Output voltage based adaptive step size MPPT controller with improved dynamics for stand-alone photovoltaic system

Abstract

In this paper, an efficient adaptive step size output voltage based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm is presented for a stand-alone photovoltaic system. The proposed algorithm meets the requirement of faster convergence by choosing larger perturbation steps to improve dynamic response and defining smaller perturbation steps to reduce steady state oscillations. In this technique, the voltage oscillation around the MPP is two level, which reduces the power loss during steady state operation. This adaptive MPPT technique is implemented in an Arduino microcontroller. A comprehensive theoretical analysis and experimental validation of the proposed adaptive MPPT algorithm has been carried out. The performance of the system is also compared with the conventional approach to ensure improved efficiency.