PIC based photovoltaic maximum power point tracking control system

This paper presents an application of PIC microcontroller for tracking of the maximum power generation from PV module. The output power from the PV module depends on environmental factors such as irradiation, cell temperature, and the position of the Sun during the daytime. For the operation planning of power systems, the prediction of the power generation is inevitable for the PV systems. For this propose the PIC microcontroller is used to control the process and coordinate the operations of all the components involved in the tracking of maximum power point. The advantages and the drawbacks as well as principles of operation of the system are presented in this paper. Various factors have been taken into consideration such as reliability, accuracy, cost and power consumption. The system has been developed and tested successfully.