Designing of a PSO-Based Adaptive SMC With a Multilevel Inverter for MPPT of PV Systems Under Rapidly Changing Weather Conditions

This study discusses the widespread problem of chattering phenomena and high frequency oscillations in sliding mode controllers (SMCs) used for maximum power point (MPP) tracking (MPPT) in photovoltaic (PV) systems. Moreover, this study introduces an adaptive sliding mode controller (ASMC) made just for PV panels with MPPT capability to address these problems. The main goal of the control method is to make PV systems more reliable and effective by precisely tracking the MPP, even when the weather quickly changes. This strategy demonstrates superior static and dynamic responsiveness compared with traditional methods. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is employed to determine the best gains for the SMC method, specifically for controlling the variable step of the standard perturb and observe (P&O) algorithm. This algorithm used in the study with a Soltech 1STH-250-WH module is linked to a boost DC-DC converter. The aforementioned converter provided power to a resistive load, which was then controlled by a voltage regulator. Subsequently, the research highlights the utilization of a new voltage source inverter: a 9-level diode clamp inverter (DCI) employed to mitigate harmonics, hence enhancing power quality through the reduction of its components and generating a sinusoidal AC voltage that has multiple uses.