Solar and Wind Power and Alternative Energy Information

Battery Chargers

A Battery Charger is needed to re-charge deep-cycle batteries for sustained and continuous use, and to maintain the batteries in peak and optimal condition.

The better quality battery chargers will charge in several different modes and automatically sense the state of charge of the deep-cycle battery.

A good battery charger will need to manage and deliver three jobs; Charging the battery, Stabilising the charging rate, and knowing when to stop charging. A battery charger that fails in any one of these jobs is likely to cuase permanent damage to your valuable batterey. A good battery charger from any of the major manufacturers will perform these charging functions.

To protect the battery and deliver these functions when an alternative energy source such as wind power or solar power is utilised then a charge controller is needed to ensure that the batteries are charged at the maximum rate that they safely can stand when the power is available.

Battery charging can be achieved for electric boats by utilising solar panels and a solar charge controller.

For more information on Battery Charging for electric boats see the Charge Controllers page.

Here is a brief explanation of the jobs a good battery charger will need to do:

• Charging the battery: The battery charger will assess the current state of charge of the battery by measuring the voltage, temperature and/or time, and then deliver an appropriate amount of electric charge to the battery as a result. This makes sure that the battery only ever receives the appropriate charge at that instant thus protecting and preserving the long-life of the battery.


• Stabilising the charge delivered to the battery: Older battery chargers delivered a timed constant charge to the battery which could be delivered regardless of the state of discharge of the battery. Modern battery chargers assess the battery first and deliver a stabilsed charge that is appropriate at the time after monitoring voltage and temperature of the battery. Safe charging (stabilised charging) is achieved by varying the charge delivered to the battery depending on feedback from the battery itself.


• Knowing when to stop charging the battery: This is achieved by the battery charger measuring the voltage of the battery and the temperature. As the amount of charge a battery will hold (and be able to take without overcharging) the combination of these two measurements is essential. Simple battery chargers will stop delivering a charge when the termination voltage has been reached, as assessed by the battery charger. A more complex battery charger will monitor the battery temperature and stop delivering a charge if the temperature rises above appropriate and acceptable levels as monitored by the battery charger.

Battery Chargers

Battery Chargers on the web.

Battery Tender Battery Chargers - Battery Tender Battery Chargers - Not just for boating applications, the Battery Tender range of battery chargers can also be used to charge and maintain motorcycle batteries and automobile batteries. All Battery Tender battery chargers are designed to fully charge and maintain a wide range of styles of lead acid batteries in ways that avoid the potential damaging effects that can be caused by most trickle chargers. Battery Tender battery chargers offer a variety of power levels: 7.5, 15, 70, 300 & 600 watts, maximum charge currents: 0.75, 1.25, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 15 & 20 amps, and nominal battery voltages: 6, 12, 24, 36 & 48 volts. Various charging algorithms are available to acommodate the wide range of lead acid battery styles: Flooded, Sealed, VRLA, GEL & AGM. Battery Tender battery chargers are equipped with a variety of safety and interconnect options, not available on all models. Safety options include: spark free operation, reverse polarity protection and continuous short circuit protection. Interconnection options include: alligator clips, fused ring terminals and quick disconnect DC output cable harness. A variety of AC input power options is available.