Maximum power point tracking based on improved sliding mode control

Solar energy is a renewable, sustainable and definitely inexhaustible supply of power, in contrast to fossil fuels. Photovoltaic systems provide the cleanest, economic production of energy. However, photovoltaic structures are faced with the problem of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and the need to provide the best of techniques that will operate efficiently in continuously varying atmospheric conditions. A novel MPPT algorithm based on sliding mode control for photovoltaic systems is proposed in this paper, to efficiently track maximum power under changing climate conditions. The effectiveness of the proposed MPPT algorithm, based on sliding mode control, is substantiated by a comparative study with three other methods, namely P&O, GWO-based MPPT and PSO-based MPPT. On the basis of simulation results using MATLAB/Simulink software, the proposed method offers good tracking performance.