Photovoltaic array modelling with P&O MPPT algorithm in MATLAB

Photovoltaic (PV) arrays are used in many terrestrial applications. It exhibits a non-linear i-v characteristic which electrical energy production is depending on typical conditions such as solar irradiance and temperature. For best utilizations, the PV arrays must be operated at their maximum power point (MPP) via good implementation of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm technique. It is important to be aware that the MPP varies with respect to the characteristic of PV arrays in various conditions as mentioned above. Thereby, a detailed simulation model of PV array by employing the most popular MPPT algorithm of Perturb & Observe (P&O) has been developed in MATLAB. This model allows characterizing the PV array in terms of different temperature and irradiance as variable parameters. The parameters´ variations under Malaysian conditions are also being considered. The outputs of the model are i-v and p-v characteristics as well as the voltage, current and power at MPP of the PV array are simulated from MATLAB script file. The simulation results will be presented and analyzed in this paper.