Comparative investigation on hill climbing MPPT algorithms at high perturbation rates

Abstract

The Perturb and Observe (P&O) and the Incremental Conductance (INC) algorithms are the two most commonly employed hill-climbing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques for photovoltaic (PV) systems. The comparison between the two algorithms at low perturbation rates has been the subject of a number of publications. No much attention was paid to such a comparison at high perturbation rates, when system response to MPPT perturbations is never allowed to settle, although higher energy utilization efficiency and better system performance may be achieved in this operation mode. This paper presents a comprehensive experimental and theoretical comparison between the two algorithms when operated at high perturbation rates. The experimental setup is a standalone PV system comprised of 1080Wp PV generator, MPPT controlled dc-dc converter and a dc motor-pump load.