Choosing A Solar Panel Regulator

When you install a solar power system, you want to ensure that you choose the correct solar panel regulator. Any solar panel energy system needs solar panels to generate power and batteries to store that power.  A regulator works to ensure the batteries operate within a reasonable range.

The use of a regulator serves two purposes: the first is to protect the battery from overcharging when there are days with excess sun, and the second is to prevent the battery from discharging on days when there is too little sun. Either conditions will, over time, decrease the effectiveness of your battery and cause it to malfunction before it’s natural lifetime.

The battery is important to the solar panel energy system, without it you would have place for the energy captured by your solar panels to be stored. It is important to keep the battery in good condition so you can have a reliable power source at all times. Regulating what goes in and comes out improved battery life and has even doubled battery life for some individuals.

There are a few different ways to regulate the energy stream from your solar panels, the two most common ways are to use a linear series regulator, or a shunt regulator. With a linear series regulator provides a relatively stable voltage regulator, however it is more expensive, larger, and may drop voltage drop when there is considerable sun.

The majority of shunt regulators are on-off regulators. These solar panel regulators have a type of switch that is in off mode until the battery reaches overvoltage, then it switches on to short out the solar panel until the battery voltage is correct again. The solar panel is then switched on again. This is a cheap alternative, however there is a price with regards to performance. The battery is running between overcharging and full load delivery which reduced it’s performance over time. If the battery were to fail altogether, it would cause the regulator to continually switch, and damage your costly equipment.

It is not necessary to purchase a regulator, there are a number of schematics available online to help you construct your own solar panel regulator. These typically require a bit of electrical knowlege and the ability to convert a schematic into electrical components. If you don’t know what a transistor is, likely you want to purchase your own regulator, or get assistance from a professional solar electrician. If you do, then you will have the luxury of choosing from the different designs which might be linear or shunt regulators, or even choosing a high-voltage regulator with varities of different designs. Always keep in mind that safety if os prime concern when working with electricity so research the instructions you have well.

When it comes to maintenance, both types of regulators work with little needed maintenance. They require airflow around the compenent and should be placed in the shade. Other than that, check the wires from time to time and you are set to have a long life out of your solar panel regulator.