Design and Implementation of an Improved Metaheuristic Algorithm for Maximum Power Point Tracking Algorithm Based on a PV Emulator and a Double-Stage Grid-Connected System

Abstract

This research article proposes the optimization of a grid-connected photovoltaic system based on the PV emulator (PVE), the Boost converter, and a single-phase full-bridge inverter. The main objective is to track and extract the highest amount of power from the PV system working under variable solar irradiation while reducing losses and time response in each stage of the converter. As none, the main flaw of the classical maximum power point tracking algorithm (MPPT) is its performance. The control law design is based on a PI controller in the PVE, a meta heuristic whale optimization algorithm (WOA) in the MPPT, and a reduced switching finite set model predictive control (RS-FS-MPC) for the single-phase full-bridge inverter. The proposed control techniques inherit the property of robustness and successfully deal with the nonlinear behavior of the system. The performance validation and effectiveness of the proposed control techniques is supported by MATLAB/SIMULINK simulations and is also verified experimentally on various systems carried out under varying solar irradiation.