Charge controller

[1][2] This prevents conditions that reduce battery performance or lifespan and may pose a safety risk.

[5] Charge controllers are sold to consumers as separate devices, often in conjunction with solar or wind power generators, for uses such as RV, boat, and off-the-grid home battery storage systems.

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) and maximum power point tracker (MPPT) technologies are more electronically sophisticated, adjusting charging rates depending on the battery's level, to allow charging closer to its maximum capacity.

Considerable efficiency gains can be achieved, particularly when the PV array is located at some distance from the battery.

[citation needed] Charge controllers may also monitor battery temperature to prevent overheating.

[3][8] Charge controller circuits are used for rechargeable electronic devices such as cell phones, laptop computers, portable audio players, and uninterruptible power supplies, as well as for larger battery systems found in electric vehicles and orbiting space satellites[9] Due to limitations in currents that copper wires could safely handle, charging protocols have been developed to allow the end device to request elevated voltages for increasing the power throughput without increasing heat in the wires.