ASSESSMENT OF DIFFERENT MPPT TECHNIQUES FOR PV SYSTEM

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) energy, which has proven to be environmentally friendly and sustainable compared to traditional energy sources, has gained widespread attention in recent years. PV technology is one of the fastest growing energy technologies in the world owing to its abundant availability. But unfortunately, the cost of PV energy is higher than that of other electrical energy from other conventional sources.Therefore, a great deal of research opportunities lie in applying power electronics and control technologies for harvesting PV power at higher efficiencies and efficient utilization. Simulation/coding and control studies of a PV system require an accurate PV panel model. Further, for efficient utilization of the available PV energy, a PV system should operate at its maximum power point (MPP). A maximum power point tracker (MPPT) is needed in the PV system to enable it to operate at the MPP. Maximum power point trackers (MPPTs) play an important role in photovoltaic (PV) power systems because they maximize the power output from a PV system for a given set of conditions, and therefore maximize the module efficiency. Thus, an MPPT can minimize the overall system cost. MPPTs find and maintain operation at the maximum power point, using an MPPT algorithm. This paper presents a comparative study of three widely-adopted MPPT algorithms, and assessment of each method using MATLAB coding as well as simulink.