A Maximum Power Point Tracker for module integrated PV systems under rapidly changing irradiance conditions

The P-V characteristic of solar arrays is a function of irradiance and environmental temperature. There is a unique point on the characteristics named as Maximum Power Point (MPP) at which optimal power can be extracted from the solar array. For optimal utilization of a Photovoltaic (PV) panel, it is necessary to operate the system at MPP. Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) is utilized for this purpose. A variety of MPPT methods are reported in the literature [1]. Perturb and Observe (P&O), Incremental Conductance (IC), Ripple Correlation, Fractional Open Circuit Voltage, Fractional Short Circuit Current etc. are some of the well-known conventional MPPT techniques. P&O method is a commonly employed method in the module based MPPTs [2].