A comparative study of maximum power point tracking methods for a photovoltaic-based water pumping system

Abstract

In this paper the performance of the proposed fuzzy-based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is investigated and compared with incremental conductance and constant voltage controller for a photovoltaic (PV) pumping system. A fuzzy logic controller with a mamdani inference engine using only nine rules is designed to track the optimum power point. An induction motor has been used to drive the centrifugal pump. The system performance is analysed for different weather conditions. A detailed comparative study presenting the merits and demerits of each technique is also presented in order to develop a relative relationship. Simulation results obtained indicate better performance of the fuzzy-based MPPT algorithm for the PV pumping system.

Keywords:

• centrifugal pump
• constant voltage controller
• fuzzy logic controller
• induction motor
• MPPT
• PV array