Concepedia

Assessment of the Incremental Conductance Maximum Power Point Tracking Algorithm

Mohammed A. Elgendy, Bashar Zahawi, David Atkinson

IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy · 2012 · 525 citations · 24 references

TL;DR

An efficient, cost‑effective MPPT algorithm is needed to improve energy utilization in low‑power PV systems. This study experimentally evaluates the incremental conductance MPPT algorithm in a standalone PV pumping system using a 1080‑Wp array and a 1‑kW DC motor‑centrifugal pump. The evaluation focuses on two implementation techniques—reference voltage perturbation and direct duty‑ratio perturbation—and examines how algorithm parameters affect system behavior and energy efficiency under varying weather conditions. Compared to the perturb‑and‑observe algorithm, incremental conductance shows superior performance, and the study highlights the advantages and drawbacks of each technique.

Abstract

An efficient, cost-effective maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm is required to improve the energy utilization efficiency of low power photovoltaic (PV) systems. This paper presents an experimental evaluation of the incremental conductance MPPT algorithm when employed by a standalone PV pumping system, using an experimental installation comprised of a 1080-Wp photovoltaic array connected to a 1-kW permanent magnet dc motor-centrifugal pump set. Particular focus is given to the evaluation of the two commonly utilized implementation techniques: reference voltage perturbation and direct duty ratio perturbation. The influence of algorithm parameters on system behavior is investigated and the energy utilization efficiency is calculated for different weather conditions. The performance of the incremental conductance algorithm is compared to that of the commonly used perturb and observe MPPT algorithm and the various advantages and drawbacks of each technique are identified.