Design and Implementation of a New Fast and Efficient MPPT Controller under Different Solar Irradiance Conditions

Abstract

The power-voltage (P-V) characteristic curve of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems operating in partial shading conditions (PSC) is nonlinear and has multiple local maximum peak power (LMPP) points, rendering many of the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms ineffective at locating global maximum peak power (GMPP) points. This work proposes a novel slime mould algorithm- (SMA-) based MPPT controller to utilise maximum peak power (MPP) from solar PV systems during uniform irradiance conditions (UC) and nonuniform irradiance conditions (NUC). On the basis of the MPP they tracked, tracking time, and power efficiency, MPPT controller performance is assessed through MATLAB simulations and implemented experimentally with dSPACE MicroLabBox under various irradiance conditions. The effective performance of the proposed controller is validated and demonstrated in comparison to existing popular MPPT controllers.