Maximum Power Point Tracking

Maximum power point tracking, or MPPT, is a control technique used with variable power sources, most commonly photovoltaic solar arrays, to continuously extract the maximum available energy as sunlight, shading and panel temperature change. Because a solar cell's current-voltage relationship is nonlinear, there is at any moment a single operating point, the maximum power point, where the panel delivers its greatest output, and MPPT circuitry adjusts the duty ratio of a DC-DC converter to hold the system at that point. In grid-connected systems MPPT keeps panels operating at peak output to maximize energy delivered to the grid, while in battery-based off-grid systems it reconciles the mismatch between the battery's voltage and the panel's own maximum power point voltage during charging. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/