Charge controllers

For a few LED bulbs and phone charging, a YACHU 60W–150W panel (KSh 3,000 to 5,500) with a 10A or 20A PWM charge controller and a 12V gel battery is a simple set-up. Use DC bulbs (from KSh 100) to skip the inverter. Add a 12V inverter for a TV, or a hybrid kit for a fridge.

Example from our counter: 100W panel KSh 4,000 + 10A controller KSh 1,500 + 12V 100Ah gel battery KSh 14,000 = KSh 19,500, before cables and fitting.

Choose a controller rated above your panel watts. YACHU PWM controllers, as listed: 10A handles up to 120W of panels at 12V or 240W at 24V (KSh 1,500); 20A up to 240W or 480W (KSh 1,800); 30A up to 360W or 720W (KSh 2,500). All detect 12V or 24V batteries automatically.

Example: a 200W panel on a 12V battery needs the 20A controller. Leave a little headroom rather than running a controller at its limit.

No. YACHU hybrid inverters have an MPPT solar charge controller built in, so the panels connect straight to the inverter. You only need a separate controller, such as our YACHU PWM 10A–30A (KSh 1,500 to 2,500), for a simple panel-and-battery system or when you use a standard inverter.

Check the hybrid inverter’s solar input limits before adding panels; we can do that for you.

A PWM controller connects the panel almost directly to the battery and trims the charge, which is simple and affordable and suits small systems. An MPPT controller converts the panel’s higher voltage into extra charging current, harvesting more energy from bigger arrays. Our YACHU PWM controllers cost KSh 1,500 to 2,500; hybrid inverters include MPPT.