In complex operating systems such as Linux that run multiple userspace and kernel space services and control many peripheral devices at once, it is not always easy to find components that can cause excessive power drain. Even when inefficiency is identified, fixing it may be difficult.
One of the solutions is to use a power profiler tool, such as PowerTOP. It can diagnose issues with power consumption in a Linux system and allows the user to tweak system parameters that can save power.
In this recipe, we will learn how to install and use PowerTOP on a Raspberry Pi system.
