A novel region partition MPPT method based on variable step-size INC

The incremental conductance (INC) algorithm is one of the most extensive maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques for photovoltaic (PV) system to make full utilization of solar energy. However, the conventional INC algorithm can't track the MPP for PV systems effectively in rapidly changing atmospheric conditions. A novel region partition MPPT algorithm based on variable step-size INC is proposed. The operating region of PV system is divided into four parts according to the partition function. The combined utilization of the fixed step size and the variable step size is employed to adjust the tracking step size at real time. The theoretical analysis and design principle of the proposed method are provided in detail. Based on the analysis of the simulation results with comparisons, the proposed method is validated with the high tracking accuracy, the rapid tracking speed and the high tracking efficiency, even in case of rapidly changing atmospheric conditions.