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The primary purpose of a charge controller is to charge batteries without overcharging them. Some charge controllers are better than others at doing this. A charge controller will also disconnect the batteries from the solar array after the sun goes down to keep the batteries from sending current back to the solar array.
There are many different brands and models on the market today. The inexpensive charge controller (under $150) can handle only very small unsophisticated systems.
Charge controllers that can handle battery equalization or multi-step functions will run up to $400 . Though these charge controllers sound expensive, they make up for it in a short time through more energy input and battery management.
MPPT Controllers(Maximum Power Point Track) is an electronic system built into sophisticated charge controllers that allows solar panels to produce all the power they are capable of.
What does this mean you ask? When a standard charge controller is charging the batteries; it only connects the solar panel directly to the batteries. This makes the solar panels operate at the current voltage of the batteries and not at their maximum voltage output. A MPPT charge controller calculates voltage the solar panel is capable of producing. By using a DC to DC converter a MPPT controller will allow the batteries to be more efficiently charged.
A MPPT Charge Controller is a very sophisticated piece of electronics with a efficiency rating of 96-98%. These controllers will provide 15-30% more power to your batteries. These controllers are not cheap and will come to around $400 to $900 dollars. They are worth every penny.
In a large Off the Grid system the Charge Controller cost typically represents around 10% of the total installed cost.
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