MPPT Solar Charge Controller for Efficient Battery Charging is latest conceptAn MPPT as we all know refers to maximum power point tracking which is typically associated with solar panels for optimizing their outputs with maximum efficiency. In this post we learn MPPT controller for harnessing solar power and charging a battery in the most efficient manner.

Where an MPPT is Used

New hobbyists normally find theconcept to difficult and get confused with the many parameters associated with MPPT, such as the maximum power point, “knee” of the I/V graph etc.

The optimized output from MPPT
circuits is primarily used for charging batteries with maximum efficiency from
the available sunshine.

And that’s why we require an
intermediate device such as an MPPT which can “understand” these
variations and churn out the most desirable output from a connected solar panel.

The basic idea behind all MPPTs
is to drop or trim down the excess voltage from the panel according to the load
specs making sure that the deducted amount of voltage is converted into an
equivalent amount of current, thus balancing the I x V magnitude across the
input and the output always up to the mark…we cannot expect anything more
than this from this useful gadget, do we?

Why MPPT

The above automatic tracking
and appropriately converting the parameters efficiently is implemented using a
PWM tracker stage and a buck converter stage, or sometimes a buck-boost
converter stage, although a solitary buck converter gives better results and is
simpler to implement.