MPPT 500
250 Watt MPPT chargers on sale now for 158€,
500 Watt MPPT charger on sale now for 278€
Fuses are required, we supply propper rated DC slow burning fuses for 35€ per kit including wall mounts.
Maximum Power Point Tracking controllers typically deliver 15% more energy from your PV array to your battery. That’s like having an extra PV module working for you. They work best with cold PV modules and hungry batteries – typical wintertime conditions for most off-the-grid folks – when boost can reach as high as 30%.
Output voltage for the BZ products MPPT 500 control is selectable for 12, 24 or 48 volt systems, and for either sealed or wet cell batteries. Input can be up to 500 watts of PV modules with any open-circuit input voltage up to 100 volts (48 volts nominal).
You should also take a look at: Equalization of flooded batteries as this is the third step (apart from reasonable discharge of your batteries, and investing in a proper MPPT regulator) in maintaining a healthy and far more economical battery bank.
How it works
When power is available from the solar panel, the MPPT 500 microprocessor measures and determines the optimum operating point of the solar panel to produce the highest charge current possible to the battery. There is no interaction between the MPPT 500 and other battery charging systems. The float voltage of the MPPT 500 is calibrated to 14.1 volts. When the battery voltage reaches 14.1 volts the red Float LED turns on. At this point, charge current to the battery will gradually diminish to maintain the 14.1 float voltage. As soon as a load is turned on, maximum charge current is applied to the battery. Temperature compensation adjusts the float voltage to properly charge the battery over a wide temperature range. When the battery is warm the float voltage will drop and when the battery is cold the float voltage will rise. MPPT 500 is well suited for flooded, deep cycle and gel type batteries.
General information for the curious
The Maximum PowerPoint tracker is an electronic voltage tracker. It is the next generation of smart regulators. There is no physical movement of the panels involved. The MPPT simply and efficiently deals with the excess voltage of the solar panels, converting what is left over of excess voltage at any given moment to Amperes (the battery fuel).
All panels will produce more than their nominal Voltage. They are manufactured this way, to ensure the charge actually enters the battery. If you have a 12Volt battery, the charge will vary in voltage from 12 to 14,5 Volts depending on the state of charge. A normal charger will have to produce the maximum voltage at all times, to ensure the full charge is reached. To ensure this can work, the panel manufacturers have to make the panels yield more than the rated 12 or 24 Volts. A 12V panel normally gives as much as 17 Volts!
The MPPT monitors the charge state, and converts any Voltage above the required level to achieve charge into Amperes. This ensures the increased Amp production up to 30%.
This is normally seen in winter times (when most needed) as ambient low temperatures and hungry batteries makes the panels produce higher Voltages, and easier flow of amps into the batteries.
How to install?
You simply replace your old charger with this one. If you need it, we supply proper rated DC fuses with housing for 35 Euro per kit.
We can install the charger for you, if you wish, but it is simple enough to do.
The MPPT will give you up to 30% increase of charge to the batteries, compared with normal chargers.
Further more it charges in 3 stages. Bulk and absorption charging, as a normal charger would, but also the float charge will pulse when 90% charge is reached. This is due to the regulator being fitted with 3 large capacitors (miniature batteries). When the regulator senses maximum voltage, it will shut down the charge current, but for the first seconds it fills up the capacitors. Shortly after the batteries respond to the shut down of current and drops to a voltage, where the charger opens up for the charge again. As soon as the regulator releases the charge current, the capacitors releases as well, giving a short peak of current (Amps) which “shoots” into the batteries as a pulse.
The pulse charging helps your batteries get rid of the Sulphate Crystal forming on the led plates. This is how batteries age, consequently the pulse charging gives longer life to the batteries. The Float charge also ensures that your batteries are maintained at full charge during the day. This also improves battery life.
Last the MPPT is tolerant to a wide range of Volts. This means, that you can wire the solar array in linear (first panel + to next panel -).
This way you achieve lesser resistance (lower Amperes and higher Voltage) in the cables to the regulator, giving you even more energy from your panels!
Every solar system should have one really.
Specifications
| PV Charge Current: | 45 amps continuous at 12V output (22 amps at 24V, 11 amps at 48V) |
| Surge Current: | 54 amps for 10 minutes at 12V output (26.4 amps at 24V, 13.2 amps at 48V) |
| Minimum Battery Voltage: | 10 volts |
| Float Voltage Range: | 12.5-15.5 volts at 12V output (25-31 volts at 24V, 50-60 volts at 48V) |
| Float Preset, Flooded Battery: | 14.1 volts at 12V output (28.2 volts at 24V, 56.4 volts at 48V) |
| Float Preset, Sealed Battery: | 13.8 volts at 12V output (27.0 volts at 24V, 55.2 volts at 48V) |
| Array Voltage Open Circuit: | 100 volts maximum |
| PV Input Voltage: | Auto-ranging |
| Input Power Maximum: | 500 watts |
| Input Power Minimum: | 100 watts |
| Reverse Current: | 0.01 amps nominal |
| Operating Temperature: | -20 to +60°C |
| Operating Current: | 0.15 amps nominal |
| Wire Size: | #2 AWG max. |
| Efficiency: | Greater than 95% at 35 amps |
| Weight: | 3 pounds |
| Lightning Protection: | 1000 watt MOV |
| Digital Meter: | ½" LCD display |
| DC Volts Range: | 0-99.9 volts ±0.5% |
| DC Amps Range: | 0-99.9 amps ±0.75% |
| Temperature Compensation: | -18mV/°C nominal |
| Minimum Battery Capacity: | 100 amp-hours |
| Storage Temperature: | -30 to +70°C |
| Float Regulation: | ±0.05 volts nominal |
| Mounting: | #6 screws |
| Finish: | Beige powder coat |
| Conduit Size: | 1 inch |
| Dimensions: | 6" x 8.5" x 2.4" |
Features:
* Current boosting
* Voltage converting
* 12, 24 and 48 volt output
* Up to 45 Amps charge current
* PWM float control
* Fully automatic operation
* Easy installation
* Large number-2 wire connectors
* Digital volt and amp meter
* Up to 500 watt input
* Battery temperature sensor standard
* High efficiency 95%
* low voltage disconnect
* LED battery gauge
* PWM control with temperature compensation and internal fuses
* Surface or wall mount
* Reliable
* Patent pending
