| Traditionally, the charge controller did very little in a | | | | The battery needs a little over its output voltage at |
| solar power system. Mainly it solved the problem of | | | | high amperage to charge most efficiently. Depending |
| stopping the batteries from discharging into the solar | | | | on the battery status this voltage changes. The MPPT |
| array when the sun wasn't available. It was a very | | | | system takes the higher voltage from the solar panel |
| simple device and is sometimes still used in this fashion. | | | | and converts it to whatever the battery needs to |
| However, as electronic devices got more intelligent, it | | | | charge at the time. |
| made sense to optimize the process of charging the | | | | The advantage here is that the solar panels are |
| battery. Basically there's a problem with just sticking | | | | allowed to run at a higher voltage. A higher voltage |
| the batteries on the leads from the solar panels. The | | | | allows for smaller wires carrying the same amount of |
| voltages in the system don't match up. The battery's | | | | power. Converting this higher voltage to a lower one |
| voltage changes slightly depending on the charge level. | | | | gives higher amperage for that voltage. By giving the |
| The solar array voltage changes slightly based on | | | | battery the correct voltage at a higher amperage the |
| season and light levels. When you attach the solar | | | | batteries are charged more efficiently. This gives a |
| panel to the battery it pulls down the array voltage to | | | | fifteen percent boost in getting power into the |
| the battery's level. That means that the array is run at | | | | batteries over not using this system. This is a free |
| lower voltage that is less efficient. The problem is that | | | | boost in power that does not require buying and |
| neither side gets the proper voltage to function at the | | | | installing additional solar panels. |
| most efficient level. | | | | Whenever you are specifying a type of charge |
| This is where the Multiple Power Point Tracking | | | | controller for your solar power generating system, you |
| (MPPT) system in the charge controller comes in. It | | | | need to include the MPPT option for this device. Any |
| allows both the solar panel and battery sides to work | | | | extra costs will be covered by the improved operation |
| at the proper voltages. For maximum efficiency the | | | | of the total solar generating system. |
| solar panel needs to run at the highest voltage it can. | | | | |