Portable Power Module for Güralp Certimus
Operation
4.2.3.2 Maximum Power Point Tracking
Nominal 12 volts panels typically output around 18 V when operating in strong light.
This voltage will drop under load because solar panels have an inherently high
source resistance. This makes them sensitive to the amount of current drawn from
them. For any given light condition, if too much current is drawn, the output voltage
will drop to a low level and, because energy varies with the square of the voltage, the
amount of energy harvested will decrease dramatically.
For this reason,the PPM has an integrated MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking)
charge controller and will automatically track the panel’s optimum operating point
to ensure that it harvests energy at the maximum achievable level of power,
regardless of changing light conditions. It does this by adjusting its own input
impedance, which determines the current drawn from the panel. The PPM can
attain a maximum instantaneous charge input power of approximately 80 Watts.
The input current is limited to 8 A.
4.3
Stand-alone working
4.3.1 Operation
The PPM can be used to provide power to a Certimus without using solar panels. In
this mode, the PPM will continue to provide power until its battery voltage reaches
14
Issue A - May 2021
