Optimal Controllers for Enhancing the Transient Stability and Maximizing Energy Harvesting of Photovoltaic System based on Marine Predators Algorithm

worldwide, the integration of photovoltaic power plants has been intensively expanded in modern power systems. In this regard, this paper proposes improved maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controllers based on the Marine Predators algorithm (MPA). The suggested optimization-based MPPT controllers can efficiently control the boost converter’s voltage to improve the dampening of oscillations in the solar power plants’ output power and harvest the maximum power. The proposed MPA-based MPPTCs are proportional-integral (PI), fractional-order PI, and fuzzy logic controllers in conjunction with a modified incremental conductance (IC) and fractional open-circuit voltage (FOCV) compared with classical control techniques like IC, P&O, and FOCV. The system model under study considers the high level of solar radiation uncertainty and variable temperature. MPA is used to minimize error and calculate the optimal gains where a candidate time-domain-based objective function has been adopted to minimize both maximum overshooting and settling time. The optimal gains obtained by MPA have been compared with the other optimal gains obtained from existing optimization algorithms. The results of the simulation prove that an MPA-based fuzzy logic incremental conductance MPPTC has a superior harvesting characteristic with more than 98.8% of average power.