question

eltirus-apac avatar image
eltirus-apac asked

Why wont my PV charge the battery?

I have a BlueSolar PWM Charge Controller – LCD - USB 10A connected to a 100W PV panel. The problem is that it won't charge the battery.
I can see it is connected to the PV panel from this shot:

a.jpg

PV voltage doesnt make sense - appears to be battery voltageb.jpg

Amps are zeroc.jpg

Any bright ideas on what I have done wrong?


battery charging
a.jpg (18.3 KiB)
b.jpg (17.7 KiB)
c.jpg (16.4 KiB)
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2 Answers
snoobler avatar image
snoobler answered ·

On a PWM controller, the panel is shorted to the battery forcing the panel to work at battery voltage. This is why MPPT controllers produce more power. They are a DC-DC converter that allows the panel to operate at max power voltage (around 17-19V for most "12V" panels).


If you've connected everything correctly:

  1. Insufficient irradiance to the panel.
  2. The panel has failed.
  3. The controller has failed.


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eltirus-apac avatar image
eltirus-apac answered ·

Thankyou very much for your help and advice.

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