Novel Current Sensor-less MPPT Algorithm for Solar Applications

Abstract

This thesis presents a novel Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) technique for photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. The proposed method eliminates the need for current sensing by injecting high-frequency perturbations and monitoring the behavior of the system. The method takes advantage of the increase in the non-linearity of the I-V curve of the solar panel in order to find the maximum power point (MPP). Current sensors are a costly component in the design of a power converter. They also require a signal conditioning circuitry to reduce the noise and prepare the signal to be sampled and used by the controller. This elimination can reduce the cost of MPPT circuitry. The proposed method also shows a very fast tracking response due to the use of high-frequency signals instead of relying on low frequency and DC signals which are used in the traditional methods. Numerical analysis, simulation results, and experimental results verify the feasibility of the proposed technique.An FPGA controlled converter is designed for the experimental implementation of this technique.The board is designed to be expandable and versatile in order to be used as a development board for power electronics applications.