Boost solar charge controller is a kind of charge controller that allows lower voltage panels to charge higher voltage battery banks with entire voltage and current boost function.
Boost controllers allow you to use 12V, 24V,36V or 48V lower voltage solar panels to charge 36V, 48V,60V and 72V Battery banks. This is especially designed for charging golf carts,electric vehicles, ebikes, RVs and marines, which usually don’t have much space for a large number of panels installed in these places.
The solar charge controller works by distributing the high voltage current from the Panels to the lower voltage battery bank, for example, a 24V solar panel supplies 18V of electricity, which is moved to the 12V battery like a stream of water flowing down from a high place. The solar controllers play a regulating role in this process.
The job of the boost controller is to raise the voltage produced by the panel to charge a battery that is at a higher pressure than the panel. This process is commonly integrated with MPPT technology.
Boost realised by lifting the current and voltage through specially designed circuit boards and capacitors. This process is automatic during the charging period.
When you have trouble charging large battery bank in marine and electric vehicles or even in a smaller solar system, you can use a boost mppt charge controller to boost the charge voltage and address this problem
Another advantage of a boost controller is it can reduce investment. Thinking that solar panels per watt are a bit costly, using a boost controller is much more economical instead of buying a lot of panels and a conventional solar controller.
Conventional solar controllers also have a Boost charge expression, but that refers to a voltage boost within a certain voltage range, not exceeding the PV voltage. and it is only for speeding up the charge process. They are different things.
Like conventional solar controllers, the charge regulation function of the boost controller also serves to regulate the charge from the solar panel to the battery and to protect the battery. In most cases, They function in the same way
Advantages of boost charge controllers:
Boost controllers are able to boost the charging current and voltage to charge larger batteries without large panels. This are the most valued features.
Boost controllers support charging various types of batteries, including lithium batteries, gel batteries and lead-acid batteries. most battery type will work.
Boost voltage controllers can be used in off-grid solar power systems where a small number of solar panels are installed, contributing to lower system cost.
Some boost regulators are able to charge 24V 36V 48V 60V 72V battery systems with advanced electrical design.
MPPT (Maximum power point) technology is built in the solar Boost controller, which allows you to capture the most power from solar energy by monitoring and trace the Vmp Power.
Solar charge controllers move power from higher voltage panel to low voltage battery packs, Both MPPT and PWM controllers perform the same role although they have different mechanisms.
How does a boost charge controller regulate solar power? For those that use relays and capacitors, it involves two parts: Raising the volt and moving energy to the lower voltage battery pack. almost all boost charge controllers use Max Power Tracking technology.
The Mechanics of an Solar charge Controller
solar charge controller is designed to transfer energy from PV to solar battery and protect the battery from overcharge, How solar charge controllers work can vary according to design. MPPT controller and PWM controller are two types.
MPPT and PWM are both energy control methods used by the charge controller to regulate the current flowing from the solar panel to the battery. PWM Charger usually asks for a cheap price and has a 75% percent conversion rate, buying an mppt charger is a little pricey, but, the high-speed MPPT can get a massive conversion rate improvement which up to 99%.
as battery voltage is fixed and if you want to charge it you need higher voltage input to flow in the power.
mppt boost controller adopts high voltage and low amp power to charge the battery pack. unlike the inverter transforming DC power to AC to sustain the power supply.
if you want to charge a large battery bank with smaller panels. a boost charge controller is what you need, boost controller is designed to charge the battery pack with constant low amperage charge current (usually not over 15 Amp) but high volt electricity.
MPPT boost charge controller VS Conventional Charge controller
Both the boost charge controller and the conventional controller have the same main job, regulating the charging in the solar system.
The biggest difference is that the boost charge controller is constructed for low voltage panels to charge high voltage batteries. Such systems are usually installed on small electric cars, boats, solar golf carts and RVs, which do not have enough space to mount too many solar panels.
Conventional charge controllers are of two types, mppt and pwm, while boost charge controllers are constructed with MPPT inside in order to maximize the use of solar energy. MPPT enables it gets max power even if it only has a bit of available sunshine. This is vital when you have a limited panel installed.
Conventional solar controllers have a wide range of charging currents, from 10A to 100A, while boost controllers are low current products, usually with a fixed 10A.
Boost controllers support a wide range of battery pack voltages, from 24V, 36V, 48V, 60V, 72V, and even up to 88V, all support boost charging.
Boost controllers support a very wide range of battery types. Most conventional controllers only support a few battery types.
What is a buck boost charge controller?
buck boost charge controller refers It can BOTH lower (Buck) and raise (Boost) Solar voltage from PV to charge the solar battery. buck and boost are opposite concepts, but sometimes they can work together to give better battery charging at different stages.
What is boost on a solar controller?
The Boost on a solar controller is a special charge period, its regulated by the charge controller, also called bulk charge or absorption charge.
during the battery charge, The controller keep detecting the battery voltages, at the time the battery voltage reaches a set value, the solar charge controller will actively raise the charging voltage.
After that the current flowing into the battery will accelerate and the whole battery charging process will accelerate, the battery will get charged at a high speed.
Almost all solar controllers have boost charging process, but it is not the same working mechanism as solar booster, and it is not able to charge large capacity batteries.
Can MPPT boost voltage?
In the MPPT charging process, there is a process of Boost voltage charge, but the voltage boost is below a set value, just to charge faster by boosting the voltage a little.
How can I boost my solar battery?
To boost or extend the solar battery lifetime, the Best practice is to ensure that all battery cells in the battery pack maintain a uniform charge/discharge ratio, which can be achieved by using a battery equalizer to maintain uniform performance by equaling all the cell voltage.
Another point is to use the proper solar charge controller, a good solar controller comes with a variety of protections, it can protect the battery without overcharging or overcurrent, solar controller with the temperature compensation function also added extra benefits to boost the solar battery.
Which kind of batteries do you recommend for the boost solar charge controller and why?
The boost controller can be adapted to a wide range of battery types, whether they are Li-ion, lead-acid, gel or AGM, the controller can charge them well by setting or adjusting the dip.
If you have enough budget, we recommend using LiPo batteries to work with the boost solar charge controller, not only because LiPo batteries are becoming more and more popular and reasonably priced, but it stores more power, which is a huge advantage of LiPo batteries if you don’t have enough space to install them.
Applications Of Boost Charge Controller
Boost Charge Controller have many uses, including supplying high-voltage DC to fill large battery bank, supplying moderate-voltage DC to a normal power system.
MPPT Boost solar charge controller are also widely used in RV and Trailers, Boat, and remote locations off grid applications as the boost controller results charge the large battery bank without larger panels.