Charge controller recommendations
I have a small solar charging system consisting of two 12v 75w panels wired in series and a failing cheap MPPT charge controller. I may be acquiring another identical panel too. I'm currently leanin...
Forum Discussion
It is the same with solar as any charging, where the SOC reached by the time the battery voltage reaches Vabs depends on the charging rate.
So that depends on what your bank size is in AH and what amps your charger does during the Bulk stage
With solar, now that you have reached Vabs, the next concern is how much daylight is left for you to get the rest of the charging done past that SOC?
You want to get the rest of that done in a short time if it is later in the day so you need that Vabs to remain at that level so the battery acceptance rate in amps stays high. A short period of Absorption Stage and an early drop to Float voltage would mean you can't get to a high enough SOC by dark, or before you start using the batteries in the evening, whichever comes first.
If you start using the batts at 5pm, and you have a two hour Absorption Stage, you want to reach Vabs by 3pm. This means you need to size your solar wattage wrt your battery bank size, and have your usage of AH while camping just so. You have to design your set-up with some ideas of how you camp and some notion of what solar will actually get done during the day.
Hard to make "rules" with so many variables.
So that depends on what your bank size is in AH and what amps your charger does during the Bulk stage
With solar, now that you have reached Vabs, the next concern is how much daylight is left for you to get the rest of the charging done past that SOC?
You want to get the rest of that done in a short time if it is later in the day so you need that Vabs to remain at that level so the battery acceptance rate in amps stays high. A short period of Absorption Stage and an early drop to Float voltage would mean you can't get to a high enough SOC by dark, or before you start using the batteries in the evening, whichever comes first.
If you start using the batts at 5pm, and you have a two hour Absorption Stage, you want to reach Vabs by 3pm. This means you need to size your solar wattage wrt your battery bank size, and have your usage of AH while camping just so. You have to design your set-up with some ideas of how you camp and some notion of what solar will actually get done during the day.
Hard to make "rules" with so many variables.
