Maximum Power Point Algorithm in PV Generation: An Overview

Use of solar energy using photovoltaic (PV) arrays is emphasized increasingly and regarded as an important resource of power energy in the coming years. As the power supplied by PV arrays depends upon the insolation, temperature and array voltage, it is necessary to control the operating point to extract the maximum power from the PV arrays. Number of methods for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) has been reported in the literature. This paper aims to give a comprehensive comparison of different MPPT algorithms in terms of their tracking efficiencies, cost effectiveness, complexity of realization etc. Here the methods are classified according to the parameters they use in finding MPP, viz, PV voltage, PV current, output voltage, and output current.