How are MPPT charge controllers rated?

An MPPT charge controller is rated in 3 primary ratings. The first is simply what voltage battery banks the charge controller is designed to work with. The second rating is the voltage input. It is critical to allow proper functionality and not damage the charge controller.

How many watts will a 40 amp MPPT charge controller handle?

As a guide, the maximum number of watts that a 40 amp PWM charge controller can handle is approximately 480W for a 12 V battery system and 960W for a 24 V system provided it is mounted in a well-ventilated area to prevent overheating. For MPPT controllers, the maximum number of watts may be higher.

What do numbers on MPPT charge controller mean?

In other words, the Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100 | 30 can handle a max of 100 volts coming from the solar panels into the charge controller. The 2nd number, 30, represents the max amount of amps the controller can output going INTO THE BATTERIES.

What is an MPPT charge controller?

MPPT stands for Maximum Power Point Tracking and By using an MPPT charge controller you maximize the use of your solar power system, batteries, and other photovoltaic components.

How many amps does an MPPT add to a battery?

An MPPT takes that 17.6 volts at 7.4 amps and converts it down so that what the battery gets is now 10.8 amps at 12 volts. Now you still have almost 130 watts, and everyone is happy. Ideally, for 100\% power conversion you would get around 11.3 amps at 11.5 volts, but you have to feed the battery a higher voltage to force the amps in.

What is the difference between MPPT and PWM solar controllers?

This is due to the wide input voltage range which allows you to connect many solar panels in series, which increases the voltage but the amps stay the same. MPPT controllers are more expensive than PWM ones but also more efficient in terms of adding additional losses to the system.

What is maximum power point tracking (MPPT)?

A maximum power point tracking or more commonly known as MPPT is a kind of charge controller. It is set as an electronic DC converter that matches the solar array’s energy to the battery bank. An MPPT is one of the most efficient charge controllers available today.