Solar Charge Controller Circuit Design

What is a solar charger controller?

The design is targeted for small and medium power solar charger controller designs, capable of operating with 15 to 60V solar panel modules and 12V or 24V batteries with up to 16A output current. The design uses the perturb-and-observe algorithm for MPPT and has an operating efficiency of greater than 98%.

How does a solar charge controller work?

The implemented circuit consists of a 60 W photovoltaic (PV) module, a buck converter with an MPPT controller, and a 13.5V-48Ah battery. The performance of the solar charge controller is increased by operating the PV module at the maximum power point (MPP) using a modified incremental conductance (IC) MPPT algorithm.

Why do solar panels need a charge controller?

The solar charge controller also prevents the battery from discharging back through the solar panel at night. It is a critical component in a solar power system. The Solar Power can be measured using Pyranometer Sensor. Every solar panel system that has batteries needs a charge controller.

What happens if a solar panel does not have a charge controller?

In the absence of a charge controller, depending on the irradiance, power from the PV module will flow into a battery, whether or if the battery has to be charged. ... ... It controls the solar panels' voltage and current as they feed the battery .

What is solar charge controller Status?

Solar Charge Controller status set points and other factors . The available capacity of a battery depends upon the rate at which it is discharged. If a battery is discharged at a relatively high rate, the available capacity will be lower than expected.

What is a solar MPPT charge controller?

The solar MPPT charge controller includes reverse battery protection, software programmable alarms and indications, and surge and ESD protection. This reference design is developed around TI gallium nitride (GaN) FETs LMG2100 with integrated gate drivers and MSPM0G1506 MCU.