Yet Another PWM vs MPPT Comparison Test
I was able to run a couple tests with blue sky at same time of year and location as my test from two years ago (flat, tilted, tracking results one) that : A. compares PWM with MPPT, and B. compares ...
Forum Discussion
mlts22 wrote:
Nice comparison. PWM is pulse width modulation. It "lops" the incoming voltage coming in to whatever it thinks the batteries need, then eventually just pulses a charge. MPPT (maximum point power tracking) will fiddle with the amps/volts to get the right voltage coming in. PWM is cheaper, but you lose a good chunk of energy due to the fact that what it can't use, it discards. For example, a 24 volt, 300 watt panel will essentially be a 12 volt, 150 watt panel, while with a MPPT controller, it can use the higher voltage and downconvert it.
For a large area of solar panels, a PWM controller might be useful. For the limited real estate on most RVs, you want every single watt you can get, thus a good MPPT controller.
thanks for the clarification.
