Combining dynamic adaptive snake algorithm with perturbation and observation for MPPT in PV systems under shading conditions

Photovoltaic (PV) systems play an increasingly vital role in the global new energy landscape. However, when PV arrays are affected by partial shading, their power-voltage (P-U) characteristic curves exhibit dynamic multi-peak features, posing challenges to traditional Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) techniques, including slow convergence speed, low tracking efficiency, and oscillations around the Maximum Power Point (MPP), leading to unnecessary power losses. Therefore, this study proposes a dual-layer control MPPT technology that integrates dynamic adaptive snake optimization algorithm with variable step perturbation and observation (ISO-IP&O) to address the MPP extraction problem of PV systems under complex weather conditions. This study compares and analyzes the proposed ISO-IP&O controller with current renowned MPPT techniques, including Grey Wolf Optimization combined with P&O (GWO-P&O), Improved Squirrel Search Algorithm (ISSA), Original Snake Optimization (SO), Horse Herd Optimization (HHO), and Adaptive Factor Selection Multi-Swarm Particle Swarm Optimization (FMSPSO), validating the effectiveness of the proposed ISO-IP&O controller. Simulation results demonstrate that the ISO-IP&O technology achieves an average tracking efficiency of 99.91 % under various shading conditions, with an average convergence speed of only 0.07 seconds. Compared with other existing methods, the ISO-IP&O technology exhibits superior performance in terms of GMPP tracking speed, maximum power tracking efficiency, and stability. Experimental validation on the HIL+RCP physical experimental platform shows that under eight partial shading conditions(PSC), the proposed method still achieves the highest average tracking efficiency of 99.68 %, with the fastest average tracking speed of 0.66 seconds. The ISO-IP&O controller achieves rapid, robust, and efficient GMPP tracking under various complex shading conditions, contributing to the enhancement of PV system performance.