Automatic maximum power point tracker for solar PV modules using dSPACE software

Maximization of power from a solar photovoltaic (SPV) module is of special interest as the efficiency of the SPV module is very low. The presentwork describes the maximum power point tracker (MPPT) for the SPV module connected at variable load conditions. A personal computer (PC) is used for control of the MPPT algorithm. The power tracker is developed and tested successfully in the laboratory. The simulations are carried out in Matlab/Simulink. Data acquisition, monitoring, and control are done by the dSPACE software. Different types of algorithms are studied. The algorithm implemented here is "perturb and observe" in a microcontroller-based PC to extract maximum power from the SPV module. The measured parameters such as panel voltage, current, and power are obtained with and without MPPT systems and have been tested on the SPV Module at various load conditions, different temperatures and insolation labels. The comparative results with and without MPPT are shown; the results show that the tracking capability with MPPT improves as compared with without MPPT.