Implementation of a fuzzy logic based perturb and observe approach for maximum power point tracking of solar PV modules

The conversion of solar energy into electrical energy is being increasingly encouraged and adopted for various applications. However the power output of solar photovoltaic modules is dependent on the load in addition to the environmental factors like radiation and temperature. It is thus essential to track the maximum power point on the non-linear I-V curve of a module to extract maximum possible energy for a given radiation level. There are many algorithms to track the same however each one of them possesses relative advantages and disadvantages over one another. The perturb and observe algorithm is the simplest method to track the maximum power point however it has drawbacks of limited tunability. This work proposes and implements a fuzzy rule based adaptive version of the perturb and observe algorithm. The fuzzy logic based technique provides fast time response, more stability, and less overshoot. The adaptive approach has been implemented on a Texas Instruments digital signal processor model 28335. The setup is a part of a DC-DC boost converter and has been tested on a solar photovoltaic emulator and the results obtained show encouraging prospects for possible field usage.