PWM Solar Charge Controllers
PWM charge controllers, 20 A and 30 A, for small 12 V and 24 V solar setups: a panel or two on a shed, boat, gate opener or trickle-charging a parked vehicle.
Read moreRead less
A PWM controller connects the panel to the battery directly and pulses the connection to regulate charge, so it is simple, cheap and reliable, but it cannot use any panel voltage above the battery voltage. That is fine when the panel is a 12 V nominal type and the array is under a couple of hundred watts. Above that, or with higher-voltage panels, an MPPT controller pays for itself in extra harvest.
Choose the controller by panel current: panel watts divided by battery voltage, with 25 percent headroom.
