Do I Need A Charge Controller For Solar Panel

Anything beyond that and you do.

Do i need a charge controller for solar panel. If the number is less than 200 than you need a controller. 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 charge process is performed in a smart or intelligent way. 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.

I get asked this question quite often and the answer is almost always a resounding yes. It is the charge controller that regulates the charging of the batteries. If the quotient is above 200 you don t need a controller. Last summer i finally had the opportunity to set this up for demonstration with a small 12w solar panel and two different battery banks.

It regulates the voltage and current coming from the solar panels going to the battery. There are always caveats to everything however. The safest way to figure out if you need a charge controller is to take battery amp hour capacity and divide this by the solar panel max. Not at all times but frequently.

Do i need a solar charge controller. It is a device which most importantly properly charges a battery or battery bank enabling as long a life as possible. A charge controller or charge regulator is basically a voltage and or current regulator to keep batteries from overcharging. You don t need a charge controller with small 1 to 5 watt panels.

Keep in mind that you don t need one when the panel releases less than or equal to two watts for every fifty battery amp hours. If a panel puts out 2 watts or less for each 50 battery amp hours you probably don t need a charge controller.