Why Your Solar Setup’s Nighttime Power Draw Matters. And How Eco Energy Excels.

If you use solar panels to power equipment in remote or cold environments, you already know that every bit of energy counts. But did you know that the device regulating your solar power could be draining your battery all night long?

A new study (details below) highlights a critical factor in solar system design: night consumption. This is the power your solar regulator uses when the sun isn’t shining. In extreme environments like Antarctica, where winter means months of darkness, this hidden drain can mean the difference between a system that survives the winter and one that fails.

Solar regulators always use a small amount of energy, even at night. This is often overlooked. Some regulators draw surprisingly high current, which can deplete batteries faster than expected. This can lead to system shutdown, damaged batteries, or frozen equipment in cold climates.

The study tested 16 commercial solar regulators and found that not all manufacturer specs are accurate. Some units drew significantly more power at night than claimed.

This is where Eco Energy’s ASC30W regulator stands out. In the study, it was one of the top performers. It had a measured night consumption of just 0.04 mA. That is exactly as specified. To put that in perspective, it uses only 4% of the power of a typical data logger. That is remarkably efficient.

When compared to other regulators, the difference is dramatic. Some MPPT regulators drew over 40 mA at night. The Eco Energy ASC30W used less than 1% of the power of the highest-draw regulator tested.

A quote from the paper "The Genasun GV-4, Genasun GV-5 and Eco Energy ASC30W offer the best overall performance, allowing the use of a 5 Ah battery, with a mass of < 2 kg. Choosing one of these best-performing regulators results in a 26× reduction in battery mass and a 13× reduction in battery price when compared with the Victron MPPT 75/10."

The researchers showed that choosing an efficient regulator like the Eco Energy ASC30W can reduce the required battery capacity by a factor of 26. That means battery mass drops from about 45 kg to just 1.7 kg. Battery cost falls by about 13 times. Your system becomes more reliable through polar winters.

For anyone deploying solar in harsh, dark, or cold conditions, this is a game-changer for logistics, cost, and success rates.

When designing a solar-powered system for challenging environments, follow these steps. First, look beyond the instrument’s power draw. Consider the regulator’s night consumption. Second, verify manufacturer specs. Not all are accurate. Third, choose efficient regulators like the Eco Energy ASC30W! This will minimize hidden power drain, extend battery life, and reduce system size and cost.

At SolarPanelStore.com, we are proud to offer products like the Eco Energy S3 12V, which is the newest model of the ASC30W controller mentioned in this post and study. They deliver real performance where it counts!

Source: Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 14, 503–512, 2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-14-503-2025

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