MPPT Control Strategies for Photovoltaic Applications: Algorithms and Comparative Analysis

In this paper, five Maximum Power Point Tracking algorithms for PV system are presented, simulated and discussed. Solar Photovoltaic energy has become a popular device of the renewable energies. The power-voltage (P-V) characteristic of PV cells is naturally nonlinear dependent of insolation and temperature degrees. Accordingly, the maximum power point change with the atmospheric conditions. In order to ameliorate the overall efficiency, a control technique for the duty cycle of the DC/DC power converter is required. The aim of this paper is to present a thorough assessment of various MPPT techniques. Five different methods are discussed which are : the Perturbation-Observation (P&O) method, the Incremental Conductance (INC) method, the Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC), the Neural Network control (NNC) and the Sliding mode control (SMC). These algorithms are modeled and simulated with a specific PV chain consisting of a 50W PV panel and a Boost converter in order to evaluate their performances.