Comparative Analysis of PSO techniques applied in a Single-Phase Grid-Tied PV System

Due to the nonlinearities present in the PV array characteristic curves (current versus voltage and power versus voltage), it is mandatory the use of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) to ensure the maximum PV array power has been extracted. Furthermore, when the PV array is subjected to partial shading conditions, the MPPT algorithms must deal with problems associated with global and local maximum powers. Therefore, to deal with partial shading problems, this paper presents a comparative analysis between the particle swarm optimization technique and its variations, such as PSO Classic (PSO 1), PSO Non-linear (PSO 2) and PSO Improved-Chaos (PSO 3). By simulation results the PSO techniques are evaluated to each other taking into account the time to reach the global maximum power, the extracted PV array power, as well as the power oscillation in steady-state.