Maximum power point tracking using the optimal duty ratio for DC-DC converters and load matching in photovoltaic applications

The purpose of this paper is to present an alternative maximum power point tracking, MPPT, algorithm for a photovoltaic module, PVM, to produce the maximum power, P
_max
, using the optimal duty ratio, D, for different types of dc-dc converters and load matching. The proposed algorithm has the advantages of maximizing the efficiency of the power utilization, can be integrated to other MPPT algorithms without affecting the PVM performance, is excellent for real-time applications and is a robust analytical method, different from the traditional MPPT algorithms which are more based on trial and error, or comparisons between present and past states. The procedure to calculate the optimal duty ratio for a buck, boost and buck-boost converters, to transfer the maximum power from a PVM to a load, is presented in the paper. Additionally, the existence and uniqueness of optimal internal impedance, to transfer the maximum power from a photovoltaic module using load matching, is proved. Finally, results are presented in the paper.