Solar Boost 2000e, 25A, 12V Solar Charge ControllerWrite a review

Have in installed it on my sailboat. Installation was easy and it worked great. Average about a 20-22 percent increase in current output during peak winter daylight hours in SW florida. Gives me about .5-.7 amps extra per hour. Might be higher, but my solar panel is not orintated for best sun angle what with the effects of tide, wind on boat position.

I replaced the Morningstar SunSaver 10 Amp unit that I had used for about 1.5 years with the Solar Boost 2000E as a bit more current capability was needed under moderate discharge conditions on my Hunter 31 sailboat for my older 4 panel Siemens 55 W units.

The boost capability and excellent construction of the unit were the deciding factors for my purchase as I had seen other units in use and their owners were well satisfied with the SB 2000E also.

The SB 2000E with aux. mounting box made installation a snap and the instructions were very well written and clearly showed exactly how to hook it up.

The artwork on the front of the unit is very well done and the LCD meter shows Battery voltage, PV current into the unit and current out to the battery. It is very easty to read and a very useful tool in battery management.

I am most happy with my Solar Boost 2000E.

Installed very slick, one problem which a three minute call to Blue Sky Tech Support solved. If installing with a DC center (such as Outbacks') make sure the Neutral from the PV (or Combiner box) goes straight to the controller, not thru the DC Center Common neutral. Will not damage the unit, but display will not function properly.
After figuring that one out, fired up cleanly and started functioning without a glitch.

I bought a 2000E, 12 volt charge controller in May of 2005, and I must say that I like it quite a bit.

I had one scare after a few months of use when the display went blank and it wasn't charging -- but this turned out to be my foolish use of undersized wiring from three of the solar panels. It turned out that the wiring's insulation from three fifty watt solar panels melted and shorted out. (The other panel that I was using was wired intelligently, and this problem never occurred).

Before I figured out what the problem was, though, Alt. Energy Store gave me the number for Blue Sky's tech support. The fellow I talked to was very friendly and was more than happy to exchange the controller if I wanted to. Fortunately, I didn't take him up on this offer, deciding to check it out for a day or two first, and discovered it was my use of too-small-gauge wires! DUHHH!

I love the layout of the front panel, and the MPPT boost is definitely noticeable in the cooler times of the year.

In short, I would highly recommend this product!

The 2000E is installed on a boat with 400 Ah of AGM golf cart batteries and a Norcold 8 cubit foot fridge drawing about 3.5 Amps at about a 20% duty cycle. The 2000E is fed by 3 65 Watt cells and produces over 11 amps at mid day.

Normally it operates perfectly with no attention. I designed for a 3 day no sun period and we seldom see that much bad weather in Florida.

During one period of bad weather, the bank voltage dropped below the starting voltage for the Norcold. A design flaw in the Norcold caused it to
try forever
to start. That drained the batteries completely.

Next morning, bright sunlight. Unfortunately, the 2000E requires power from the batteries to start. So, the day went by with full sunlight and no power went into the battery bank.

When I arrived back on board, the batteries were flat, the fridge was warm, and I was hot. I shut off the fridge, put a jump start battery on the battery and re-started the 2000E. It charged the batteries enough to start the engine and finish the charging job.

I have since installed an under-volt in the Norcold.

I believe the 2000E should dead start itself in a marine environment exactly as the Coast Guard requires of a marine alternator. Lacking that capability, the unit is unacceptable in a marine environment.

It is a shame, one diode and the problem would be solved.