Solar panel charging a 12volt battery

[zafranax]

what will be the difference if the solar panel will be directly connected to the 12 volt battery or the solar panel is connected to a switching regulator before connected to the battery..which is faster to charge?..and what will be the difference in terms of power transfer?

 

[zubairmehmood]

we should not charge the batteries with the high current. now it depends what amount of the current your solar panel is providing. if we will connect the batteries directly to the panel the max current generated by the panel (which is variable throughout the day depending on the weather conditions, shadowing effects etc) will flow through batteries. so we should use a charge controller in between the panel and batteries for controlled amount of current flow in battery. and it is essential for battery life.

 

[zafranax]

what if we will maximize the current that will charge the battery which is equal to the maximum current that the solar panel will produce in order to charge the battery faster..