Improving PV System Performance in Partial Shading Conditions through Hybrid Optimization Techniques

Abstract

The partial shading scenario will result in many peaks in the power-voltage curve when the photovoltaic (PV) system is producing PV electricity. Additionally, changes in ambient temperature and light intensity will cause the curve to fluctuate. The Maximum Power Point is a specific location on this curve where a cell provides its highest power output to a load. The cell has lower efficiency numbers if it is not operating at this point. There are several low-complexity strategies for capturing maximum power under both standard and dynamic shading situations. In this paper, a hybrid incremental conductance-sliding mode control approach is presented for maximum power point tracking that can handle partial shading problems. This approach uses a sliding mode controller to adapt one of the most popular techniques in Photo voltaic systems, called perturbation and observation (P&O) and incremental conductance (INC). A sampling strategy was implemented to improve the approach and achieve more accurate convergence using the INC method. To illustrate the benefits of the suggested technique, a comparison is made between it and hybrid controllers that combine sliding mode control and P&O and INC. The outcomes of the simulation demonstrate the suggested approach’s accuracy and speed in localizing and tracking the global power maximum.