A new discrete-in-time extremum seeking based technique for maximum power point tracking of photovoltaic systems

This work proposes a novel discrete-in-time extremum seeking based technique for maximum power point tracking of photovoltaic systems. The proposed method operates without any knowledge of the power-current characteristic of the utilized photovoltaic panel. This paper first formulates the maximum power point tracking problem for a general power converter connected to a typical solar panel. Then it introduces the proposed tracker algorithm and explains its operation in detail. Finally, it offers simulation results based on application of the proposed method to a boost converter connected to a BP365 solar panel to verify the theoretical results.