ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS' EFFECTS ON SOLAR CELL PERFORMANCE AND MAXIMUM POWER POINT TRACKING APPLICATION
Photovoltaic (PV) systems play a pivotal role in meeting the escalating global demand for clean and sustainable energy. However, the efficiency of these systems is significantly influenced by the inherent variability in solar irradiance and environmental conditions. With the variation of the operating conditions, the voltage at which the maximum power can be obtained from also changes. In this paper, a PV model is used to simulate the actual PV module behavior, and then a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) method using fuzzy logic is proposed in order to control the DC-DC converter. Furthermore, the proposed fuzzy logic technique is compared with the conventional Perturb and Observe (P and O) MPPT method. Simulation result shows that the proposed fuzzy logic MPPT method gives better response than the conventional P and O method under variations of operating conditions. The fuzzy controller presented shows better performance and stability with less oscillation as compared with the Perturb and Observe algorithm which has much oscillation around the MPP which may lead to loss of power. The results also show that fuzzy controller performs better having a maximum power point of 22.79W at 1000W/M2 irradiance and 1.89W on solar irradiance level of 100W/m2 than the Perturb and Observe algorithm having a maximum power point of 22.57W at 1000W/M2 and 1.49W on solar irradiance level of 100W/m2 but with much oscillation around the MPP. Furthermore, the results show that fuzzy controller has a higher average tracking efficiency of 91.30% than the Perturb and Observe algorithm which has an average tracking efficiency of 79.89%. FLCs often require manual tuning of membership functions and rules, which can be time-consuming and challenging, especially for complex systems. Future research could focus on developing automated or semi-automated tuning methods to simplify this process.
Authors : Zirata, K.B. and Gulak, L.L.
Category : Open Access Volume (Issue) : 10(1) Date Uploaded : 21st March 2024