Change in Power based P&O Algorithm for Maximum Power Extraction in Solar Energy Conversion System

Perturb and observe (P&O) is one of the commonly used maximum power extraction algorithm in solar energy conversion systems. Wherein, it suffers from its inherent limitations such as more tracking time, large power oscillations and deviations from the operating point during irradiance variations. This paper presents the concept of change in power to track the operating point at a faster rate and minimize power oscillations in steady-state conditions for efficient maximum power point tracking (MPPT) operation. The proposed algorithm applies the conventional P&O technique and tracks the maximum power point (MPP) using large step size. Once it reaches near the MPP, the concept of change in power is used to detect the oscillations and step-size of the duty-cycle is dynamically altered to operate at MPP with negligible power oscillations. In the event of a varying irradiance, the step-size of the duty-cycle is intelligently altered to a maximum value for fast tracking of MPP. The performance of the proposed algorithm is verified using MATLAB simulations and compared with the existing P&O algorithms to validate its efficacy.