Simulation and Performance Evaluation of P&O MPPT Algorithm for Off-Grid and Grid- Connected Solar PV Applications

Abstract

This paper presents the simulation & performance evaluation of MPPT charge controller for standalone lead acid systems and photovoltaic grid connected system using P&O MPPT technique. The human activities contribute to global temperature rise, leading countries to reduce fossil fuel use. The world faces depleting non-renewable energy sources and rising costs, causing economic instability. Governments are exploring alternative energy source, the solar power can be one of the fastest growing and most promising. The solar power can be used as On-grid applications and Off-grid applications. The Off-grid applications are standalone systems. For standalone system a buck converter is used for charge control with the P&O MPPT algorithm tracking the PV panel’s maximum power. The charge controller employs a 3-stage charging strategy. The overall charge controller efficiency reaches 98%, matching the commercial MPPT controllers. The On-grid applications means the PV power is directly integrated to the grid using power electronic converters and step-up transformer. This study evaluates the MPPT algorithm performance.