MPPT vs PWM Efficiency Tested

📖 My Best-Selling book on Amazon: https://cleversolarpower.com/off-grid-solar-power-simplified 🎁 Free Diagrams: https://cleversolarpower.com PWM: https://amzn.to/3Ht7ryE MPPT: https://amzn.to/3V3CHHu Ever wonder why sometimes a PWM charge controller seems almost as efficient as an MPPT? In this video, I put them to the test and found something surprising — the difference was much smaller than expected. The reason? Solar panel temperature. When panels get hot, their voltage drops, bringing them closer to the battery’s voltage. This makes a PWM appear more efficient because there’s less “extra voltage” for an MPPT to convert into amps. Here’s what I tested: - Cool panel (35°C) → PWM efficiency: 74% - Hot panel (55°C) → PWM efficiency: 85% An MPPT still wins in all cases, but the gap shrinks in hot conditions. Whether you’re building an off-grid solar system or just curious about solar charging performance, this test will help you understand when a PWM can hold its own — and when an MPPT will pull ahead by a big margin.