• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.218-227
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• 2011

The subject of variable step size maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms has been addressed in the literature. However, most of the addressed algorithms tune the variable step size according to two variables: the photovoltaic (PV) array voltage ($V_{PV}$) and the PV array current ($I_{PV}$). Therefore, both the PV array current and voltage have to be measured. Recently, maximum power point trackers that arc based on a single variable ($I_{PV}$ or $V_{PV}$) have received a great deal of attention due to their simplicity and ease of implementation, when compared to other tracking techniques. In this paper, two methods have been proposed to design a variable step size MPPT algorithm using only a single current sensor for stand-alone battery storage PV systems. These methods utilize only the relationship between the PV array measured current and the converter duty cycle (D) to automatically adapt the step change in the duty cycle to reach the maximum power point (MPP) of the PV array. Detailed analyses and flowcharts of the proposed methods are included. Moreover, a comparison has been made between the proposed methods to investigate their performance in the transient and steady states. Finally, experimental results with field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are presented to verify the performance of the proposed methods.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1544-1553
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• 2019

The efficiency of photovoltaic generation systems depends on the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique. Among the various schemes presented in the literature, the incremental conductance (INC) method is one of the most frequently used due to its superb tracking ability under changes in insolation and temperature. Generally, conventional INC algorithms implement a simple duty-cycle updating rule that is mainly found on the polarity of the peak-power evaluation function. However, this fails to maximize the performance in both steady-state and transient conditions. In order to overcome this limitation, a novel regulated INC (r-INC) method is proposed in this paper. Like the compensators in automatic control systems, this method applies a digital compensator to evaluate the INC function and improve the capability of power tracking. Precise modeling of a new MPPT system is also presented in the optimized design process. A 120W boost peak power tracker is utilized to obtain comparative test results and to confirm the superiority of the proposed method over existing techniques.

• International Journal of Fuzzy Logic and Intelligent Systems
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.281-292
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• 2016

The proposed scheme is based on the modified perturb and observe (P&O) algorithm combined with the sliding mode technique. A modified P&O algorithm based sliding mode controller is developed to study the effects of partial shade, temperature, and insolation on the performance of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) used in photovoltaic (PV) systems. Under partially shaded conditions and temperature, the energy conversion efficiency of a PV array is very low, leading to significant power losses. Consequently, increasing efficiency by means of MPPT is particularly important. Conventional techniques are easy to implement but produce oscillations at MPP. The proposed method is applied to a model to simulate the performance of the PV system for solar energy usage, which is compared to the conventional methods under non-uniform insolation improving the PV system utilization efficiency and allowing optimization of the system performance. The modified perturb and observe sliding mode controller successfully overcomes the issues presented by non-uniform conditions and tracks the global MPP. Compared to MPPT techniques, the proposed technique is more efficient; it produces less oscillation at MPP in the steady state, and provides more precise tracking.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.973-976
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• 2011

This letter describes an efficient technique for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of an energy harvesting device. It is based on controlling the device voltage at the point of maximum power. Using a microcontroller with a power saving technique, the MPPT algorithm maintains the maximum power with low power consumption. An experiment shows that the algorithm maximizes the energy transfer power using an energy management IC fabricated in a 0.18-${\mu}m$ process. Compared to direct energy transfer to a battery, the proposed technique is more efficient for low-energy harvesting under variable conditions.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.38-45
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• 2021

The photovoltaic module has the characteristic of changing its output characteristics depending on the amount of radiation and temperature, where the arrays that connect them in series and parallel also have the same characteristics. These characteristics require the MPPT technique to find the maximum power point. Existing P&O and IncCond cannot find the global maximum power point (GMPP) for partial shading. Moreover, in the case of Improved-GMPPT and Enhanced Search-Skip-Judge-GMPPT, GMPP due to partial shading can be found, but the variation in the open voltage during temperature fluctuations will affect the operation of the Skip and will not be able to perform accurate MPPT operation. In this study, we analyzed the correlation between voltage, current, and power under solar module and array conditions. We also proposed a technique to find the maximum power point even for temperature fluctuations using not only the amount of radiation but also the temperature coefficient. The proposed control technique was verified through simulations and experiments by constructing a 2.5 kW single-phase solar power generation system.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.929-938
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• 2015

Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and battery charging control are two important functions for a solar battery charger. The former improves utilization of the available solar energy, while the latter ensures a prolonged battery life. Nevertheless, complete implementation of both functions can be complex and costly, especially for low voltage application such as standalone street lamps. In this paper, the operation of a solar battery charger for standalone street light systems is investigated. Using only one voltage sensor, the solar charger is able to operate in both MPPT and constant voltage (CV) charging mode, hence providing high performance at a low cost. Using a lab prototype and a solar simulator, the operation of the charger system is demonstrated and its performance under varying irradiance is validated.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.1327-1337
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• 2017

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are influenced by disproportionate impacts on energy production caused by frequent mismatch cases. The occurrence of multiple maximum power points (MPPs) adds complexity to the tracking process in various PV systems. However, current maximum-power point tracking (MPPT) techniques exhibit limited performance. This paper introduces an enhanced simulated annealing (ESA)-based GMPPT technique against multiple MPP issues in P-V curve with different PV system structures. The proposed technique not only distinguishes global and local MPPs but also performs rapid convergence speed and high tracking accuracy of irradiance changing and restart capability detection. Moreover, the proposed global maximum power tracking algorithm can be applied in the central converter of DMPPT and hybrid PV system to meet various application scenarios. Its effectiveness is verified by simulation and test results.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2015.11a
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• pp.21-22
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• 2015

The maximum power point of a photovoltaic array alters with changing atmospheric conditions, temperature conditions, shadow conditions, so it is required to track maximum power point. As much as MPPT(Maximum Power Point Tracking) is important in photovoltaic systems, many MPPT techniques have been developed. In this paper, several major existing MPPT methods are comparatively analyzed and novel hybrid MPPT algorithm is proposed. The proposed hybrid MPPT algorithm is developed in combination with traditional MPPT methods to complement each other for improving performance and mitigating partial shading effects. The proposed algorithm is validated by using PISIM simulation tool and experiment in 3kW system.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.1447-1453
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• 2014

This paper proposes the new method based on the availability of three points measurement and convexity of photovoltaic (PV) curve characteristic at the maximum power point (MPP). In general, the MPP tracking (MPPT) function is the important part of all PV systems due to their power-voltage (P-V) characteristics related with weather conditions. Then, the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and low pass filter (LPF) are required to measure the voltage and current for MPPT by the digital controller, which is used to implement the PV power conditioning system (PCS). The measurement and quantization error due to rounding or truncation in ADC and the delay of LPF might degrade the reliability of MPPT. To overcome this limitation, the proposed method is proposed while improving the performances in both steady-state and dynamic responses based on the detailed investigation of its properties for availability and convexity. The performances of proposed method are evaluated with the several case studies by the PSCAD/EMTDC$^{(R)}$ simulation. Then, the experimental results are given to verify its feasibility in real-time.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.60 no.11
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• pp.2064-2075
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• 2011

In this paper, robust multi-level perturbation and observation (MLPO) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control are presented of the environmental change including the solar radiation and temperature. Because the maximum power point of the Photovoltaic (PV) is changing according to the solar radiation and temperature, the technology which traces the maximum power point in order to increase the power efficiency is recognized as the very important part. The general requirement for the MPPT is that system is simple, the cost is inexpensive, the PV tracking function and output change are small. Conventional perturbation and observation (PO) method is a simple system but there is the disadvantage that an efficiency of system becomes low. In addation, the incremental conductance (IC) control is required expensive CPU because of a large of calculations. In order to solve this problem, in this paper, the MLPO MPPT control using the method diversifying the step size according to the environment condition is presented. The validity of the MLPO method presenting from this paper is proved through analyzing the solar power generation output error at the steady state.