Morningstar Sunsaver MPPT Charge Controller review

I purchased this controller for my (admittedly cheap) introduction into solar energy. I first bought a 45-watt Harbor Freight set of panels and started with the included charge controller. After noticing the unit was only charging for 2 or 3 hours a day (in Houston, TX) I bought this MPPT controller and couldn't be happier!

Using the optional Morningstar RS-232 adapter and Morningstar MS-View software (free download), I am logging every possible parameter from Array Power (watts) to battery charging current - ALL IN REAL TIME!

I have since added two 100 watt panels and am happy to report that this controller goes into charge mode almost immediately after the sun comes up. With the two panels wired in series (36 volts), this controller down-converts the higher voltage into an optimal battery voltage. The excess voltage is converted to additional current to charge my battery bank.

All said, I couldn't be happier with this unit. My only wish it that it could charge the batteries at a higher rate since it can only charge at a maximum of 15 amps. Im not sure if it is possible (I need to check with Morningstar), but it would be nice if several of these could be wired in parallel to charge a given batter bank.

Morningstar hit one out of the ball park with this MPPT charge conroller. I give it 4.9 stars out of 5!

A+A+A+A+A+

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