Xantrex 30A MPPT Solar Charge Controller

The Xantrex 30A MPPT Solar Charge Controller charges 12V house and starter banks from arrays up to 72V nominal.

Charging both a house bank and a starter from one controller is the useful feature, and it removes a second controller from the installation. Most solar controllers serve one bank. The starting battery then gets nothing from solar, which is exactly the battery that quietly dies from sitting.

A 72V nominal PV input allows panels in series, which reduces current on the solar side. Lower current means smaller cable between the array and the controller, and that matters on a boat where the panels sit on an arch and the controller is well below.

MPPT tracking continuously adjusts the operating point to hold the array near its most productive voltage. Thirty amps at 12V is around 400 watts of array, and working from the panels rather than the controller is what sizes the system correctly. Explore more solar charge controllers.

• Charges the house bank and the starter together
• The starter is the battery that dies from sitting
• 72V input allows series wiring and smaller cable
• 30A at 12V is around 400 watts of array