Metaheuristic Maximum Power Point Tracking for PV systems under Partial Shading Conditions

In this research paper, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) using the moth-flame optimization (MFO) algorithm for photovoltaic (PV) modules is proposed. Extracting the maximum power from the PV modules is of paramount importance to achieve higher efficiency. Conventional MPPT techniques offer satisfactory results under uniform solar irradiation distribution in the PV modules since there is only one peak in the output power-voltage characteristics of the PV modules. However, these methods are inefficient under partial shading circumstances resulting in several peaks in the output characteristics. The conventional techniques can fall into local maxima entrapment. To solve this issue, a moth-flame optimization is proposed to track the global maximum of the MPPT output curve. Simulations are carried out to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed approach compared with the traditional Perturb and Observe (PandO) and metaheuristic particle swarm optimization (PSO) methods. The results of the simulations support the superiority of the MFO-based MPPT control technique.