A Novel PV Maximum Power Point Tracking Based on Solar Irradiance and Circuit Parameters Estimation

Abstract

This research paper presents a novel maximum power point taking (MPPT) algorithm. The algorithm uses an adaptive calculation block to estimate the solar irradiance and the PV I–V curve circuit parameters based on the PV panel’s measured output current and voltage. In the proposed algorithm, the output power does not oscillate around the maximum power point (MPP) compared to conventional MPPT methods. Moreover, the proposed algorithm does not require expensive solar irradiance sensors compared with trackers that depend on measured solar irradiance. In addition, the proposed MPPT can handle the fast variation in solar irradiance. The PV panel nonlinear I–V curve was modeled using a single-diode PV. The algorithm with the adaptive block was tested separately to verify the ability of the system to estimate the solar irradiance and the circuit parameters. The solar system was then simulated using MATLAB/Simulink to evaluate the robustness of the proposed method under steady-state and during sudden changes in solar irradiance and load. The proposed solar system reaches the steady-state in 8 ms after a step-change in the solar irradiance. In the worst-case scenario, the proposed system achieves a relative error of around 2.64% in estimating the solar irradiance at 600 W/m2 with an efficiency of 99.3%.