Maximum Power Point Tracking Using the Incremental Conductance Algorithm for PV Systems Operating in Rapidly Changing Environmental Conditions

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is an important process in Photovoltaic (PV) systems because of the need to extract maximum power from PV panels used in these systems. Without the ability to track and have PV panels operate at its maximum power point (MPP) entails power losses;resulting in high cost since more panels will be required to provide specified energy needs. To achieve high efficiency and low cost, MPPT has therefore become an imperative in PV systems. In this study, an MPP tracker is modeled using the IC algorithm and its behavior under rapidly changing environmental conditions of temperature and irradiation levels is investigated. This algorithm, based on knowledge of the variation of the conductance of PV cells and the operating point with respect to the voltage and current of the panel calculates the slope of the power characteristics to determine the MPP as the peak of the curve. A simple circuit model of the DC-DC boost converter connected to a PV panel is used in the simulation;and the output of the boost converter is fed through a 3-phase inverter to an electricity grid. The model was simulated and tested using MATLAB/Simulink. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the IC algorithm for tracking the MPP in PV systems operating under rapidly changing temperatures and irradiations with a settling time of 2 seconds.

An improved MPPT control strategy based on incremental conductance algorithm

PV power production is highly dependent on environmental and weather conditions,such as solar irradiance and ambient temperature.Because of the single control condition and any change in the external environment,the first step response of the converter duty cycle of the traditional MPPT incremental conductance algorithm is not accurate,resulting in misjudgment.To improve the efficiency and economy of PV systems,an improved incremental conductance algorithm of MPPT control strategy is proposed.From the traditional incremental conductance algorithm,this algorithm is simple in structure and can discriminate the instantaneous increment of current,voltage and power when the external environment changes,and so can improve tracking efficiency.MATLAB simulations are carried out under rapidly changing solar radiation level,and the results of the improved and conventional incremental conductance algorithm are compared.The results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively identify the misjudgment and avoid its occurrence.It not only optimizes the system,but also improves the efficiency,response speed and tracking efficiency of the PV system,thus ensuring the stable operation of the power grid.

Research on the MPPT of Photovoltaic Power Generation Based on the CSA-INC Algorithm

The existing Maximum Power Point Tracking(MPPT)method has low tracking efficiency and poor stability.It is easy to fall into the Local Maximum Power Point(LMPP)in Partial Shading Condition(PSC),resulting in the degradation of output power quality and efficiency.It was found that various bio-inspired MPPT based optimization algorithms employ different mechanisms,and their performance in tracking the Global Maximum Power Point(GMPP)varies.Thus,a Cuckoo search algorithm(CSA)combined with the Incremental conductance Algorithm(INC)is proposed(CSA-INC)is put forward for the MPPT method of photovoltaic power generation.The method can improve the tracking speed by more than 52%compared with the traditional Cuckoo Search Algorithm(CSA),and the results of the study using this algorithm are compared with the popular Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO)and the Gravitational Search Algorithm(GSA).CSA-INC has an average tracking efficiency of 99.99%and an average tracking time of 0.19 s when tracking the GMPP,which improves PV power generation’s efficiency and power quality.