Maximum power point tracking methodologies for solar PV systems - A review

Owing to the rapid developments in the semiconductor and power electronics techniques, Photovoltaic energy is one of the interest area of concern in electrical power applications. Similarly, photovoltaic energy is clean, easily accessible, pollution-free and inexhaustible. It is normally important to operate the photovoltaic energy conversion systems closer to the maximum power point, to perk-up the output efficiency of the photovoltaic arrays. This paper elaborates the illustration and operating principles of twenty-seven state-of-the-art Maximum Power Point Tracking techniques that are prevalent in the photovoltaic systems. The selection of the photovoltaic system is dependent on diverse factors like cost, efficiency, complexity, technology and array dependency. Therefore, to come out with the design of a resourceful system, various aspects of different Maximum Power Point Tracking techniques have to be considered. An expressive comparative chart has been entailed at the end of this paper, which in future, will serve as a valuable reference to the photovoltaic system engineers.