= Maximum power point tracking
= MPPT
{c}
{synonym}
Maximum power point tracking adjusts the electrical load presented to a source so that it operates near its <maximum power point>. In a photovoltaic system, a controlled power converter can change the panel's operating <voltage> while delivering energy to a battery or another load.
One elementary strategy perturbs the operating <voltage>, measures the resulting <power>, and continues in the direction that increases it. If illumination changes during the measurement, the power change may reflect the weather rather than the chosen perturbation, so the control must distinguish these effects over an appropriate time scale. Partial shading can also produce several local maxima in an array's power curve. Tracking changes the operating condition; it does not raise the power available on that instantaneous curve.
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