Comparative study of three Maximum Power Point Tracking algorithms for photovoltaic modules

This paper presents simulation of a photovoltaic panel connected to a load through a boost converter. Due to the nonlinear characteristics of the PV panel and in order to increase its performance, reduce cost of the application and improve the efficiency of the photovoltaic system, maximum power point tracking algorithm is necessary. We present also an implementation of three maximum power point tracking algorithms: Perturb and Observe (P&O), Incremental Conductance (INC-COND) and Fractional Open Circuit Voltage (FOCV) which are widely studied and used in many researches papers. Experimental and simulation results are obtained using Matlab/Simulink software. The results show the efficiency of these MPPT algorithms in tracking the maximum power and its faster response to adapt to the change in irradiation condition.