Comparative Studies Between Some Maximum Power Point Detection Methods

Abstract

Electricity generated by photovoltaic (PV) panels is considered a reliable alternative to fossil fuels. However, the conversion efficiency is often low and the initial cost remains significantly high. In order to relatively improve the conversion efficiency of a PV system, we often resort to Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) techniques. In this work, we compare "MPPT-P&O", "MPPT-IncC", "MPPT-PI", "MPPT-PI-P&O" and "MPPT-FOPI-P&O". This allows to see the added value of the FOPI split controller compared to the traditional PI controller. Based on this comparison, for different values of solar irradiance, the PI and FOPI based controllers seem to perform quite similarly; both are fast and show small oscillations around the optimal value; nevertheless, the FOPI controller performs slightly better than the PI controller. This is due to the fact that it is faster and has less oscillations. The simulation is implemented numerically using the well-known development tool MATLAB/Simulink software.