Abstract
A large portion of the available power generation of a photovoltaic (PV) array could be wasted due to partial shading, temperature and irradiance effects, which create current/voltage imbalance between the PV modules. Partial shading is a phenomenon which occurs when some modules in a PV array receive non-uniform irradiation due to dust, cloudy weather or shadows of nearby objects such as buildings, trees, mountains, birds etc. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques are designed in order to deal with this problem. In this research, a Markov Decision Process (MDP) based MPPT technique is proposed. MDP consists of a set of states, a set of actions in each state, state transition probabilities, reward function, and the discount factor. The PV system in terms of the MDP framework is modelled first and once the states, actions, transition probabilities, and reward function, and the discount factor are defined, the resulting MDP is solved for the optimal policy using stochastic dynamic programming. The behavior of the resulting optimal policy is analyzed and characterized, and the results are compared to existing MPPT control methods.
Highlights
Renewable energy is of tremendous importance because of environmental protection, limited availability of fossil fuel, and increasing demand for electricity
3 Markov decision process model for maximum power point (MPP) tracking As mentioned earlier, a Markov Decision Process (MDP) consists of a set of states, a set of actions in each state, a state transition probability function T s′ |s, a, a reward function R(s), and a discount factor (γ ) that is a number between zero and one
Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) under partial shading condition Consideration of uncertainty in the model Number of offline calculations Number of online calculations per jump in VPV Statistical data required for implementation Key idea
Summary
Renewable energy is of tremendous importance because of environmental protection, limited availability of fossil fuel, and increasing demand for electricity. The performance and reliability of renewable energy systems have improved significantly. Improvements in energy storage systems have further enhanced the trend of alternative energy sources. Photovoltaic (PV) based energy systems are one of the fastest growing forms of renewable energy. PV energy is clean, simple in design and requires very little maintenance. PV systems can be constructed as stand-alone systems to give wide output power ranging from microwatts to megawatts. PV systems are suited for urban installation as they are noise free and can be set up in any places where sunlight is available
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