MATLAB based modeling to study the performance of different MPPT techniques used for solar PV system under various operating conditions

Although solar photovoltaic technology is one of the matured technologies, its initial high cost and low efficiency have not made it fully attractive as an alternative option for electricity users. Hence it is very critical to utilize the maximum available solar power of the array and to operate the PV array at its highest energy conversion output. For this, the solar PV generating system has to operate at the maximum power output point. Since the maximum power point varies with radiation and temperature, it is difficult to maintain optimum power operation at all radiation levels. Over the years, many MPPT techniques have been advocated, developed and implemented. These methods vary in several aspects such as complexity, required number of sensors, convergence speed, cost, range of effectiveness, ease of hardware implementation etc. Although different methods have been developed by different research groups, very little literature is available, where different MPPT techniques/methods are compared in terms of energy capture, conversion efficiency, response time and reliability. This paper compares the performance of different MPPT methods that are currently used in a solar PV system and also advocates a new MPPT technique which offers better performance than the existing ones. The methodology adopted for analysis is as follows: Initially, a MATLAB based solar PV array model is first developed and validated; then, different MPPT techniques are employed on this PV array under varying temperature and insolation conditions to study the effectiveness of the particular MPPT technique under consideration.