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Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) Scheme

for Solar Photovoltaic System

Ahteshamul Haque

To cite this article: Ahteshamul Haque (2014) Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)
Scheme for Solar Photovoltaic System, Energy Technology & Policy, 1:1, 115-122, DOI:
10.1080/23317000.2014.979379

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Energy Technology & Policy (2014) 1, 115–122
Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 2331-7000 online
DOI: 10.1080/23317000.2014.979379

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) Scheme for Solar

Photovoltaic System
AHTESHAMUL HAQUE*
Electrical Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, India

Received July 2014, Accepted October 2014

Abstract: Global energy demand is increasing exponentially. This increase in demand causes concern pertaining to the global energy
crisis and allied environmental threats. The solution of these issues is seen in renewable energy sources. Solar energy is considered one of
the major sources of renewable energy, available in abundance and also free of cost. Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells are used to convert solar
energy into unregulated electrical energy. These solar PV cells exhibit nonlinear characteristics and give very low efficiency. Therefore, it
becomes essential to extract maximum power from solar PV cells using maximum power point tracking (MPPT). Perturb and observe (P&O)
is one of such MPPT schemes. The behavior of MPPT schemes under continually changing atmospheric conditions is critical. It leads to two
conditions, i.e., rapid change in solar irradiation and partial shading due to clouds, etc. Also, the behavior of MPPT schemes under changed
load condition becomes significant to analyze. This article aims to address the issue of the conventional P&O MPPT scheme under increase
solar irradiation condition and its behavior under changed load condition. The modified MPPT scheme is implemented in the control circuit
of a DC–DC converter. The simulation study is done using PSIM simulation software. A prototype unit is tested with artificial light setup on
a solar PV panel to simulate the changed solar irradiation condition. The results of the modified MPPT scheme are compared with existing
schemes. The modified MPPT scheme works fast and gives improved results under change of solar irradiation. Furthermore, the steady state
oscillations are also reduced.
Keywords: MPPT, photovoltaic, power electronics, perturb and observe, PSIM

1. Introduction researchers to extract maximum power from solar PV cells under

variable atmospheric conditions. Maximum power point track-
Global energy crisis and climate change threats are among the ing (MPPT) scheme is used to extract maximum power from
major concerns faced by the present civilized world. The limited solar PV cells. Various types of MPPT schemes are proposed by
reservoirs of fossil fuels and emission of greenhouse gases are researchers,5−14 namely open circuit, short circuit, perturb and
the major identified reasons for the above concern. Renewable observe (P&O)/hill climbing, incremental conductance, and so
energy sources (RES) such as solar, wind, and tidal are consid- forth.
ered the solution to overcome these concerns. Among these RES, The P&O method is very popular among all these schemes.
solar energy is considered one of the potential sources to solve It is further classified into various types of P&O MPPT schemes
the crisis as it is available in abundance and free of cost.1 and is adopted by the researchers. The nominal value of capaci-
Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells are used to convert solar energy tors connected in parallel with solar PV is taken as a parameter
into regulated electrical energy using power electronics con- to monitor in extraction of power.5 However, Xiao and Dunford
verter.2 These solar PV cells exhibit nonlinear characteristics and have proposed an adaptive scheme to extract the power.6
very low efficiency.3 The characteristic of solar cells become The P&O method may give false results, i.e., when solar irra-
more complex under changed atmospheric condition such as diation is increased, the conventional P&O algorithm moves in
partial shading.4 Due to these issues, it becomes essential to the direction of high power. It fixes the operating point, which
is not maximum power point (MPP). Also, the other issue is
© Ahteshamul Haque steady state oscillations due to the nature of the P&O MPPT
This is an Open Access article. Non-commercial re-use, distribution, scheme. The limitation of the P&O method has been highlighted
and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is prop- under increased solar irradiation condition.8 However, the MPPT
erly attributed, cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in behavior with resistive load change has not been addressed
any way, is permitted. The moral rights of the named author(s) have properly. These issues are addressed properly for other MPPT
been asserted. schemes such as incremental conductance.13,15
*Address correspondence to: Ahteshamul Haque, Electrical The P&O method is evaluated and the duty cycle is decided
Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia University, M. M. Ali Jauhar by the product of slope (dP/dV) with a constant gain.12
Marg, Okhla, New Delhi 110025, India. Email: [email protected] The drawback of this method is high steady state oscillations
116 A. Haque

and longer time to reach steady state under changed power

condition. MPP with
In this article, the P&O MPPT scheme is modified consid- increase
ering increase in solar irradiation, steady state oscillations, and in solar
load changing condition. The results of the modified scheme irradiation
are compared with the existing P&O MPPT scheme, and the
improvements are highlighted. The new MPPT scheme is imple-
mented in the control circuit of a buck DC–DC converter.
A prototype hardware model is made and tested in the lab. The
microcontroller is used to implement the proposed MPPT algo-
rithm. The solar simulation and its changing irradiation condition
have been carried out with flooded artificial lighting on solar PV
panel. PSIM simulation software is used for simulation study.

2. Modeling and Characteristics of Solar Photovoltaic

(PV) Cell
Fig. 1. Solar PV power characteristics with different solar irradiation
The basic element of a solar PV system is PV cells. These cells level.
are connected to form modules. It is further expanded in the form
of arrays as per the power requirement. These PV cells exhibit reference current signal of the solar PV. The flow chart of the con-
nonlinear characteristic. The output of the PV cell varies with ventional P&O method is shown in Figure 2. In this flow chart, Y
solar irradiation and the ambient temperature. The characteristic is shown as the reference signal. It could be either solar PV volt-
equations of PV cell are given in Equations 1, 2, and 3.3 age or current. The main aim is to achieve the MPP. To achieve
it, the system operating point is changed by applying a small
I = Iph − Ios {exp [(q/AKT) (V + IRs )] − 1} − (V + I ∗ Rs )/Rp perturbation (Y) in solar PV reference signal. After each per-
(1) turbation, the power output is measured. If the value of power
measured is more than the previous value, then the perturbation
in reference signal is continued in the same direction. At any
Ios = Ior exp [qEGO /Bk ((1/Tr ) − (1/T))] [T/Tr ]3 (2) point, if the new value of solar PV power is measured less than
the previous one, then the perturbation is applied in the opposite
Iph = S [Isc + KI (T − 25)] /100 (3) direction. This process is continued till MPP is achieved.8

Where I is the PV cell output current; V, the PV cell output volt- 4. Issue Related to the Conventional P&O MPPT
age; Rp , the parallel resistor; and Rs , the series resistor. Ios , is Scheme
the PV module reversal saturation current. A and B are ideality
factors; T, the temperature (◦ C); k, the boltzmann’s constant; The main issue with the conventional P&O MPPT scheme is
Iph , the light-generated current; q, the electronic charge; and KI , its failure to give the correct MPP under fast changing atmo-
the short-circuit current temperature coefficient at ISC . S is solar spheric conditions as shown in Figure 3 and is also discussed
irradiation (W/m2 ); ISC , the short-circuit current at 25◦ C and in Esram and Chapman.8 Figure 3 shows that the operating point
1000 W/m2 , EGO , the band gap energy for silicon; Tr , refer- A under one atmospheric condition; a perturbation in reference
ence temperature and Ior , the saturation current at temperature Tr . signal (which is voltage in the figure) brings the operating point
Figure 1 shows that the power varies nonlinearly with the varia- at B. This algorithm is reversed back to operating point A due to
tion in solar irradiation, and maximum power point (MPP) varies, the decrease in power. However, if the solar irradiation changes,
too. However, the modeling of solar PV under partial shading the power curve shifted from P2 to P1 in one sampling period.
condition gives the results differently.4 The MPP point varies The operating point will move from A to C. It is to be noted
with ambient conditions. It is the task of researchers to make that C is not the MPP of power curve P1. But the power at C
this moving point as the operating point to extract the maximum is more than the power at A; however, the perturbation is kept
power. same. Consequently, this phenomenon of divergence from MPP
is continued, if solar irradiation increases continuously.
The high ripple content in the power at steady state is the other
3. Conventional Perturb & Observe/Hill Climbing
issue, which may be due to the nature of the P&O method as
MPPT Scheme evaluated.12
The other name of the P&O method is hill climbing method.
In fact, the hill climbing and P&O methods are different ways 5. Proposed P&O MPPT Scheme
to achieve the MPP. Hill climbing MPPT is achieved by perturb-
ing the duty cycle of the power converter. In the P&O method, The P&O MPPT technique depends on the change in power sup-
the perturbation is applied either in the reference voltage or in the plied by solar PV. This supplied power level depends on solar
Maximum Power Point Tracking Scheme 117

Start

Measure and record P(t)

No Yes
Compare
V.
P(t) – P(t–1)>0

Yes Yes
Compare Compare
Y(t) – Y(t–1)>0 Y(t) – Y(t–1)>0

No
No

Y(t+1) = Y(t) – ΔY Y(t+1) = Y(t) + ΔY

Y(t+1) = Y(t) – ΔY Y(t+1) = Y(t) + ΔY

Return

Fig. 2. Flowchart of conventional perturb and observe MPPT method.

Table 1. Summary of the perturb and observe MPPT method.

Perturbation Change in power Next perturbation

Positive Positive Positive

Positive Negative Negative
Negative Positive Negative
Negative Negative Positive

Table 2. Summary of change in power with the change in solar

irradiation and load resistance.
Cause Change Power Voltage

Solar irradiation Increase Increase Increase

Decrease Decrease Decrease
Load resistance Increase Decrease Increase
Decrease Increase Decrease
Fig. 3. Issue in P&O MPPT scheme under changing atmospheric
condition.
The flowchart of the modified P&O MPPT is shown in
Figure 4. The perturbation in the reference is dependent on the
irradiation, ambient temperature, and resistive load. The refer- slope dP/dV. The slope dP/dV is measured, and the threshold
ence signal is either incremented or decremented periodically, value is shown in Equation 4.
comparing the power obtained in the present cycle. The reference  
signal is considered as PV voltage in this work. Table 1 presents  dP 
  = 0.05 (4)
the summary of the P&O MPPT method, and Table 2 describes  dV 
the change in power with the change in solar irradiation and load
resistance. During the stage, when the slope is high, the perturbation step is
Once the solar irradiation is increased, the PV power is more, and when the slope is less, the perturbation step is small.
increased, and if it decreases, the power is decreased. The PV The change in PV current along with PV voltage is also mea-
power varies differently with resistive load. sured. The slope calculation gives the improved and fast MPP,
118 A. Haque

dV= V(t) – V(t–1)

Start
dI = I(t) – I(t–1)
dP = P(t) – P(t–1)
β = 0.005
γ = 0.08
Record V(t), I(t)

Record Power P(t)

No Yes

Yes
dP>0 No
dV > 0 dV > 0

No Yes
Yes No
dI > 0 dI > 0
dP
< 0.05
No Yes dV

dP dP dP No
< 0.05 < 0.05 < 0.05
dV dV dV Yes

No
No Yes No
Yes Yes

V(t+1) = V(t+1) = V(t+1) = V(t+1) =

V(t) –β.V(t) V(t) +β.V(t) V(t) +β.V(t) V(t) –β.V(t)

V(t+1) = V(t+1) = V(t+1) = V(t+1) =

V(t) – γ.V(t) V(t) +γ.V(t) V(t) +γ.V(t) V(t) – γ.V(t)

Update
V(t) = V(t+1)
I(t) = I(t+1)

Return

Fig. 4. Flowchart of the proposed perturb and observe MPPT method.

when operating under increased solar irradiation condition. The

Rin DC – DC Ro
earlier work is done by multiplying slope with constant gain
Converter
throughout the operation.12 Also, the load change is another area
where the proposed algorithm gives reliable results.
Fig. 5. Block diagram of DC–DC converter.

6. DC–DC Converter Topology and MPPT Working implemented in the control of DC–DC converter, i.e., it varies
Zone the duty cycle. The basic principle of adjusting the duty cycle is
to match load impedance with input impedance seen by the DC–
The MPPT operating zone for solar PV is dependent on DC– DC converter, i.e., impedance of solar PV as shown in Figure 5.
DC converter topology and restricts the value of resistive load Rin (the input impedance seen by the converter) and Ro (the
for which MPPT become effective. The MPPT scheme is output impedance connected with converter) are related with
Maximum Power Point Tracking Scheme 119

characteristic equation. This mathematical equation varies with curve in the case of Buck-Boost and SEPIC (single-ended pri-
DC–DC converter topologies, which are summarized in Figure 6. mary inductor converter) DC–DC converter. Since these convert-
Figures 6 and 7 show the operating and non-operating zone of ers are complex, they exhibit more cost in comparison to buck or
MPPT. The MPPT is working in the entire range of characteristic boost converters.

6.1 – Characteristic Equation of Buck Converter 6.2 – Characteristic Equation of Boost Converter

Rin Ro
Rin Ro

INPUT OUTPUT RELATIONSHIP

INPUT OUTPUT RELATIONSHIP

Rin = Ro/D2
Rin = Ro(1–D)2

D – Duty Cycle

Rin vs Duty Cycle Rin vs Duty Cycle D – Duty Cycle

6.3 – Characteristic Equation of Buck-Boost Converter 6.4 – Characteristic Equation of Sepic Converter

Rin Ro
Rin Ro

INPUT OUTPUT RELATIONSHIP

INPUT OUTPUT RELATIONSHIP

Rin = (1–D)2*Ro/D2
Rin = (1–D)2*Ro/D2

D – Duty Cycle
D – Duty Cycle
Rin vs Duty Cycle Rin vs Duty Cycle

Fig. 6. Characteristic equations of commonly used DC–DC converters.

A
RLoad = RMPP
RLoad << RMPP
B

C
RLoad >> RMPP

V – I Characteristic Curve of Solar PV

DC – DC MPP ZONE
CONVERTER TYPE WORKING ZONE NO WORKING ZONE
BUCK A-B B-C
BOOST B-C A-B
BUCK-BOOST A-B, B-C NONE
SEPIC A-B, B-C NONE

Fig. 7. MPPT working zone with DC–DC converter topology.

120 A. Haque

Table 3. Parameters of DC–DC buck converter.

+
+ Lbuck
Name of the
S. No. Parameter Values
MOSFET
Vin 1 Vin VMPP when MPP is working
DIODE Cbuck Vo/p
Vcell in NO MPP Zone
2 MOSFET 20A, 600V
3 DIODE 20A, 1000V, Fast Recovery
4 Lbuck 1mH, 15A Saturation
– – 5 Cbuck 1000 uF
6 Vo d∗ VMPP
d∗ Vcell
Fig. 8. Schematic: DC–DC buck converter. 7 Frequency 20 kHz
8 Power Output 35W
7. Design of Buck DC–DC Converter and Solar PV
Parameters
Table 4. Parameters of solar PV.
The DC–DC buck converter is used to implement the modi- S. No. Name of the Parameter Values
fied MPPT scheme (Fig. 8). The input voltage of DC–DC buck
converter is the output voltage of solar PV. Equation 5 gives the 1 Name of the Vendor of solar PV Vikram Solar
relationship between input and output voltage of buck converter.2 Model: ELDORA40
2 PV Type PolyCrystalline
Vo = d.Vin (5) 3 No. of Cells: Connected in series 36
4 Rated Maximum Power: PMPP 40W
5 Open Circuit Voltage: VOC 21.9 V
where Vo is the output voltage, d is the duty cycle and Vin is
6 Short Circuit Current: ISC 2.45 A
the input voltage of buck converter. The parameters of buck
7 Voltage at MPP: VMPP 17.4 V
converter are calculated for the design work (Table 3). The 8 Current at MPP: IMPP 2.3 A
parameters of solar PV model: ELDORA40 poly crystalline is
listed in Table 4.
converter. The PV voltage and current is sensed by using sensors
8. Experimental Setup and Results and given as input to the microcontroller [Model: PIC- 16F887].
The microcontroller processes the proposed MPPT and gives out-
The block diagram of experimental setup for testing of the modi- put as pulse width modulated [PWM] signal to the gate of buck
fied MPPT algorithm is shown in Figure 9. The solar PV panel in converter. The opto-coupler driver IC [TLP-250] is used to drive
the lab is flooded with artificial light (halogen lamp). The inten- the power Mosfet of the converter. The data logger is connected
sity of artificial light is controlled to simulate the fast-changing to record the solar PV power, current, and voltage. The gate sig-
solar irradiation. The solar PV is connected with the buck DC– nal is monitored using digital CRO. A voltmeter and an ammeter
DC converter. The DC load is connected at the output of the buck are connected at the load end.

Flooded
with A
Artificial DC–DC Buck
Lights LOAD
Converter

Voltmeter
Solar PV Opto-Coupler IC: TLP250

Digital CRO
Voltage Sensor
Microcontroller PWM
(PIC-16F887)
Current Sensor
MPPT Controller

DATA LOGGER

Fig. 9. Block diagram of experimental setup.

Maximum Power Point Tracking Scheme 121

Fig. 12. Simulation results: Power vs. time.

Fig. 10. Simulation results: Power (P)-Voltage (V) curve.

Fig. 13. Experimental results: Power vs. time.

Fig. 11. Experimental results with full artificial light.

Fig. 14. Experimental results: Solar PV power vs. time at different

The rating of solar PV used is 40W @ 1000 w/m2 solar irra- load conditions.
diation. The simulated Power-Vcell characteristic is shown in
Figure 10. Since the PV is flooded with artificial lighting, there-
fore, power generated is not 40W—rather, it is around 6–7 Watts. is invisible in simulation. It is due to the fact that dP/dV is
But the purpose to test the effectiveness of MPPT scheme is much less.
achieved. The Power-Vcell curve of solar PV from the exper- Figure 14 shows the experimental results under different load
imental setup with artificial light source, i.e., 1000 W/m2 , is conditions. It is evident that if RLoad is less than RMPP , the MPP
shown in Figure 11. works and restores the power to MPP level. The moment RLoad
Figure 12 shows the experimental results under changed solar is greater than RMPP , the proposed MPP fails, which is obviously
irradiation levels. Figure 13 presents the experimental results expected. Figures 15 and 16 shows the experimental results for
obtained under similar conditions to that of simulation. It can be variable duty cycle.
seen that the time taken to reach MPP is approximately 0.21 sec, Table 5 presents a comparison of the result between the gain
and even if the solar irradiation is changed, the MPP scheme method and the proposed method. It is evident that time to reach
is not giving false results. Also, the experimental and simula- MPP, peak to peak steady state oscillations, and step load change
tion results are almost similar, except the steady state oscillation response time is improved.
122 A. Haque

Appendix: Nomenclature

MPPT – Maximum power point tracker

PV – Photovoltaic
Rp – Parallel resistor
Ios – PV module reversal saturation current
T – Temperature in degree Celsius
Isc – Short circuit current
RES – Renewable energy sources
P&O – Perturb and observe
Rs – Series resistor
A, B – Ideality factor
k – Boltzmann’s constant
S – Solar irradiation
Fig. 15. Experimental results: PWM gate signal.

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