Development of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) Algorithms for Solar Energy Conversion
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63891/j-mart.v2i1.120Keywords:
Maximum Power Point Tracking, Photovoltaic System, Partial Shading, Adaptive Control, Boost ConverterAbstract
Maximum power point tracking is essential in photovoltaic energy conversion because the operating point that yields maximum power varies continuously with solar irradiance, cell temperature, and load dynamics. Conventional tracking methods such as perturb and observe and incremental conductance are widely used due to their simplicity, but they may produce steady-state oscillations around the optimum point, respond inaccurately under rapidly changing irradiance, and converge to a local peak under partial shading conditions. This study developed a maximum power point tracking algorithm that integrates adaptive step-size adjustment with conductance-informed decision logic and a shading-aware mechanism to improve tracking speed, stability, and robustness. The algorithm was evaluated using a quantitative simulation-based experiment on a photovoltaic array connected to a direct-current–direct-current boost converter. Test scenarios were designed to represent uniform irradiance step changes, rapidly varying irradiance profiles, and partial shading patterns that generate multiple peaks in the power–voltage characteristic. Performance was assessed using tracking efficiency, convergence time after irradiance transitions, and steady-state power ripple. Compared with conventional perturb and observe and incremental conductance baselines, the developed method demonstrated higher tracking efficiency and reduced steady-state oscillation under uniform and rapidly varying irradiance, while exhibiting improved ability to reach the higher-power operating region under partial shading in the illustrative cases. These findings suggest that combining adaptive perturbation, conductance-based decision rules, and shading-aware logic can provide a practical improvement in energy harvesting reliability while remaining suitable for real-time embedded photovoltaic power converters. The main limitation of this work is that validation was conducted in simulation, so future work should implement the algorithm on an embedded controller and verify its performance under measurement noise, converter nonidealities, and broader shading patterns in experimental test benches.
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