Grey wolf optimization and incremental conductance based hybrid MPPT technique for solar powered induction motor driven water pump

Abstract

The use of Solar Powered Water Pumps (SPWP) has emerged as a significant advancement in irrigation systems, offering a viable alternative to electricity and diesel-based pumping methods. The appeal of SPWPs to farmers lies in their low maintenance costs and the incentives provided by government agencies to support sustainable and cost-effective agricultural practices. However, a critical challenge faced by solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is their susceptibility to power loss under partial shading conditions, which can persist for extended periods, ultimately reducing system efficiency. To address this issue, this paper proposes the integration of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controllers with efficient algorithms designed to identify the peak power during shading events. In this study, a hybrid approach combining Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) and Incremental Conductance (INC) is employed to maximize the power output of SPWPs driven by an induction motor under partial shading conditions. In order to achieve faster convergence to the global peak, GWO handles the first stages of MPPT and then INC algorithm is employed at the end of the MPPT process.  This method reduces the computations of GWO and streamlines the search space. The paper evaluates the performance of the induction motor in terms of speed settling time and torque ripple. To validate the effectiveness of the GWO-INC hybrid approach, simulations are conducted using the MATLAB Simulink platform. The outcomes are then compared with results obtained from various well-known approaches, including Particle Swarm Optimization – Perturb and Observe (PSO-PO), PSO-INC, and GWO-PO, illustrating the superiority of the GWO-INC hybrid approach in enhancing the efficiency and performance of solar water pumps during shading. The GWO-INC excels with 99.6% accuracy in uniform shading and 99.8% in partial shading. It achieves convergence in a mere 0.55 seconds under uniform shading conditions and only 0.42 seconds when partial shading is present. Moreover, it significantly reduces torque oscillations, with a torque ripple of  8.26% in cases of uniform shading and 10.56% in partial shading.