Rapid control prototyping for photovoltaic MPPT algorithms. (English)

Since the beginning of the war in Syria, most of the electricity infrastructure has been destroyed, leaving millions with unreliable energy. In such regions vulnerable to energy insecurity, an alternative means of electricity production is needed with solar energy providing an attractive option. However, the lack of expertise in solar energy conversion and the high cost of smart technology in the region has meant that people have typically used photovoltaic systems in ways that undermine the efficiency of solar energy conversion. This study aimed to develop an inexpensive, easy-to-implement, yet highly efficient and high performing solution to the problem, with the STMicroelectronics 32-bit ARM, as a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller, offering a potential solution in stand-alone solar systems. It explored rapid control prototyping tools in terms of time and effort with the implementation process of the proposed systems. We used a Matlab-Simulink and STMicrelectronics-32 bit ARM board simulation and practical test set up to evaluate the performance of Perturbation & Observation, Incremental Conductance, and Fuzzy Logic MPPT algorithms to determine the most appropriate algorithm to use in small scale solar energy systems. The results indicate that the fuzzy logic algorithm draws more energy, decreases oscillation and provides a fast response under variable weather conditions.