Charge Controller Monitoring
On October 26, 2009 in General Information
As new features and technologies are developed for battery charge controllers, and more systems are installed, there is a greater need for a way to monitor battery charge states, amperage/voltage from photovoltaic panels or wind turbines, and many other aspects of the system. Manufacturers of charge controllers have come up with several different methods of monitoring systems, from very basic to highly advanced.
Implementations of monitoring systems vary widely from different manufacturers both in hardware and software. Many systems incorporate a built-in LCD panel on the charge controller that will display various types of information. Also included with some charge controllers are serial (RS232) communication links which can be connected to a computer or in some cases other charge controllers for monitoring. Stepping up from the serial connection is an Ethernet connection which will generally interface with existing home/commercial networks except in the case of some manufacturers who use proprietary networking systems. Ethernet connections can be a useful tool for field technicians, as lately many laptops are not being manufactured with a serial port due to lack of demand and a desire to save space. Very few manufacturers offer wireless connections to the charge controllers through either “WIFI” connections or cell-phone/GSM/bluetooth connections, however these types of systems are becoming more common.
On the software side of monitoring systems, again there is a large variation between manufacturers. Using the data communication methods mentioned previously, information is transferred from the charge controller to either: a display panel on the controller itself, a remote display panel, or a computer. Several companies offer standalone software with their charge controllers either with purchase of the charge controller, free altogether, or as an option for a higher price. Other manufacturers have the option of a setup that sends information from the controller to a computer, and then from the computer this information is uploaded to a website on the internet, where the data can be viewed in various graphs and charts. Apollo Solar and other manufacturers have taken this a step further by offering a cellular modem that will connect to their data communication gateway and communicate the data to a webserver anywhere in the world that there is a cellular connection. This would be especially useful in remote off-grid situations where a cell phone signal is still obtainable.
Many companies have decided to offer only minimal monitoring capabilities on the charge controllers themselves, and instead sell additional accessories that can be added to the system to facilitate monitoring. Rogue Engineering is one of these manufacturers that offers two options of monitoring accessories that also double as data loggers and can store data for historical analysis. The higher end system they offer is PLC based with an open source operating system that can be modified to suit the user’s needs if desired, however this is rather advanced and would more than likely be applicable only to commercial users except in the case of residential users with a high likelyhood of customizing and ‘tinkering’ with systems.
|
Manufacturer |
LCD |
Ethernet |
Serial |
Wireless/GSM |
Software |
Website Monitoring |
Remote LCD |
|
Apollo |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
|
Tristar |
YES |
NO |
YES |
NO |
YES |
NO |
YES |
|
Outback |
YES |
NO |
YES |
NO |
YES |
NO |
YES |
|
Blue Sky |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
YES |
|
Fronius |
YES |
YES |
NO |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
|
Rogue |
YES |
YES |
YES |
NO |
YES |
NO |
NO |
|
SunWare |
YES |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
YES |
Table 1: Charge Controller Feature Comparison
The two manufacturers that I encountered who offered the most flexibility in their monitoring systems were Apollo Solar, and Fronius. Many of the manufacturers have severely limited monitoring/data communication options as demonstrated in Table 1. I feel as though these companies are losing out on a large potential customer base with such limited options. Our world is becoming increasingly information driven, and to add to that the information needs to be available quickly and conveniently. With a lack of network connectivity a charge controller is much less attractive to someone that wishes to monitor the system closely while still being able to actually leave the location.
References:
http://www.fronius.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-03B69EC8-F88A47D4/fronius_usa/hs.xsl/2714_1447.htm
https://www.rogue-engr.com/cportal/
http://www.affordable-solar.com/tristar.ts.45.charge.controller.45amp.htm
http://www.outbackpower.com/products/charge_controllers/
http://www.blueskyenergyinc.com/
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