Genetic algorithm to improve power output of photovoltaic system under partial shaded condition

Abstract

The Partial Shaded Condition (PSC) is a process of non-optimal power capture in photovoltaic (PV) system; it will happen when one or all the PV solar cells get shaded by external factors. This phenomenon makes a sudden change in cell irradiance and lead to non-optimal power capture and reduces the generated power in PV systems. Cell under PSC generates one global peak (GP) and many local peaks (LPs), but the tracking of GP under (PSCs) effectively are still a big challenge to the researchers. In this paper, Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC) and optimized FLC algorithms were developed to track the PV power during the PSCs. The configuration of both algorithms are designed, simulated and evaluated using MATLAB/Simulink and their performance was compared with other literature techniques to study their capability to track the MPPT under PSCs. Proposed GA-FLC achieved 0.7 S as tracking time to find and track the Global Peak of Maximum power Point (GMPP) under PSCs and the usage of buck/boost converter in this technique achieved 98.5% of tracking accuracy. GA-FLC shows good dynamic performance in terms of tracking accuracy and complexity under PSCs compared to other techniques.