In a renewable energy system, in order to ensure continuous production, batteries associated to a charge controller are always necessary whenever the source of charging is solar, wind, or hydraulics. For photovoltaic (PV) systems, an excessive energy produced by solar cells during intense sunlight peak conditions could damage the batteries. A charge controller is therefore used to maintain the suitable charging voltage to the batteries so that, as the input voltage from the PV module rises, the charge controller regulates the process, thus, preventing any overcharging. This paper presents a practical solution for off grid PV systems using standard commercial elements. A detailed analysis is carried out based on experimental results of the battery charge control allowing a long-life and a high safety of the autonomous storage and production systems. The experimental work was performed with a solar battery (24 V-55 Ah) charged by a 175Wp PV module, through a Maximum-Power-Point-Tracking/Three-Stage-Charging-Cycle (MPPT/TSCC) charge controller. The benefits of the Three-Stage-Charging-Cycle (TSCC) control as well as the Maximum-Power-Point-Tracking (MPPT) have been thus proven for the efficiency of the recharge, both qualitatively and quantitatively. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.