An Efficient Maximum Power Point Tracking Controller for Photovoltaic Systems Using New Boost Converter Design and Improved Control Algorithm

This paper presents an efficient maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller for a standalone photovoltaic (PV) generation system. To achieve an efficient MPPT controller, a new boost converter design and an improved MPPT algorithm are incorporated. In the proposed boost converter design, a passive regenerative snubber circuit is included to absorb the energy of stray inductance so as to reduce the IGBT switching losses. As for the improved MPPT algorithm, it is based on the curve fitting method which attempts to predict the power-voltage characteristic curve by a fourth order polynomial function. The predicted P-V curve strongly depends on the cell temperature and therefore the ambient temperature and solar radiation are used to track the maximum power point (MPP) of the PV module. Experimental results are given to verify the validity and performance of the MPPT algorithm which is embedded in a prototype MPPT controller. The experimental results showed that the proposed MPPT controller successfully tracked the MPP by giving an average tracking efficiency of 89.2% Key-words: MPPT, photovoltaic systems, PV controller, boost converter, curve fitting