Hardware Testing of the Effect of MPPT on the Performance of Photovoltaic Panels

Solar energy finds its application mainly in the form of thermal energy and electrical energy. Solar concentrator systems use thermal energy whereas electrical energy is obtained from solar photovoltaics. In comparison to the conventional method of using fossil fuels for electricity generation, photovoltaic is a clean and efficient way of generating electricity. Studies show that the conversion efficiency of PV modules decreases due to several factors like the presence of dust, insufficient irradiance and various other weather conditions. The system performs better only if the point of operation is always the maximum point under all environmental factors. MPPT trackers are used to track the knee point and help in load matching in order to ensure efficient utilization of the PV module. In this paper, MATLAB/Simulation of a PV system is done connected with a Boost converter and MPPT controller. The system is compared with Perturb and Observance Controller and the direct method found that efficiency increases by using maximum power point tracking. The efficiency of the PV system by using an MPPT controller is found to be 95% under standard operating conditions by using simulation and by testing with hardware, it was found to be 98% under maximum irradiance conditions.