Design and implementation of 2 KW OFF-GRID photovoltaic systems with maximum power point tracking using PSO algorithm operating under partial shading conditions

Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of a metaheuristic control method for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methodology in photovoltaic systems under partial shading conditions. To attain maximum efficiency, photovoltaic (PV) panels should operate at their maximum power point (MPP). Therefore, to maximize the power from the PV system, an MPP tracker is inserted between the PV arrays and the load to ensure that the operating point of the system is adjusted to be placed on the MPP. When the radiation distribution over PV panels is uniform, many traditional MPPT techniques can effectively monitor MPP. However, when the PV arrays are partially shaded, more MPPs are displayed, which usually results in the inability to find the overall MPP. To overcome this difficulty, this proposed work presents a particle swarm optimization algorithm-based MPPT scheme for PV systems. This PSO heuristic algorithm-based technique not only ensures the ability to find the global MPP but also gives a simpler control scheme. The feasibility of this proposed method is verified by various partial shading conditions using Matlab. The proposed method is implemented with a 2KW PV system and the power output is compared with the existing system.