Comparison between incremental conductance and perturb and observe algorithms in photovoltaic system under low temperature and irradiation levels

Abstract

This paper compares two mostly used maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods, perturb and observe (P&O), and incremental conductance (INC), for a photovoltaic (PV) system integrated with a step-up converter and resistive load. The evaluation was conducted using MATLAB/Simulink under two specific environmental conditions: low irradiation and temperature levels. The results indicate that under irradiation levels below 200 W/m², the INC algorithm outperforms P&O by exhibiting minimal fluctuations and achieving higher efficiency. Conversely, under low temperature (below 25 °C) the P&O method reaches the highest efficiency, exceeding 99%. These findings highlight the importance of selecting the appropriate MPPT algorithm based on specific environmental conditions to optimize the energy output of PV systems.