Maximum power point tracking using P&O control optimized by a neural network approach: a good compromise between accuracy and complexity

Abstract

In the field of power optimization of photovoltaic panels (PV), there exist many maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control algorithms, such as: the perturb and observe (P&O) one, the algorithms based on fuzzy logic and the ones using a neural network approaches. Among these MPPT control algorithms, P&O is one of the most widely used due to its simplicity of implementation. However, the major drawback of this kind of algorithm is the lack of accuracy due to oscillations around the PPM. Conversely, MPPT control using neural networks have shown to be a very efficient solution in term of accuracy. However, this approach remains complex. In this paper we propose an original optimization of the P&O MPPT control with a neural network algorithm leading to a significant reduction of the computational cost required to train it, ensuring a good compromise between accuracy and complexity. The algorithm has been applied to the models of two different types of solar panels, which have been experimentally validated.