ISA Transactions ∎ (∎∎∎∎) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

ISA Transactions
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/isatrans

Simulation and experimental design of a new advanced variable step

size Incremental Conductance MPPT algorithm for PV systems
Abdelhamid Loukriz a, Mourad Haddadi a, Sabir Messalti b
a
Department of Electrical Engineering, High School Polytechnic ENP, Algeria
b
Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of Technology, Msila University, 28000 Msila, Algeria

art ic l e i nf o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Improvement of the efficiency of photovoltaic system based on new maximum power point tracking
Received 20 March 2015 (MPPT) algorithms is the most promising solution due to its low cost and its easy implementation
Received in revised form without equipment updating. Many MPPT methods with fixed step size have been developed. However,
4 August 2015
when atmospheric conditions change rapidly , the performance of conventional algorithms is reduced. In
Accepted 15 August 2015
this paper, a new variable step size Incremental Conductance IC MPPT algorithm has been proposed.
This paper was recommended for publica-
tion by Jeff Pieper. Modeling and simulation of different operational conditions of conventional Incremental Conductance IC
and proposed methods are presented. The proposed method was developed and tested successfully on a
photovoltaic system based on Flyback converter and control circuit using dsPIC30F4011. Both, simulation
Keywords: and experimental design are provided in several aspects. A comparative study between the proposed
Flyback converter
variable step size and fixed step size IC MPPT method under similar operating conditions is presented.
Dspic30f4011 control circuit
The obtained results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed MPPT algorithm in terms of speed in
MPPT experimental design
Modified incremental conductance MPPT MPP tracking and accuracy.
algorithm & 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Variable step size MPPT algorithm

1. Introduction source of energy in many applications [1,2,7–9]. Solar energy can

be employed in two major methods. Firstly, the captured heat can
Recently, the increasing energy demand has been growing dra- be used as solar thermal energy, with applications in space heat-
matically and improved standards of living will likely put added ing. The second technique converts the incident solar irradiation
pressure on energy supplies, rotating outages, and increasing fossil into electrical energy, which is the most usable form of energy
fuels prices which have motivated many utilities and consumers to [2–10]. Photovoltaic (PV) is currently envisaged to be one of the
developing and harnessing new forms of energy sources that are most popular renewable energies due to its several advantages. It
highly reliable. In this context, renewable energy is the form that is is a simple, clean, noiseless, low operational and maintenance cost
produced through resources which naturally replenish themselves and environmentally benign [1–2,7]. However, it still presents
over a short period of time by natural processes such as sunlight, some drawbacks compared to conventional energy resources
wind, rain, wave power, flowing water and geothermal heat, ocean especially its high fabrication cost, low energy conversion effi-
energy, hydrogen and fuel cells [1–3]. ciency, and nonlinear characteristics. Therefore, the energy har-
Renewable energy is considered not only as a source of energy, vesting at maximum efficiency is not simple enough [1–2,7].
but also as a promising solution to many problems such as energy PV systems can be classified into three types: autonomous,
security, CO2 emissions, creating jobs and reducing poverty, elec- grid-connected and hybrid. The autonomous systems are com-
tricity costs [4–6] etc. Therefore, these sources have become the pletely independent of other power sources. The common appli-
subject of advanced research for extracting power with high cations for this system are water pumps, power remote homes,
reliability, lower cost and increased energy efficiency. cottages or lodges. However, in most cases, autonomous systems
Power generation from solar energy is one of the most pro- require batteries for storage. The second category is the grid-
mising renewable energies that attract the attention of research- connected systems [2,11]; that are used to reduce the consump-
ers, which is clean, renewable, inexhaustible, free and abundant in tion from the electricity grid and, in some instances to feed the
the most parts of the world, and it has proven to be an economical surplus energy back into the grid. This system can produce sign-
ificant quantities of high-grade energy near the consumption
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (A. Loukriz), point, avoiding transmission and distribution losses. In addition,
[email protected] (S. Messalti). DC/AC converters are required by which many topologies and

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isatra.2015.08.006
0019-0578/& 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article as: Loukriz A, et al. Simulation and experimental design of a new advanced variable step size Incremental
Conductance MPPT algorithm for PV systems. ISA Transactions (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isatra.2015.08.006i
2 A. Loukriz et al. / ISA Transactions ∎ (∎∎∎∎) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎

control strategies have been developed and improved con- A large number of variable step size Incremental Conductance
tinuously [2,12,13]. MPPT algorithm with direct control have been proposed and
The third category is the hybrid systems [2,14], in which a investigated [8,15,21,32–35], in which the step size is auto-
portion of their power is received from one or more additional matically adjusted according to the first derivative of power with
sources. This system is selected for high energy demand. respect to voltage (dP/dV), to current (dP/dI) or (dP/dD) [8,15,21,
To optimize the efficiency of large photovoltaic modules; maxi- 22,32]. The variable step size Incremental Conductance MPPT
mum power point tracker algorithm (MPPT) is required. In this algorithms are mostly similar to the conventional incremental
context, a large number of MPPT methods have been developed conductance and the only difference is the step size calculation, a
and improved [1,2,15–22]. These techniques vary in complexity, constant value N is often multiplied with the derivative (dP/dV, dP/
accuracy, speed, oscillation around the MPP, hardware imple- dI,dP/dD).
mentation sensor requirement, [1,13].The widely used MPPT Tey and Makhilef [8] introduced new tracking steps to identify
techniques are the perturbation and observation (P&O) algorithm the changes in solar irradiation level using the variations in cur-
[23–25], Incremental Conductance (IC) method [2,16,20] and Hill rent (dI) and voltage (dV) of the PV module instead of the slope
Climbing (HC) [26,27]. For faster speed and more accuracy, MPPT (dP/dV) of the P–V curve. Liu et al. [22], Ishaque et al. [28],
controllers using particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic Abdourraziq et al. [33] and Rahman et al. [34], proposed new
algorithms have been proposed [28]. Moreover, fuzzy and neural- variable step size IC MPPT, in which, the fixed step size is multi-
network methods are well adopted for handling nonlinearity in plied with the slope of the P–V curve.
many applications [29–31]. Despite these methods have a good In Ref. [21], Pandey et al. used the derivative (dP/dD) as the
performance in dealing with the nonlinear characteristics of the variable step size, the scaling factor is tuned at design time to
I–V curves, they require extensive computation the versatility of adjust the step size, which is proportional to dP/dV term.
these methods is limited [22,28]. In Ref. [16], Qiang et al. used the derivative of power to current
The perturbation and observation P&O, Incremental Con- (dP/dI) to determine the variable increment for the IC MPPT
ductance (IC) and Hill Climbing (HC) methods based on fixed algorithm. Comparison of common variable step size Incremental
iteration step size are simple and have good performances. How- Conductance MPPT with direct control is summarized in Table. 1.
ever, they are characterized by slow convergence; oscillations in In addition, to improve the efficiency of PV systems, many DC/DC
the PV power around the MPP, operation fail under rapidly chan- converters have been used in PV systems, Flyback converter is one of
ging atmospheric conditions, using small perturbation step size, the most common topologies considered for PV modules since it is an
oscillation can be reduced, but the speed of tracking MPPs remains isolated power converter through transformer and it provides a simple
slower. To acquire a fast response speed and to overcome the topology, low cost, reduced number of semiconductor switches,
aforementioned drawbacks, a modified MPPT algorithms with operates over wide range of input voltage variation, and is capable of
variable step size have been the subject of many investigations achieving the optimal operation regardless of the load value [36,37].
[2,7,17], in which the step size is automatically adapted according In this paper, a new variable step size Incremental Conductance
to the derivative of power to voltage (dP/dV ) of a PV panel. MPPT algorithm with direct control has been proposed. Modeling and
In general, the conventional IC MPPT algorithm uses a fixed analysis of different operational conditions of Incremental Con-
step size to track the maximum power point (MPP). Thus the ductance method have been presented. The proposed variable step
tracking speed and accuracy are highly dependent on the fixed size and fixed step size IC MPPT methods are tested and validated
step size. The extracted power from the PV array using a large step using Matlab/Simulink model and experimental prototype MPPT sys-
size contributes to faster dynamics, but increases the losses in tem was developed, using Flyback converter, which is controlled by
steady state due to large perturbations around the MPP, using control circuit based on Dspic30F4011. The different aspects of the
small perturbation step size, oscillation can be reduced, but the system and parameters have been implemented. A comparative study
tracking speed stays slower. Thus, depending on each operational between the proposed variable step size and fixed step size IC MPPT
condition, the corresponding design should satisfactorily address method under similar operating conditions is presented. Many effi-
the tradeoff between the dynamics and steady state oscillations as ciency parameters have been suggested: tracking accuracy, response
shown in Fig.1.Thereby, and in order to operate the PV system time, ripple, and duty cycle oscillations.
according to a suitable performance, a new MPPT methods based
on variable step size have been developed [1,2,7].
2. Modeling of photovoltaic cell

Variable step size In 1839, French scientist Edmund Becquerel discovered that certain
materials would give off a spark of electricity when struck with sun-
Fixed step size light. The effciency of solar cells depends on many factors, such as the
solar irradiation, the temperature, the spectral characteristics of sun-
light, shaded condition, the dirt, and the output voltage of the PV
module, etc. The simplest equivalent PV panel can be modeled as a
current source in parallel with a diode, shunt resistance Rsh and a
series resistance Rs as shown in Fig. 2. To increase the output power of
the system, PV modules are generally made up using several PV cells
connected in series and/or in parallel.
Based on Fig. 2 the output current of the solar cell can be given
by:
Io = Iph − Id − Ish (1)

where:
Iph is the current generated by the incident light (it is directly
Fig. 1. Fixed and variable step size MPPT operation. proportional to the Sun irradiation),

Please cite this article as: Loukriz A, et al. Simulation and experimental design of a new advanced variable step size Incremental
Conductance MPPT algorithm for PV systems. ISA Transactions (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isatra.2015.08.006i
 A. Loukriz et al. / ISA Transactions ∎ (∎∎∎∎) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎ 3

Table 1
Comparison of common variable step size Incremental Conductance MPPT with direct control.

Ref Authors Publication Variable step DC/DC Controller Notes

year converter implementation

[22] Liu et al. 2008 dP Push–pull TMS320LF2407 DSP Good dynamic performance
D (k ) = D (k − 1) ± N *
dV converter Medium tracking rapidity
No steady state oscillation
High Overshoot
Scaling factor N is calculated
[16] Mei et al. 2011 C = P n* dP /dI Boost C515C microcontroller Good dynamic performance
converter No steady state oscillation
High Overshoot
Medium tracking rapidity
[35] Ahmed Emad et 2011 dV V Boost TMS320F2808 high steady state oscillation
D (n) = D (n − 1) + M*e (n) e = +
al. dI I converter high Overshoot
scaling factors M is chosen, it cannot be
changed in the tracking process
[34] Rahman et al. 2013 dP Buck converter PIC18F4520 Multiple value of N
step = N *
dV Too slow
high steady state oscillation ,therefore the
available maximum power has been
reduced
[8] Tey and Mekhilef 2014 dP SEPIC Microchip PIC18F4520 Good dynamic performance
step = N *abs ( )
dV converter No steady state oscillation,
Important Overshoot
[33] Abdourraziq et al. 2014 D (n) = D (n − 1) ± N *
dP Boost Only simulation High Response time
dV converter High Ripple
Important Overshoot
Proposed 2015 dP Flyback dsPIC30F4011 Good tracking rapidity
D (k ) = D (k − 1) ± N *
dV − dI converter Good accuracy
No steady state oscillation
No Overshoot
Less duty cycle oscillations Scaling factor N
is adjusted manually

The generated photocurrent Iph is related to the solar irradia-

tion by the following equation:
G
Iph =
1000
( Isc + ki (T − Tr ) ) (3)

where:
Isc is the cell short circuit current at reference temperature and
irradiation;
ki is the short-circuit current temperature coefficient ;
Tr is the cell reference temperature;
G is the solar irradiation in W/m2.
Fig. 2. Simplified equivalent circuit of a photovoltaic cell [1and 2]. Moreover, the cell reverse saturation current is computed from:

⎡ T ⎤3 ⎛ q. EG ⎛ 1 1 ⎞⎞
Irs = Irr ⎢ ⎥ exp ⎜ ⎜ − ⎟⎟
Id is the current through the diode, ⎣ Tr ⎦ ⎝ k. A ⎝ Tr T ⎠⎠ (4)
Ish is the current through the parallel resistor Rsh,
where:
The output current of a PV array is given by following equation:
Irr : Reverse saturation current at Tr ,
⎡ q (V + Rs Io ) ⎤ EG : Band-gap energy of the semiconductor used in the cell,
q (V + Rs Io )
I0 = Np Iph − Np Irs ⎢ e AkTNs − 1⎥ − Np Io Tr : cell reference temperature,
⎣ ⎦ Ns Rsh
Fig. 3 shows the P–V characteristics and I–V characteristics of
⎡ ⎛ q ( v + R S . Io ) ⎞ ⎤ ⎛ q ( v + RS Io ) ⎞ the PV cell which are given from a typical PV panel Solarex MSX-
⎢ ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎥
= Np Iph − Np Irs ⎢ e⎝ A . k . T . NS ⎠ − 1⎥ − Np ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ 60 formed by 36 solar cells. The electrical parameters are listed in
⎣ ⎦ ⎝ NS . RSh ⎠
(2) Table 2.

where:
Io is the PV array output current; 3. Conventional Incremental Conductance algorithm
Irs is the cell reverse saturation current;
k is the Boltzmann constant; Interest of photovoltaic energy in electrical power applications
T is the temperature in degrees Kelvin, has greatly increased. However, it still has relatively low conver-
V is the PV module output voltage, sion efficiency. Therefore, efficiency improvement can be done
Ns and Np are the number of PV cells connected in series and in using high efficiency power trackers which are designed to extract
parallel respectively, the maximum possible power from the PV system (maximum
q is the electron charge, power point tracking MPPT), the PV system with MPPT is shown in
A is the p–n junction ideality factor. Fig.4. Many MPPT techniques have been proposed, the Incremental

Please cite this article as: Loukriz A, et al. Simulation and experimental design of a new advanced variable step size Incremental
Conductance MPPT algorithm for PV systems. ISA Transactions (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isatra.2015.08.006i
4 A. Loukriz et al. / ISA Transactions ∎ (∎∎∎∎) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎

Conductance method is often considered, due to its high perfor-

80
200 W/m 2 mances such as easy implementation, high tracking speed and
400 W/m 2
70
600 W/m 2
better efficiency. This method focuses directly on power variations
800 W/m 2 in which the conductance and the incremental conductance of the
60 1000 W/m 2 PV panel are calculated instantaneously, increasing on the left of
the MPP and decreasing on the right hand side of MPP. The
Output Power (w)

50
maximum power point (MPP) is obtained when the derivative of
40 PV power by the voltage (dP/dV) is zero. The basic equations of this
method are as follows:
30
dP
20 =0
dV (5)
10
Eq. (5) can be rewritten as:
0 dP d (IV ) d (I )
0 5 10 15 20 25 = =I+V =0
Voltage(V) dV dV dV (6)

dI I
= − at MPP
5
200 W/m2 dV V (7)
4.5 400 W/m2
600 W/m2 dI I
4 800 W/m2 >− at left of MPP
dV V (8)
3.5 1000 W/m2

3 dI I
Current (A)

<− at right of MPP

2.5 dV V (9)
2 The flowchart of the Incremental Conductance method is illu-
1.5 strated in Fig.5.
1

0.5
4. Proposed Variable Step Size IC MPPT algorithm
0
0 5 10 15 20 25
Voltage(V) As mentioned above, the conventional MPPT methods based on
fixed step size has a good performance. However, they are character-
Fig. 3. PV and IV characteristics under various insolation levels. (a): P–V char-
acteristics. (b): I–V characteristics. ized by slow convergence; oscillations in the PV power around the
MPP, operation fail under rapidly changing atmospheric conditions
Table 2
and they can get lost and track the MPP in the wrong direction during
Electrical characteristics of Solarex MSX -60 (1 kW/m², 25 °C). rapidly changing atmospheric conditions. Speedy tracking can be
achieved with larger step size but excessive steady state oscillations
Description MSX-60 are unavoidable, smaller step size can reduces the oscillations with
Maximum power (Pm) 60 W
slower dynamics. Solving these dilemmas, many contributions have
Voltage Pmax (Vm) 17.1 V been introduced using variable step size and significant progress has
Current at Pmax (Im) 3.5 A been made, where the algorithm changes the step size automatically
Short circuit current (Isc) 3.8 A according to the PV array characteristics [1,2,18,26]; depending on
Open circuit voltage (Voc) 21.1
Temperature coeff. of Voc (80 710) mV/°C
each operational condition, step size should make a satisfactory tra-
Temperature coeff. of Isc (0.0657 0.01)% °C deoff between the dynamics and oscillations. Therefore, from the basic
Temperature coeff. of power ( 0.5 7 0.05)% °C principle of MPPT, this paper proposes a new variable step size IC
Nominal operating cell temperature NOCT2 477 2 °C MPPT algorithm, which it is characterized by more simplicity, faster
response time and less oscillations. The flowchart of variable step size
IC MPPT algorithm is shown in Fig. 6.
The variable step size method proposed is given as follows:

dP
D (k ) = D (k − 1) ± N*
dV − dI (10)

where D(k) and D(k 1) are the converter duty cycle at the instant
(k) and the converter duty cycle at the previous instant (k 1). N is
the scaling factor adjusted at the sampling period to regulate the
step size, which is manually adjusted.
dI, dV and dP are the PV array output current derivate, voltage
derivate and power derivate respectively. They can be formulated
by:
dI (k ) = I (k ) − I (k − 1) (11)

Fig. 4. General block diagram of PV system with MPPT. dV (k ) = V (k ) − V (k − 1) (12)

Please cite this article as: Loukriz A, et al. Simulation and experimental design of a new advanced variable step size Incremental
Conductance MPPT algorithm for PV systems. ISA Transactions (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isatra.2015.08.006i
 A. Loukriz et al. / ISA Transactions ∎ (∎∎∎∎) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎ 5

Fig. 5. Flowchart of the conventional IC MPPT algorithm.

Fig. 6. Flowchart of the variable step size IC MPPT algorithm.

Please cite this article as: Loukriz A, et al. Simulation and experimental design of a new advanced variable step size Incremental
Conductance MPPT algorithm for PV systems. ISA Transactions (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isatra.2015.08.006i
6 A. Loukriz et al. / ISA Transactions ∎ (∎∎∎∎) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎

70 Table 3
(V,P) Principle of proposed variable step size IC MPPT method.
MPP
(V,DP/(DV-DI)
60
Left MPP At MPP Right MPP
A B C D
50 Variable step Far the Near the Near the Far the
size MPP MPP MPP MPP
P , DP/(DV-DI)

40 dP Large step Small step 0 Small step Large step

N*
dV − dI size

30

20 Fixed Step
250 Variable Step

10
200
0
0 5 10 15 20

power(w)
150
Voltage(V)

Fig. 7. P–V and (dp/dv di)–V characteristics.

100

50
10 (V,DP/(DV-DI))
(V,I)
0
0,0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1,0
8
Time(s)
I, DP/(DV-DI)

6 Fig. 9. PV array output power with variable step size and fixed step size IC MPPT
methods.

4 is updated every 0.001 s, the fixed step size is chosen to be 0.005,

the scaling factor N is adjusted as 0.001.
2 Five improvements have been demonstrated such as tracking
accuracy, response time, duty cycle oscillations and ripple. The
output power performance of variable step size and fixed step size
0
0 5 10 15 20
IC MPPT method under insolation step change conditions are
Voltage (V)
shown in the following figures:

Fig. 8. I–V and (dp/dv di)–V characteristics.

5.1. MPPT tracking

Fig. 9 shows maximum power point tracking variable step size

and fixed step size IC MPPT methods corresponding to the input
dP (k ) = P (k ) − P (k − 1) (13)
irradiation levels (1000, 700 and 500 W/m) , where we can see
where: that both the MPPT algorithms discussed in this paper have con-
I(k), V(k) and P(k) are the PV array output current, voltage and siderable accuracy. The power values given by the proposed vari-
power at the instant (k) able step size and fixed step size IC MPPT methods are very close
I(k 1), V(k 1) and P(k 1) are the PV array output current, to the theortical value corresponding to irradiation levels.
voltage and power at the instant (k 1)
P–V and (dp/dv di)–V characteristics and I–V and (dp/dv di)– 5.2. Response time
V characteristics are shown in Fig.7 and Fig. 8 respectively.
We can see from Fig. 7, that the duty cycle in variable step size The maximum power point tracking comparison between
MPPT method becomes dynamic (large step size in the far left and variable step size and fixed step size IC MPPT methods is shown in
far right of MPP, however very small step size near the MPP and Fig. 10, the proposed algorithm shows a significant improvement
equal to zero at MPP). The basic principle of the proposed variable in the response time. The energy lost can be reduced with variable
step size is illustrated in Table. 3: step size IC MPPT method.
From Figs. 11 and 12, where PV array output power due to
sudden increase and decrease in irradiation is shown. It can be
5. Simulation results observed that the response time with variable step size IC MPPT
algorithm are obviously better than this with fixed step size IC
To illustrate the efficiency of the proposed variable step size IC MPPT algorithm. Therefore, the proposed variable step size IC
MPPT method, a simulation and a comparative study between algorithm has a good tracking rapidity especially around the MPPT
variable step size and fixed step size IC MPPT methods have been point.
demonstrated, where the different aspects of the system and
parameters have been implemented using Matlab/Simulink model. 5.3. Duty cycle oscillations
A Flyback converter is used as the DC/DC converter interface
between the PV array and the load to obtain the MPP. A 0.001 s From Fig. 13, the results clearly illustrates that the variable step
sampling period is used for the MPPT algorithm. So, the duty cycle size IC MPPT method reaches the optimal duty cycle with less

Please cite this article as: Loukriz A, et al. Simulation and experimental design of a new advanced variable step size Incremental
Conductance MPPT algorithm for PV systems. ISA Transactions (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isatra.2015.08.006i
 A. Loukriz et al. / ISA Transactions ∎ (∎∎∎∎) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎ 7

Fixed Step 0,9

Variable Step
250 Variable Step Fixed Step
0,8

0,7
200
0,6

DutyCycle
power(w)

150 0,5

0,4
100 0,3

0,2
50
0,1

0,0
0 0,0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1,0
0,00 0,01 0,02 0,03 0,04 0,05 0,06
Time(s)
Time(s)
Fig. 13. Duty cycle for variable and fixed step size IC algorithms.
Fig. 10. PV array output power response time with variable and fixed step size IC
algorithms.
240,2
Fixed Step
Variable Step
250 240,1
Fixed Step
Variable Step
240,0

power(w)
239,9
power(w)

200
239,8

239,7

239,6
0,100 0,102 0,104 0,106 0,108 0,110 0,112 0,114 0,116 0,118 0,120
150
Time(s)

0,240 0,245 0,250 0,255 0,260 0,265 0,270 0,275 0,280 Fig. 14. PV array output power ripple for variable and fixed step size IC algorithms.
Time(s)
250
Fig. 11. PV array output power due to sudden decrease in irradiation. Fixed Step
Variable Step

250
power(w)

200
200
power(w)

150
150
Fixed Step 0,25 0,26 0,27 0,28 0,29
Variable Step
Time(s)

Fig. 15. PV array output power overshoot for variable and fixed step size IC
0,76 0,78 0,80 0,82 0,84 0,86 0,88 0,90 0,92 0,94
algorithms.
Time(s)

Fig. 12. PV array output power due to sudden increase in irradiation. 5.5. Overshoot

From Fig. 15, it can be observed that the overshoot due to

irradiation changing from 1000 W/m2 to 700 W/m2 is less
oscillations faster compared to the conventional fixed step size IC important in case of variable step size algorithm than in case of
MPPT. fixed step size.

5.4. Ripple 6. Experimental results

From Fig. 14, the improvement of variable step size IC MPPT To evaluate and verify the efficiency of the proposed variable
method regarding ripple is undeniably clear. step size and fixed step size IC MPPT methods, experiments have

Please cite this article as: Loukriz A, et al. Simulation and experimental design of a new advanced variable step size Incremental
Conductance MPPT algorithm for PV systems. ISA Transactions (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isatra.2015.08.006i
8 A. Loukriz et al. / ISA Transactions ∎ (∎∎∎∎) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎

the Flyback chopper converter and control circuit was imple-

mented. The dsPIC30F4011 was used to provide the control signals
for the Flyback converter, several lamps as load, two Hall-effect
sensors LA100 and LV-25 have been used to detect the PV output
current and the PV output voltage. Schematic of solar panel con-
nections in the experiments PV system with the proposed MPPT
controller is illustrated in Fig. 17. The specifications are listed in
Table 4.
In order to assess and verify the functionality and performance
of the proposed system shown in Figs. 16 and 17, two experiments
were performed on experimental prototypes that were designed,
in which a comparison between the proposed variable step size IC
MPPT method and the fixed step size IC MPPT method was pre-
sented; the duty cycle was initialed at zero for both methods.
Fig. 18 shows the PV output current, the PV output voltage and
PV output power obtained by fixed step size IC MPPT methods
corresponding to the 800 W/m2, while Fig. 19 shows PV array

Fig. 16. A laboratory experimental prototype of the MPPT system.

Fig. 18. PV array output performance (PV output current and the PV output voltage
and PV output power) with fixed step size IC MPPT under constant irradiation
(800 W/m2).

MPPT Operation
Fig. 17. Schematic of solar panel connections in the experiments PV system with
the proposed MPPT controller. Time of MPPT
Tracking: 0.5sec Solar Array Power

Table 4
191.4 Watts
Specifications experimental prototype.
66 Volts
Solar panel 4 x MSX-60

The load Solar Array Voltage

Lamps 100 W  2
The Flyback Chopper
Inductance 1 mH
Capacitor 440 mF 29. A
Diode super fast U1640 (16A , 600 V)
Switch MOSFET IRFP460 (500 V, 20 A)
Solar Array Current
Digital controller
Controller dsPIC30F4011
Switching frequency 50 KHz

been carried out. The experimental prototype was built as shown Fig. 19. PV array output performance (PV output current and the PV output voltage
in Fig. 16. Four solar panels connected in series MSX-60 are and PV output power) with variable step size IC MPPT under constant irradiation
adopted as the PV array model in experiment tests, a prototype of (800 W/m2).

Please cite this article as: Loukriz A, et al. Simulation and experimental design of a new advanced variable step size Incremental
Conductance MPPT algorithm for PV systems. ISA Transactions (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isatra.2015.08.006i
 A. Loukriz et al. / ISA Transactions ∎ (∎∎∎∎) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎ 9

output performance (PV output current and the PV output voltage [11] Chayawatto N, Kirtikara K, Monyakul V, Jivacate C, Chenvidhya D. DC–AC
and PV output power) with variable step size IC MPPT under switching converter modelings of a PV grid-connected system under islanding
phenomena. Renew Energy 2009;34:2536–44.
constant irradiation (800 W/m2). [12] Liu J, Laghrouche S, Harmouche M, Wack M. Adaptive-gain second-order
From Figs. 18 and 19, we can see that both the MPPT algorithms sliding mode observer design for switching power converters. Control Eng
discussed in this paper have considerable accuracy. The power Pract 2014;30:124–31.
[13] Liu J, Laghrouche S, Wack M. Observer-based higher order sliding mode con-
values given by the proposed variable step size and fixed step size trol of power factor in three-phase AC/DC converter for hybrid electric vehicle
IC MPPT methods are very close to the theoretical value corre- applications. Int J Control 2014;87(6):1117–30.
sponding to the irradiation levels. [14] Danyali S, Mozaffari Niapour SAKH, Hosseini SH, Gharehpetian GB, Sabahi M.
New single-stage single-phase three-input DC–AC boost converter for stand-
We can clearly see that the response time of the proposed alone hybrid PV/FC/UC systems. Electr Power Syst Res 2015;127:1–12.
variable step IC algorithm is less than 0.5 s, while it is about 3.7 s [15] Park JH, Ahn J-Y, Cho BH, Yu G-J. Dual-module-based maximum power point
in the fixed step IC method, even in steady state. This demon- tracking control of photovoltaic systems. IEEE Trans Ind Electron
2006;53:1036–47.
strates that proposed method has a good tracking rapidity.
[16] Mei Q, Shan M, Liu L, Guerrero J. A novel improved variable step size incre-
The experimental results of the proposed MPPT algorithm mental resistance MPPT method for PV systems. IEEE Trans Indus Electron
present good accuracy, faster converging speed, less response 2011;58:2424–34.
time, no steady-state oscillation around the MPP.Thus, the pro- [17] Xiao W, Dunford WG, Palmer PR, Capel A. Application of centered differ-
entiation and steepest descent to maximum power point tracking. IEEE Trans
posed variable step size IC MPPT algorithm is more suitable to Ind Electron 2007;54:2539–49.
practical operating conditions. [18] Femia N, Granozio D, Petrone G, Vitelli M. Predictive & adaptive MPPT perturb
and observe method. IEEE Trans Aerosp Electron Syst 2007;43:934–50.
[19] Noguchi T, Togashi S, Nakamoto R. Short-current pulse based maximum-
power-point tracking method for multiple photovoltaic-and converter module
7. Conclusion system. IEEE Trans Ind Electron 2002;49:217–23.
[20] Reisi AR, Moradi MH, Jamasb S. Classification and comparison of maximum
power point tracking techniques for photovoltaic system: a review. Renew
In this paper, a new modified variable step size Incremental Sustain Energy Rev 2013;19:433–43.
Conductance MPPT algorithm with direct control has been pro- [21] Pandey A, Dasgupta N, Mukerjee AK. High performance algorithms for drift
posed, in which the proposed scheme is discussed in detail and avoidance and fast tracking in solar MPPT system. IEEE Trans Energy Convers
2008;23:681–9.
simple design rule is proposed. A comparative study between the [22] Liu F, Duan S, Liu F, Liu B, Kang Y. A variable step size INC MPPT method for PV
proposed variable step size and fixed step size Incremental Con- systems. IEEE Trans Ind Electron 2008;55:2622–8.
ductance MPPT method under similar operating conditions has [23] Femia N, Petrone G, Spagnuolo G, Vitelli M. A technique for improving P&O
MPPT performances of double-stage grid-connected photovoltaic systems.
been shown. The simulation results demonstrate huge contribu-
IEEE Trans Ind Electron 2009;56:4473–82.
tions on the steady-state performance and the dynamic response, [24] Esram T, Chapman PL. Comparison of photovoltaic array maximum power
where a significant improvement in the response time of the point tracking techniques. IEEE Trans Energy Convers 2007;22:439 49.
maximum power point tracking using variable step size Incre- [25] Femia GN, Petrone G, Spagnuolo G, Vitelli M. Optimization of perturb and
observe maximum power point tracking method. IEEE Trans Power Electron
mental Conductance MPPT has been proved, thus energy lost will 2005;20:963–73.
be reduced. In addition, the improvement of variable step size IC [26] M.A. Emad M. Shoyama. Scaling factor design issues in variable step size
MPPT method regarding ripple and overshoot are undeniably incremental resistance MPPT in PV systems. In: Proceedings of the Ninth
International Conference on Power Electronics and Drive Systems (PEDS)
clear. The experimental results of the proposed MPPT algorithm Singapore; 2011.
show a good accuracy, faster converging speed, less oscillation [27] W. Xiao W.G. Dunford A modified adaptive hill climbing MPPT method for
around the MPP, and no divergence from the MPP point. Therefore, photovoltaic power systems. In: Proceedings of the 35th Annual IEEE Power
Electron Spec Conference 2004 1957–63.
the proposed variable step size Incremental Conductance MPPT [28] Ishaque K, Salam Z, Amjad M, Mekhilef S. An improved particle swarm opti-
algorithm is more efficient and more likely to be associated with mization (PSO) based MPPT for PV with reduced steady-state oscillation. IEEE
better noise rejection and less energy loss. Trans Power Electron 2012;27:3627–38.
[29] Jafarnejadsani H, Pieper J, Ehlers J. Adaptive control of a variable-speed vari-
able-pitch wind turbine using radial-basis function neural network. IEEE Trans
Control Syst Technol 2013;21:2264–72.
References [30] Precup RE, Tomescu ML, Rădac MB, Petriu EM, Preitl S, Dragoş CA. Iterative
performance improvement of fuzzy control systems for three tank systems.
Exp Syst Appl 2012;39:8288–99.
[1] Safari A, Mekhilef S. Simulation and hardware implementation of incremental [31] Hiyama T, Kouzuma S, Imakubo T. Identification of optimal operating point of
conductance MPPT with direct control method using cuk converter. IEEE Trans PV modules using neural network for real time maximum power tracking
Ind Electron 2011;58:1154–61. control. IEEE Trans Energy Convers 1995;10:360 7.
[2] Rekioua D, Matagne E. Optimization of photovoltaic power systems: mod- [32] Yie-Tone C, Hao LZ, Hsun LR. A novel auto-scaling variable step size MPPT
elization, simulation and control. London: Springer- Verlag; 2012. method for a PV system. Sol Energy 2014;102:247–56.
[3] Jianxing L, Laghrouche S, Ahmed FS, Wack M. PEM fuel cell air-feed system [33] M.A. Abdourraziq M. Maaroufi M. Ouassaid Comparative study of MPPT using
observer design for automotive applications: an adaptive numerical differ- variable step size for photovoltaic systems, Comparative study of MPPT using
entiation approach. Int J Hydrogen Energy 2014;39:17210–21. variable step size for photovoltaic systems. In: Proceedings of the Second
[4] González A, Riba JR, Rius A, Puig R. Optimal sizing of a hybrid grid-connected World Conference on Complex Systems (WCCS) Agadir, Morocco; 2014.
photovoltaic and wind power. Syst Appl Energy 2015;154:752–62. [34] N.H. Abdul Rahman A.M. Omar E.H. Mat Saat A modification of variable step
[5] Ma T, Yang H, Lu L. A feasibility study of a stand-alone hybrid solar–wind– size INC MPPT in PV system. In: Proceedings of the 7th IEEE International
battery system for a remote island. Appl Energy 2014;121:149 58. Power Engineering and Optimization Conference (PEOCO) Malaysia; 2013.
[6] Kuhn V, Klemeš J, Bulatov I. MicroCHP: overview of selected technologies, [35] M. Ahmed Emad M. Shoyama Stability Study of Variable Step Size Incremental
products and field test results. Appl Therm Eng 2008;28(16):2039 48. Conductance/Impedance MPPT for PV systems. In: Proceedings of the 8th
[7] Harrag A, Messalti S. Variable step size modified P&O MPPT algorithm using International Conference on Power Electronics - ECCE Asia. The Shilla Jeju,
GA-based hybrid offline/online PID controller. Renew Sustain Energy Rev Korea; 2011.
2015;49:1247–60. [36] Farahat MA, Metwally HMB, Mohamed AA. Optimal choice and design of
[8] Tey KS, Mekhilef S. Modified incremental conductance MPPT algorithm to different topologies of DC–DC converter used in PV systems, at different cli-
mitigate inaccurate responses under fast-changing solar irradiation level. Sol matic conditions in Egypt. Renew Energy 2012;43:393–402.
Energy, 101; 2014. p. 333–42. [37] Dhandayuthabaani P, Hemalatha M, Gowtham V, Suresh M. An improved
[9] Kamarzaman NA, Tan CW. A comprehensive review of maximum power point Flyback inverter for photovoltaic applications. Int J Adv Res Electr Electron
tracking algorithms for photovoltaic systems. Renew Sustain Energy Rev Instrum Eng 2015;4:1239–43.
2014;37:585–98.
[10] Bharatiraja C, Jeevananthan S, Latha R. FPGA based practical implementation
of NPC-MLI with SVPWM for an autonomous operation PV system with
capacitor balancing. Electr Power Energy Syst 2014;61:489–509.

Please cite this article as: Loukriz A, et al. Simulation and experimental design of a new advanced variable step size Incremental
Conductance MPPT algorithm for PV systems. ISA Transactions (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isatra.2015.08.006i