A hybrid solar panel maximum power point search method that uses light and temperature sensors in real shading conditions

Abstract

Solar panels are common renewable energy sources. They generate electrical energy directly from the solar energy but have low efficiency and non-linear characteristics. To decrease the power loss solar panels are connected to special devices called maximum power point (MPP) trackers. When the surface of the solar panel is illuminated irregularly in the power voltage curve can be observe the appearance of the local maximum power points that are different from the global maximum power point. In the partial shading condition the regular trackers can track the local maximum power point. The presented method use the light and temperature measurement to determine the global maximum power point. The simulation results prove correctness of proposed method in real shading conditions. The proposed algorithm has high tracking speed and does not depend of used solar panels, and by that can be used in any solar system.