Intelligent Charge Controls

What do Intelligent Charge Controls do for me?

Proprietary SMS technology is unlike anything on the market today. Preferential Source Balancing combined with Intelligent Charge Controls allows you to manage the power sources you use and when you use them.

Now you can combine the cost-savings of solar power with predictable operation – even when the sun is not shining. Programmatically and dynamically use your least cost energy source. Intelligent SMS controls dynamically monitor and automatically manage the power source (solar, grid, batteries). This produces several significant capability and cost advantages:

In grid-connected systems, reduce your peak power usage. Set your Preferential Charging Sequence to utilize the most favorable power source at that time – and lower your electricity bills.
In off-grid systems, get 100% utilization of solar power. Maximize your solar investment by using ALL the power generated. When solar input supersedes demand, the system can be programmed to automatically charge batteries.
Draw power or run three-phase AC devices from batteries while simultaneously charging. This dynamic balancing between batteries and other sources means the system is always connected – NO power delays! Sounds simple, but other systems can’t do this!
Maximize the performance and life of your battery system with dynamic granular charging. This technology is superior to staged charging and is built into SMS Solar Motor Controllers (to power three-phase AC motors from solar and battery power) and our Smart Power Station inverters.
Battery priority can be programmed and monitored online – No DIP switches! Check status of battery charge levels, temperature and other triggers that you set with your mobile device (text alerts). Supports automatic recovery programs/routine systems.
Automatic Active Power Factor Correction of input for motor controller systems. This ensures clean, consistent digital output to three-phase AC devices, which eliminates common conditions of heat and stress that cause motors to fail and dynamic granular charging extends battery life.
Automatic Active Power Factor Correction of input & output for inverter systems. This ensures clean, consistent digital power on the output side and dynamic granular charging to batteries.

The indispensable and problematic battery.

Our modern world relies on stored energy. Batteries power our phones and automobiles, the commercial airliners we fly and the propulsion systems in our military's submarines. Batteries also play a role in solar-to-motor and power station (inverter) applications. But battery systems have downsides; they add additional cost and complexity, can be heavy, require ongoing maintenance and have high replacement costs.

The challenge is to make battery systems more efficient, easier to manage and cost less. Regardless of the type of battery technology used (conventional deep-cycle lead acid, advanced lithium-ion polymer, or other) – it's the Battery Management System (BMS) that largely determines a system's performance, lifespan and cost-effectiveness.

When do batteries make sense in solar-powered systems?

When running motors (fans, pumps, compressors, etc.) that can benefit from the cost-savings of solar power, but also require a level of predictable operation (like nighttime running) the first question is; which ancillary power source is the most efficient in this application? Ancillary power to support solar systems can come from several sources; the power grid, a backup generator or batteries.

Ancillary power from the grid or standby generator is generally the best option for larger systems (motors of 10HP+), assuming that the site has access to the grid and/or access to fuel to run GenSets. Battery systems are perfect for small to mid range projects and for sites with no access to the power grid and/or reliable access to affordable fuel.

Solar plus battery systems combine the cost-savings of solar power with predictable operation – even when the sun is not shining. The primary challenge has been to find a battery system that is financially viable and operationally feasible. That starts with controls.

Improve the Battery Management System – improve everything else.

Today's Battery Management Systems (BMS) include active balancing, temperature monitoring, ground fault protection, charge controls and other features designed to maximize the life of a battery. So how do you maximize the investment in a battery system and make it work financially?

You start by maximizing your solar investment – by getting 100% utilization of the solar you generate. You extend the life of the batteries through programmable control and automatic safety features and you ensure that the power you feed to your devices (motors, sensitive electronic equipment, etc.) – is clean digital power irrespective of where the power derives; solar, the grid, a generator or batteries.

Find SMS Intelligent Charge Control Technology here…

Solar+Battery Motor Controller

The SMS Solar Motor Controller series combines several components – an MPPT controller, voltage booster, charge controller and three-phase inverter in a single compact, lightweight and durable package. The SMC series are purpose designed to maximize the energy from solar DC power, convert that energy into clean digital AC power to run high-efficiency three-phase (AC) motors and provide advanced controls generally found only in larger motor sizes.

The Solar+Battery series serves off grid applications to power three-phase devices that can benefit from the cost-savings of solar power, but also need the predictable operation of a secondary power source – even when the sun is not shining. Read more