Yes,
MPPT will do what you want. A 30A MPPT charge controller will probably be something like $160 if you shop aggressively and are ok with
Chinese gear.
Unless you are curious, ignore everything that follows. :-)
The 3x price difference between PWM and MPPT is significant but it can handle high voltage panels and nominal 12v banks. MPPT also , generally speaking, makes more power available to your batteries and loads even with both panels and battery bank are the same nominal voltage (e.g. 12v). Particularly when the batteries are cycled deeply by morning. Or when running loads after your batteries are in Float mode. There are exceptions involving scenarios like 12v poly panels and high ambient temps in which PWM can make slightly more power than MPPT in Absorption mode.
Not trying to sell you on MPPT, btw, although they are a good fit for my uses. Technically the
PWM/
shunt/whatever cheapie probably would too, but you only get about ~150w of power out of the panels due to running them at about half their normal voltage. The trick is the controller has to know what voltage the battery bank is
before connecting to the panel.
This is one reason why we:
- connect the controller to the battery bank; then
- connect the panels to the controller
Backstory: when PWM (or shunt) controllers are working they run the panels at battery bank voltage (Vpanel == Vbatt). So the 24v panel would be running at 12.8v, or 13.8v, or 14.8v, or whatever the bank is at that moment. If the battery/loads aren't accepting current at that time the PWM knows to go to 100% OFF (effectively disconnecting panel from controller) and the panel can do whatever it likes with no ill effect.
If the controller is hooked to the panel before the battery, the controller is not moored to a sane voltage by the battery bank. This can allow the panel to soar to Voc (highest possible voltage), around 40v with the controller's front door wide open. 40v in a 12v controller is Not Good, as the currect example likely demonstrates.
