Solar charge current
I've read about solar charging systems, and am impressed when the owner boasts of the current generated. What I don't understand is how a system that generates 20-50+ amps doesn't fry the batteries. ...
Forum Discussion
2oldman wrote:
The controller handles the current that's needed.
No, the controller controls the battery voltage. The controller has an amps rating. Some controllers have a current limit so they don't over-heat by amps going above the controller's rating..
The battery itself controls the amps going into it by its "natural acceptance rate", which is higher at higher voltage. It accepts more amps at 14.4v than at 13.6v.
Current to the battery depends on whether it is an MPPT or PWM controller. With PWM you can get the panel's Isc rating worth of amps, but with MPPT you get the controller's output watts divided by the battery's voltage at the time. The battery doesn't care where its amps are coming from though.
