Maximum power point tracker using an intelligent sliding mode controller of a photovoltaic system

Abstract

The operating performance of a PV module/array is extremely reliant on the weather (temperature/irradiation) and non-linear. Thus, to ensure that the PV array produces the maximum possible power at any time and regardless of the external conditions, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques are required. The solution suggested in this paper involves taking into account two cascaded controllers as follows; the incremental conductance (INC) controller, which is intended to provide a reference proportional to the PV array's optimal power P_MPP, and the sliding mode control (SMC), which is in charge of controlling the GPV voltage. The strategy of the SMC is to design a sliding surface that defines the operating point. The SMC combined with the INC aims to achieve fast MPPT action on PV systems using cascade control. The proposed controller is robust to changing weather conditions. In order to evaluate what is done, the results are compared with the INC+PI controller. When an abrupt change occurs, the SMC has a low transient and arrives to equilibrium sooner than the INC+PI controller. the results are presented by the PSIM software, and demonstrate the SMC controller's performance while confirming that the new approach has increased both production and energy efficiency.