DC-DC boost converter design for fast and accurate MPPT algorithms in stand-alone photovoltaic system

Abstract

The main components of a Stand-Alone Photovoltaic (SAPV) system consists of PV array, DC-DC converter, load and the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control algorithm. MPPT algorithm was used for extracting maximum available power from PV module under a particular environmental condition by controlling the duty ratio of DC-DC converter. Based on maximum power transfer theorem, by changing the duty cycle, the load resistance as seen by the source is varied and matched with the internal resistance of PV module at maximum power point (MPP) so as to transfer the maximum power. Under sudden changes in solar irradiance, the selection of MPPT algorithm’s sampling time (TS_MPPT) is very much depends on two main components of the converter circuit namely; inductor and capacitor. As the value of these components increases, the settling time of the transient response for PV voltage and current will also increase linearly. Consequently, TS_MPPT needs to be increased for accurate MPPT and therefore reduce the tracking speed. This work presents a design considerations of DC-DC Boost Converter used in SAPV system for fast and accurate MPPT algorithm. The conventional Hill Climbing (HC) algorithm has been applied to track the MPP when subjected to sudden changes in solar irradiance. By selecting the optimum value of the converter circuit components, a fast and accurate MPPT especially during sudden changes in irradiance has been realized.