Thinking of changing alden sps 180

[karalal]

Would swapping my alden sps 180 for a victron mppt 75115 be worthwhile or just a waste of money

 

[autorouter]

The Alden SPS 180 is a PWM type of controller. It avoids overcharging the battery by switching the solar panel output on and off, for a calculated percentage of the time, depending on the battery state of charge. If the panel voltage drops below the battery voltage it will stop charging.

The Victron MPPT 75/15 is an MPPT controller, which controls the load on the solar panel to take the maximum power from it, and electronically transforms the output voltage to give out the best charging voltage for the battery's state of charge.

Typically an MPPT controller will extract between 10% and 30% more power from a solar panel than a PWM, especially in cloudy conditions. Only you know whether that is worth the effort and expense of changing the controller.

Some people say it's more cost-effective to just add an extra panel, but that's sometimes a problem because the controller won't take any more power, or simply lack of roof space.

 

[Lenny HB]

Either a Victron of a Votronic will give a notable provement. If like us and solar is your main energy source it's well worth while. My preference is for the Votronic, they are dual output and they are a bit cheaper.