Comparison between P&O-based and PSO-based MPPT algorithms for photovoltaic system under partially shaded conditions

This paper deals with a comparison between two techniques of maximum power point tracking (MPPT), one based on the conventional Perturb and Observe (P&O) method and another based on the Intelligent Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique, which is applied to a photovoltaic system connected to the electric grid. The current-voltage characteristic of the photovoltaic arrays has a non-linear behavior, and when they are submitted to partial shading condition, the appearance of distinct points of local and global maxima occurs. Thus, it is possible to demonstrate the most efficient technique in the search for maximization of the energy extraction of said photovoltaic arrays. Numerical simulations results are presented to aid in the comparison of MPPT methods.