Solar Charger & Truck Power Question
I've recently installed a Go Power! GP-PWM-30 30 Amp Solar Regulator because the previous owner had solar installed but no charge controller (he just had a simple diode or voltage regulator that conne...
Forum Discussion
Sam Spade wrote:HMS Beagle wrote:Sam Spade wrote:KD4UPL wrote:
A truck charging system is a voltage source, solar panels are a current source.
And there we have another ridiculous statement.
It is in fact a correct statement.
No it isn't correct at all.
You can't have current without voltage.....and saying things like that just confuses people.
It is correct. Theoretically (and in unusual conditions) you can have current without voltage, and practically you can have very large currents with very little voltage.
The terms "voltage source" and "current source" are engineering terms. An ideal voltage source produces the same voltage regardless of the current drawn from it, and an ideal current source produces the same current regardless of the voltage applied. Solar arrays behave a lot like an ideal current source, while regulated alternators behave a lot like an ideal voltage source (both within the limits of their capacity). That may be confusing to some, but if you are intending to use a current source charge regulator with a voltage source input, there will be drama and it would be advisable to understand why.
