Implementation of a novel robust model reference adaptive controller-based MPPT for stand-alone and grid-connected photovoltaic system

Abstract

ABSTRACT The fast advancement of photovoltaic (PV) power generation technologies led to the integration of solar-based generation systems into several modes of transportation, including aircraft, automobiles, and trains. In these PV systems, solar irradiation levels fluctuate significantly and invalidate specific maximum power point (MPP) tracking (MPPT) control strategies, lowering the energy conversion efficiency. It is evident that the new robust model reference adaptive control (MRAC) proposed in this paper alleviates these problems by reducing tracking direction loss and oscillations near MPP. To evaluate the proposed controller’s performance, MATLAB/Simulink is utilized and compared with well-known techniques (P&O, VSPO, INC, ANFIS, and swarm-based MPPT) under three different modes, i.e. stand-alone, grid-connected, and real-time mode. The proposed scheme has tracking efficacy lies between 99.02% and 99.96% and achieved MPP in just 4 msec under highly fluctuating radiation and temperature conditions. It takes only 0.08 sec to capture the global MPP, which is on average two times faster than swarm-based global MPPT methods. Furthermore, the effectiveness is tested in a 50 kW three-phase grid-connected mode with and without cloud effects in realistic weather situations. Finally, real-time validation on the OPAL-RT simulator demonstrates the proposed technique’s practicality in real-world applications.