Novel MPPT Controller Augmented with Neural Network for Use with Photovoltaic Systems Experiencing Rapid Solar Radiation Changes

A maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller optimizes power harvesting in photovoltaic (PV) systems under varying conditions. The perturb and observation (P&O) algorithm is commonly used for MPP tracking, but suffers from slow response, loss of tracking direction, and entrapment. The current research proposes a neural network (NN) integrated with the P&O algorithm to enhance tracking performance during sudden variations in solar irradiance. The proposed neural network updates the duty cycle change when detecting sudden changes. It effectively estimates the duty cycle change even when trained with a small dataset. The integration between the NN and P&O significantly improves tracking performance compared with the conventional P&O algorithm, especially under sudden irradiance changes.