Solar Boost 3000i MPPT Solar Charge Controller, 30A, 12V

See our video with Blue Sky Energy/Genasun (one company now) with some great information on their solar charge controllers. Blue Sky product overview starts at 6:28.

Blue Sky Energy
Solar Boost MPPT Charge Controller, 30A
3000i

Blue Sky Energy’s new Solar BoostTM 3000i solar charge controller charges 12V batteries at up to 30 amps from conventional 36 cell 12V PV modules. Patented MPPT technology operates the modules electrically in a manner that harvests all available PV power and can increase charge current up to 30% or more compared to conventional PWM type controllers.

The voltage step-down operation of the MPPT power converter also allows use of higher voltage lower cost 60 cell grid-tie PV modules at up to 22 amps of output current. The process of converting the much higher 60 cell input voltage down to battery voltage may produce a charge current increase approaching 200%.

Solar Boost 3000i’s sophisticated 3-stage charge control plus auto/manual equalization optimally charges flooded, GEL and AGM lead-acid chemistry batteries. A user configurable auxiliary output is also provided which can serve as either a 20 amp LVD load controller, 20 amp lighting controller with LVD, or 2 amp auxiliary battery charger for a second battery such as the engine start battery in an RV.

Solar Boost 3000i may also operate as an IPN Network Master controlling up to 7 remote Blue Sky Energy IPN compatible charge controllers such as the SB3024iL. Blue Sky Energy’s IPN Network allows multiple charge controllers to communicate with each other and coordinate their activities to charge the battery as a single coordinated charging machine. All networked controllers display through the SB3000i’s digital display and may share a battery temperature sensor, IPN-ProRemote display for high accuracy battery system monitoring, or Universal Communication Module (UCM) for remote access over the Internet.

FEATURES:

• Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) increases charge current up to 30% or more compared to conventional charge controllers
• Accepts up to 400W of 36 cell PV modules or 290W of higher voltage 60 cell grid-tie PV modules
• 3-Stage charge control with auto/manual equalization optimally charges flooded, GEL and AGM batteries improving battery performance & life
• Multifunction low power LED digital display with automatic night time dimming provides excellent readability
• Auxiliary output serves as 2 amp auxiliary battery charger or 20 amp load/lighting controller
• Lighting controller provides separate PostDusk & PreDawn timers plus variable middle of the night PWM dimming
• IPN network interface coordinates multiple charge controllers & shares optional battery sensor and IPN-ProRemote display
• 5-Year limited parts & labor warranty

How Do Solar Boost Charge Controllers Increase Charge Current?

Solar Boost charge controllers increase charge current by harvesting more PV power. A conventional charge controller simply connects the PV module to the battery when the battery is discharged which can artificially limit how much power a PV module can deliver.

Patented Solar Boost MPPT technology operates the PV module at it's optimum voltage where it can produce the greatest amount of power rather than at battery voltage. The higher power extracted from the module is then provided to the battery as increased charge current.

The actual charge current increase you will see varies primarily with module temperature and battery voltage. In comfortable temperatures, current increase typically varies between 10 to 25%, with 30% or more easily achieved with a discharged battery and cooler temperatures. What you can be sure of is that Solar Boost charge controllers will deliver the highest charge current possible for a given set of operating conditions.