Optimization of partially shaded PV array using fuzzy MPPT

Solar photovoltaic (PV) array shows non-linear P-V characteristic when the array is illuminated under uniform solar irradiance. In this circumstance, the P-V characteristic consists only one maximum power point (MPP) along the functional operating voltage. However, the P-V characteristic has changed and become more complex with multiple MPP when the array is exposed under partially shaded conditions. This circumstance has caused maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm faces difficulty to allocate the exact optimal operating voltage for PV array to generate maximum power. In this paper, initial voltage tracking function (IVTF) has been introduced to assign new initial voltage for tracking the absolute MPP when the PV array is at shaded conditions. Nevertheless, MPPT approach deals with the challenge of tracking the MPP in the faster mode while maintaining the power stability of the PV array toward the MPP. Therefore, fuzzy logic is embedded in the conventional MPPT to adapt the size of the perturbed voltage. The obtained results show that fuzzy logic based MPPT with IVTF is able to track the absolute MPP faster while minimizing power lost due to the power fluctuations.