A fast and accurate MPPT control technique using boundary controller for PV applications

Solar energy is one of the most commonly used renewable energy in the world. A Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) control algorithm with appropriated converter are essential to insure the efficiency of solar energy utilization in photovoltaic (PV) applications. PI controller is widely used in MPPT controller due to easiness and low cost but not providing fast and accurate tracking. In this paper, a second-order switching surface control technique is applied in a MPPT controller to extract maximum power from PV cells. The proposed system can give a fast action of tacking the MPP when the irradiation of sun suddenly alters. The operating principles of the proposed control technique and mathematical derivations of the control law are provided in the paper. Simulation result shows that the proposed controller has a dramatic improvement in terms of dynamic response comparing with a conventional PI based MPPT controller. A 100 W prototype has been built and experiment results show a good agreement with the derived theory.