Maximum power point tracking controller implementation in multiple input converter for effective solar energy harvesting using maximum power point resistance method

Abstract

AbstractSolar energy is widely acknowledged as one of the most promising renewable energy sources for addressing future electrical energy demands. Photovoltaic modules (PVms) convert solar energy into electrical energy and are highly sensitive to nonlinear changes in environmental circumstances, which in turn affect the generation of electricity from the PVms. The module‐level maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of PVms using multiple input converters (MICs) is the effective and cost‐efficient method among all the methodologies and techniques. MICs, on the other hand, suffer from a cross power‐sharing difficulty due to their modular design, which implies that the individual cells that make up the device impact on each other's power‐sharing operation. The solution to which have been ignored in the literature. The objective of this paper is to employ the maximum power point resistance (MPPR) approach to determine an appropriate duty ratio range for the proposed MIC while taking into consideration the cross effect of different cells. Steady‐state, power loss, and efficiency analysis of the proposed MIC structure with less component count have been included. The proposed approach has been validated experimentally and further, a comparative analysis with recently reported various approaches has also been included to prove the suitability of the proposed approach.