase 45 amp controller Max Solar Array: up to 650 watts at 12 volts, 1300 watts at 24 volts, 2600 watts at 48 volts click here to purchase 60 amp controller Max Solar Array: up to 860 watts at 12 volts, 1720 watts at 24 volts, 3440 watts at 48 volts click here to purchase 70 amp controller Max Solar Array: up to 1000 watts at 12 volts, 2000 watts at 24 volts, 4000 watts at 48 volts click here to purchase 85 amp controller Max Solar Array: up to 1200 watts at 12 volts, 2400 watts at 24 volts, 3600 watts at 48 volts click here to purchase 100 amp controller Max Solar Array: up to 1450 watts at 12 volts, 2900 watts at 24 volts, 4350 watts at 48 volts click here to purchase |
High quality solar charge controller that is hard to program
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If you use a AGM Sealed Lead Acid or Recommended Drop-in Lithium, you do not need to program anything. You plug this controller into your system, and you are done.
This controller can do it all, but it is difficult to program custom charge profiles. If you read the manual and give it an hour or so, you can make this controller work with any chemistry out there. If you are using normal batteries, you do not need to worry about this at all. 10 Amp MPPT Charge Controller kit: Max. Solar Input Power: 100 volts open circuit (solar panel array voltage) 130W (12V battery) 260W (24V battery) Click Here for a cheap price 40 Amp MPPT Charge Controller Kit: Max. Solar Input Power: 100 volts open circuit (solar panel array voltage) 520W (12V battery) 1040W (24V battery) Click Here for a cheap price |
If you wish to use this controller to charge exotic/strange voltage lithium battery banks (such as a tesla/nissan leaf battery), you can change the charge controller parameters manually with the mt-50:
- Go to the main menu and select "4. Control Para.". In this menu, use the arrow keys to navigate around and see the current charge profile parameters.
- If you want to change a parameter, hold down the "ok" button. If it asks for a password input, leave it blank and hold down "ok". You will see the number flash, and you can use the arrows to change the parameter.
- When you are done editing the parameter, press "ok" and it will ask you to save the settings. Press "ok" again. You need to repeat this process everytime you change parameters on a screen (so you can only edit two parameters at a time).
- When you are done editing, use the navigation arrows to ensure that all changes have been saved.
- Connect your system to solar power and watch the charge voltage. If it charges up to the charge limit voltage that you programmed, you are good to go.
Accessories
If you buy my recommended charge controller above, it will come with all required accessories. If you buy the 10/20 amp charge controller, you will need to buy them separate. These accessories are in my opinion, required. They take less than a minute to install (you just need to plug them into the solar charge controller) and will expand the functionality and ease of use instantly. I cannot recommend them more!
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MT-50 Display Interface: This will allow you to change most settings on the solar charge controller such as battery type, size and load settings. The most useful feature of this screen is that it shows real time information of your solar charge controller such as total power being generated by your solar panels and how much power is charging the battery. There are many other features of this screen and I see it as a requirement to have if you use the solar charge controllers above.
Buy the MT-50 by clicking here |
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Battery Temperature Sensing Unit: This will allow the solar charge controller to determine a safe charging rate considering the temperature of the batteries. If you want your batteries to last a long time or wish for your system to work at a high efficiency, you will need this!
USB Interface Cable: This will allow the charge controller to connect to your computer. This will allow you to see how much power your system has generated over the course of weeks to years. You can also manually change any setting, which is especially useful when using a custom battery. If you have a lithium battery, you will need to input the safe charging voltage here. The hardest aspect of using this usb cable is downloading the software and drivers. It can be difficult and you must open the file that comes with the sofware and follow all of the instructions (there is a special setting in your computer that you must change before your charge controller can communicate with your computer. Just read the instructions and you will be good to go). Click here to buy both for a cheap price |