Enhanced Energy Output From a PV System Under Partial Shaded Conditions Through Artificial Bee Colony

For the maximum utilization of solar energy, photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems are operated at the maximum power point (MPP) under varying atmospheric conditions, andMPP tracking (MPPT) is generally achieved using several conventional methods. However, when partial shading occurs in a PV system, the resultant power-voltage (P-V) curve exhibits multiple peaks and traditional methods that need not guarantee convergence to true MPP always. This paper proposes an artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm for global MPP (GMPP) tracking under conditions of in-homogenous insolation. The formulation of the problem, application of the ABC algorithm, and the results are analyzed in this paper. The numerical simulations carried out on two different PV configurations under different shading patterns strongly suggest that the proposed method is far superior to existing MPPT alternatives. Experimental results are also provided to validate the new dispensation.