A Scheme-Based Review of MPPT Techniques With Respect to Input Variables Including Solar Irradiance and PV Arrays’ Temperature

Abstract

Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques have been vastly researched and developed in order to obtain the maximum terminal power of photovoltaic (PV) arrays in the solar renewable energy system. The aim of this paper is to present a new principal scheme-based review of the categorised MPPT methods (conventional, novel, and hybrid) with respect to the deployment of their input variables (solar irradiance, PV arrays’ temperature, and PV arrays’ terminal voltage and current), where MPPT methods are categorised to six different schemes. For each scheme, previous MPPT studies are extracted from literature and analysed. Then the critical benefits and limitations of the six presented MPPT schemes are compared and discussed. It is concluded that those MPPT schemes deploying the measured external variables would be able to track the global maximum power point with high reliability; however, their implementation cost and applicability remains as a challenge due to increasing the sensor deployment cost and complexity. The conclusion of this paper will help new researchers to deliberately select an appropriate MPPT scheme based on their projects’ objectives and limitations, prior to selecting an optimisation algorithm for MPPT.