Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is an advanced charging technology that more efficiently harvests power from solar panels in all conditions. It does this by continuously tracking the I-V curve of the solar array and modifying operating conditions to maximize output power. Figure 1-2 shows the MPPT point compared to a traditional PWM charger, which always runs the solar array at the same operating conditions.

Due to differences in ambient temperature and light conditions, the maximum power point often changes. The MPPT controller can adjust parameters according to quickly changing conditions to keep the system near to its maximum working point. The whole process is fully automatic and does not require any adjustments by users.

In partially shaded conditions there can also be multiple peaks in the P-V curve that can confuse an MPPT algorithm. Shown in Figure 1-5 is a series string of solar panels and a corresponding graph that shows lower maximum power points (LMPP) and the greater maxim power point (GMPP) that will result in maximum energy transfer. The GP-MPPT-PRO series has a smart algorithm that will always choose the right peak.