Ajay Patel, Vikas Kumar, Yogendra Kumar / International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications (IJERA) ISSN: 2248-9622 www.ijera.com Vol. 3, Issue 2, March -April 2013, pp.1204-1209 1204 | P a g e Golden Section Search Optimization Technique For Maximum Power Point Tracking Ajay Patel*, Vikas Kumar**, Yogendra Kumar*** * (Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, OIST College, RGPV University, Bhopal-462021) ** (Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, OIST College, RGPV University, Bhopal-462021) *** (Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, MANIT University, Bhopal-462051) ABSTRACT The performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) array is affected in conditions like Array tilt (optimum = latitude), Array tracking (1-axis, 2- axis), Array azimuth/orientation (optimum = 180o or South), Array temperature, Array “soiling” (dust/dirt, snow, foreign matter etc.), Array shading (trees, clouds, buildings, chimneys, dormers, utility and telephone poles etc.), Array configuration, Array age, solar insolation . If large PV installations exist then these factors affects considerably. In partial shading condition, the PV characteristics get more complex with multiple peaks. Yet, it is essential to understand and predict them to yield the maximum possible power. Present work illustrates a MATLAB-based M file programming scheme suitable for monitoring the I–V and P–V characteristics of a PV array under a nonuniform insolation due to partial shading condition for different configuration (modules in series-parallel)of solar PV. It is used for developing and evaluating new maximum power point tracking techniques, especially for partially shaded conditions. Keywords - Maximum power point (MPP), maximum power point tracking (MPPT), golden section search (GSS), photovoltaic (PV) I. INTRODUCTION The non-renewable energy sources like oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear etc. are sinking fast and the price of energy is increasing. Renewable energy resources will be an even more vital part of power production in the new millennium [1]. The renewable energy sources like wind, solar, biomass, water, geothermal etc. become an alternate for energy. With erupt in the use of non-conventional energy sources, photovoltaic (PV) setting up are being more and more employed in numerous application systems [2]. Sun is the eventual sources for photovoltaic energy. Photovoltaic technology is engaged for directly converting solar energy to DC electrical energy. With the help of an inverter DC power is converted to AC power. The generated electricity can be utilized for different applications directly or through battery storage system. It has many merits such as little maintenance, cleanness, unlimited resource and no noise. A most important test in using a PV source is to take on its nonlinear output characteristics, which differ with atmospheric temperature and solar irradiation [2][4][9][10]. When a classic city home is prepared with a PV power generation system, the PV modules are usually installed on the roof. In addition to shadows formed by clouds, those created by adjoining homes, trees, utility and/or telephone poles, and power line cables sometimes incompletely cover these PV modules [6]. The characteristics get more multifarious if the complete array does not get uniform insolation, as in partially shaded (cloudy) conditions, resulting in many peaks. The attendance of many peaks reduces the effectiveness of the existing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) scheme due to their inability to distinguish between the local and global peaks [5][11]. It is not simply the size of the PV array but also its prototype (i.e., the number of modules in series and parallel) that substantially have an effect on its power output and the performance of the system. Therefore, in PV generation system a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control to take out maximum power from the PV arrays at actual time becomes indispensable. In recent years, for tracking the maximum power point (MPP) a large number of techniques have been planned. Incremental conductance, perturbation and observation (P&O) and hill climbing, ripple correlation, etc. methods are widely functional in the MPPT controllers due to their simplicity, fast response and easy implementation. Several MPPT algorithms have been anticipated from time-to-time [3]. MPPT of a photovoltaic array is essential part of a PV system. The method vary in cost, sensors required, complexity, range of effectiveness, convergence speed, implementation hardware, popularity, and in other respects [8]. It seems very hard to decide which technique among them is the best one. However, the Golden Section