Power generated from the solar array is transformed to meet
the battery voltage by the PPTs. As mentioned previously,
these devices also track the maximum power point of the
solar array to compensate for numerous dynamic performance
factors. Each PPT provides access to tracking data as well
as performance information that can be accessed through a
CAN bus. The CAN protocol was developed by Bosch for
use in automotive sensor networks and works well in this
environment. In this vehicle, the array power is spread over
five separate PPTs and allows variations in array performance
to be monitored.