Is There A Difference In Solar Charge Controllers For Lead Acid And Lithium Type Battery

Published 10/19/2021

Question:

Will the charge controllers that you offer work on Lithium batteries. You mentioned on one of the videos that the controller works on Flooded as well as AGM batteries, but did not mention Lithium__thus the question. Lastly, can you, or can you recommend competent qualified installers for the solar systems that you sell ? FYI__We have a 32foot 2002 Monaco Knight, which I do not believe is prewired or preliminarily set up for a solar installation.

asked by: Gerard P

Expert Reply:

Flooded and AGM batteries are variations of build within the same battery chemistry type, lead acid. A lithium chemistry battery is distinctly different not only from its chemistry but the charge profile as well. There are solar charge controllers, such as the Go Power MPPT Solar Charge Controller, # GP54FR, with multiple preset charging profiles that covers lithium chemistry as well as lead acid. My suggestion is to purchase a solar charge controller that provides this option as opposed to limiting yourself to only one type chemistry. If you have lead currently, the prevalence of Lithium is growing so you may very well opt to upgrade next occasion of replacing battery bank. I also highly recommend that any charge controller is of the MPPT type, maximum power point tracking. This is feature optimizes the match between the solar panels and the battery bank.

If you look below the videos listed on each product page, you will see a hyperlink listed as "Locate installers near me". Select this option and enter the zip code options near you to help with installation.

I would agree that your 2002 Monaco Knight is probably not prewired for solar. But that does provide a lot of real-estate for solar panels.

expert reply by: Michael R