One of the key components of a home solar power system is the charge controller. All the Photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof will be connected to the charge controller via copper cables.

With so many different types of charge controller available in the market, how to we choose the right one for our residential solar power system?

When you are shopping for a new charge controller, consider the following 10 features.

1) Current backflow protection – During the day, the solar panel will generate electric current. However, during night time, the PV panels will become an electric load and draws power from the battery bank.

A current backflow protection prevents current flowing from the battery into the solar panels.

2) Battery low-voltage disconnect (LVD) – When the battery bank has been discharged to a very low level, this feature will automatically stop any further power discharge.

3) Monitoring system – System readings with either digital or analog display.

4) Protection from overcurrent – For whatever reason if there is a current spike, the fuses in the charge controller should break the circuit.

5) Flexible mounting option – Make sure the unit comes with multiple mounting option. You may want to flush mount or wall mount the charge controller.

6) Total system control – The charge controller can actually control other system such as backup generator, secondary battery bank, secondary charge system etc.

7) Secondary load controller – With special timer and controller, the unit can be used to control secondary loads such as water pump, lights, switches etc.

8) Temperature compensation – The deep cycle batteries keep in different temperature will require different voltage level to fully charge the system.

The temperature compensation feature will automatically change the voltage limit to maximize battery charging.

9) Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) – This is a method used to maintain the battery maximum state of charge. It also reduces the chances for sulfate build up on the battery plates. This can be done by a charge controller by pulsing the battery voltage at a high frequency.

10) Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) – This feature charges the battery by extracting the most power possible from the Photovoltaic panels by changing its operating voltage for maximum efficiency.

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A home solar power system consists of multiple parts and components. Each individual unit plays a very important role. Among all the parts, the weak link in the entire system is none other than the battery bank.

With today’s modern deep cycle batteries and sophisticated charge controlling devices, total battery bank failure is rare but they do happen.

They following are 6 tips on how you can maintain the lifespan of a residential home solar energy battery bank.

1) Proper sizing.

When designing your home solar power system, make sure you size the battery bank properly. Here’s a rule of thumb, design the batteries to be able to handle at least 5 days of load.

It is always a good idea to size the battery larger than your home power demand. Reason being your power demand will increase after some time and the deep cycle batteries will lose it power output after a few years. Over designing the system will compensate for battery power loss and increased demand.

2) Invest in premium batteries.

The batteries basically supply all the power when the sun is out. If possible, invest in high-quality batteries. It costs more compared to normal grade batteries but it will worth your investment in the long run.

3) Cut down on parallel stringing.

When designing the battery bank, try not to have more than 3 parallel battery strings. Doing so, it system will lose its equalization thus resulting is rapid battery plates failure.

When you have a problem with the battery system, it is hard to pinpoint which faulty plate is stealing power from surrounding cells and the entire system will suffer.

4) Watch out for corrosion.

Corrosion on battery usually occurs on the terminals and cables. This can be a potential hazard and at the same time increases the resistance on the system.

It is not very difficult to prevent corrosion on battery. All you need to do is apply a non hardening sealant on all the metal parts before connecting them together. The sealant will prevent acid from coming into contact with the metal surface therefore preventing corrosion.

5) Controlling surrounding temperature.

A deep cycle battery will lose up to 25% of its charge capacity when kept in a low surrounding temperate of 30 degree Fahrenheit. When the temperature rises, the battery will deteriorate faster. Therefore, it is best to keep the batteries in an ideal temperature.

6) Compensate for temperature changes.

During winter time, the batteries are cold thus require a higher charge voltage limit in order to reach full charge. During summer, warm batteries require a lower voltage limit to prevent overcharging. This is known as temperature compensation.

The temperature compensation process can be done automatically by many charge controllers in the market. When buying a charge controller, get one with the temperature compensation feature.

DIY Home Solar Power System

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All of us know how it’ll be like if we leave our car for too long under the sun. It will pretty much turn the inside of our car into an oven. Sunlight can actually raise the temperature inside our car to as high as 160 Fahrenheit in the summer! That’s hot folks, it is hot enough to crack the plastic dashboard.

Why does this happens? Glass, being a transparent material allows light in but it traps the heat. This is commonly known as the greenhouse effect.

How do we make use of this free, passive, clean and abundantly available solar energy for our home?

By utilizing the concept of greenhouse effect, we can use it to heat up air and circulate it around our house to warm the rooms in the winter months.

Commercially available solar air heater is quite expensive. If you are looking for one, be prepared to invest as much as $1000 for a unit.

A cheaper alternative is to make the solar air heater yourself. How do we do this? Check out the video below to see how it is done.

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