WRM30: the new MPPT charge controller by Western

Great versatility of use for the new Western MPPT charge controller, the WRM30.

With a current of 30A and a maximum input voltage of 150V, it can be used for medium size plants, being able to manage up to 450W of solar panels when using a 12 V battery or 900W with a 24 V battery and even 1800W if the battery to be charged is 48 V. Besides the usual automatic detection of battery voltage, the WRM30 also presents a new feature: a dual input MPPT that allows you to dissect the PV system (it’s a very good choice in case of shading), but also, if desired, to use different panels. Curious about this new feature we quickly improvised a test by connecting the controller to the 12 V lead acid battery and the two inputs respectively to a CP125 and a SP100.

No surprise, the controller worked perfectly, managing to squeeze as much energy as possible from the two modules, despite the warm winter sun. Using the WRM30 display we have effectively verified the complete independence of the two panels, with the CP125 providing 6.3 Amps/16.1 Volts for a total power of 100 W and the SunPower module reaching 85 W instead, with 5 Amps and 17.3 Volts (note in both cases the small difference between the power value and the product of Volt * Ampere, due to the loss, although very small, of the controller). But the satisfaction has been even greater reading the aggregate value on the display, which at sunniest times reached 190W.