Performance evaluation of MPPT algorithm of VIPV systems in realistic urban routes using image processing

Abstract

The assessment of the power that Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaic (VIPV) systems produce during the vehicle displacement in urban environments requires to know the effect of the dynamic shadowing over the photovoltaic (PV) surface and the response that the DC/DC electronics have over these situations of fast-evolving shadows. This paper poses a novel methodology that evaluate the shadowing profile on the vehicle through images and estimates the PV output power and the behavior of a classical Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm through simulations. Through this methodology, the efficiency (intended as the ratio between the maximum power generated by the PV module and the power delivered by the MPPT algorithm) has been evaluated in a real dynamic shadowing situation, where images of the vehicle roof in a 22 km route have been acquired at high frequency.