Charge Controllers - PWM and MPPT

Charge Controllers – PWM and MPPT
Model Description Item code Price
T100 Apollo T100 charge controller 020-07076 $995
T80 Apollo T80 charge controller 020-07080 $849
RD-WIRED Wired remote display 020-07085 $199
RD100 Wireless remote display 020-07087 $399
ASNET Network option card 020-07091 $99
A charge controller is an electronic voltage regulator, used in
off-grid systems and grid-tie systems with battery backup, that
controls the flow of power from the charging source to the battery.
The charge controller automatically tapers, stops, or diverts
the charge when batteries become fully charged. Some charge
controllers have metering and datalogging capability to show
system operation parameters and battery charge status. Some
have low battery load disconnect to prevent over-discharge and
some have built-in light controls to turn on lights at night.
Charge controller capacities ranges from 4 amps to 80 amps
and multiple charge controllers can be used in parallel for
larger systems. The simplest charge controllers turn off the
charge when the battery reaches a voltage near full charge,
and turn it on when the voltage drops about one volt. Pulse
width modulated (PWM) charge controllers turn on an off very
rapidly, holding the batteries at full charge, making better use
of available power.
Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) charge controllers
take power from the charging source at a voltage where it can
put out the most power (its maximum power point) and convert
that to the correct voltage to charge the battery. This technique
significantly increases the power from a solar array, especially
when batteries are discharged, battery voltage is low, and the
temperature is low causing the maximum power point voltage
of the solar modules to be high. Most MPPT charge controllers
can take an array voltage much higher that what is required by
the batteries, allowing the use of modules with higher peak
power voltage, designed for grid-tie use. A higher voltage solar
array also allows smaller wire to be used between the array
and the charge controller, which can save wire and installation
cost in large systems. Maximum power point tracking allows a
PV array to deliver up to 30% more power to a battery th