Improved marine predator MPPT algorithm for photovoltaic systems in partial shading conditions.

Area of Science:

• Renewable Energy Systems
• Electrical Engineering
• Computational Intelligence

Background:

• Partial shading (PS) in photovoltaic (PV) arrays causes multi-peak power characteristics, complicating maximum power point tracking (MPPT).
• Inefficient MPPT under PS conditions significantly reduces overall PV system power generation efficiency.
• Accurate and rapid MPPT is crucial for optimizing PV energy output, especially in variable environmental conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an optimized MPPT algorithm for PV systems operating under partial shading conditions.
• To enhance the performance of the Marine Predator Algorithm (MPA) for faster and more accurate MPPT.
• To improve the efficiency and stability of PV power generation under challenging irradiance scenarios.

Main Methods:

• An improved MPPT algorithm based on the Marine Predator Algorithm (MPA) was developed.
• Key modifications include voltage initialization, optimized overstepping mechanism, elite population guidance, and a restart algorithm.
• The Perturbation and Observation (P&O) algorithm was integrated to minimize power fluctuations and enhance tracking accuracy.

Main Results:

• The improved MPA demonstrated significantly reduced tracking times: 32.6% faster than the original MPA, 76.5% faster than Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and 50% faster than the Incremental Conductance (IncCond) method under uniform illumination.
• Under dynamic irradiance, the proposed algorithm achieved a tracking efficiency of up to 99.95%, exceeding the comparison algorithm by over 15%.
• Experimental simulations confirmed the enhanced algorithm's superior speed and efficiency in MPPT.

Conclusions:

• The proposed enhanced MPA-based MPPT algorithm offers a substantial improvement in tracking speed and efficiency for PV systems under partial shading.
• The modifications effectively address the challenges posed by multi-peak phenomena and dynamic irradiance conditions.
• This advanced MPPT strategy is vital for maximizing energy yield and operational efficiency in modern photovoltaic installations.