1

Design and implementation of MPPT solar system

based on the enhanced P&O algorithm using
Labview
GAGA Ahmed∗ , ERRAHIMI Fatima† , ES-SBAI Najia‡
∗ ,† ,‡ Faculty of Science and Technology, Laboratory Signals, Systems and Components, Road Imouzzer, BP 2202,
Fez, Morocco
∗ Email: gaga.ahmad@gmail.com
† Email: errahimifatima@yahoo.fr
‡ Email: sbainajia@yahoo.fr

Abstract—Maximum Power Point Tracking algorithms
(MPPT) are used to track maximum power, a DC-DC Boost
converter is used to obtain the impedance matching between the
PV array and the load. Although a huge number of approaches
have been proposed in literature, the methods based on the
perturb and observe (P&O) technique are the most widely
employed in commercial products. The reason lies in the
fact that P&O can be implemented in cheap digital devices
by ensuring high robustness and a good MPPT efficiency.
This paper aims to presents the design and development of
a photovoltaic system based on the enhanced P&O algorithm
that allows to improve efficiency, stability and accuracy of
solar systems. The effectiveness of the proposed solar regulator
system is verified by the simulation by PowerSim simulator
and experimental results under our developed system using two
MPPT algorithms, classical P&O and a new enhanced P&O
algorithm.
Keywords-Renewable energy; Photovoltaic System; MPPT;
Enhanced P&O; Boost converter; sensors; PowerSim; Labview;
I. I NTRODUCTION
Solar energy generation has become an essential part in
electrical power applications in recent years. However, elec-
tricity generated by photovoltaic (PV) panels is an unstable
energy source because it depends directly on several fac-
tors such as solar irradiation level and temperature, spectral
characteristics of sunlight, dirt, shadow and so on. So it is
crucial to operate the PV energy conversion systems close
to the maximum power point to increase the efficiency of
the PV system. Therefore, maximum power point tracking
(MPPT) controller is needed to achieve that and improve
the productivity of the PV system by ensuring that the PV
module continuously supplies maximum power regardless of
changes in weather conditions. So, as the tracking control
of the maximum power point is a complicated problem, to
overcome these problems and ensure the high efficiency of
the PV system, different solar regulators based on many
MPPT strategies have been developed, such as Fractional
Open-Circuit Voltage (FOCV), Fractional Short-Circuit Cur-
rent (FSCC), Fuzzy Logic, Neural Network, Perturbation and
Observation (P&O), and Incremental Conductance algorithms.
These strategies have some disadvantages such as high cost,
difficulty, complexity and instability.
978-1-4799-7336-1/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE
All previously mentioned MPPT methods have the same
goal which is maximizing the PV array output power by
tracking the maximum power on every operating condition.
This paper proposes a novel technique, easy-to-implement
MPPT strategy based on the enhanced P&O algorithm that
improves performance of the solar system. Thus, this technique
combines low cost, high stability, great accuracy and fast
response time. The proposed MPPT strategy was tested by
simulation under PowerSim and was implemented using an
embedded microcontroller board and an innovative control
application developed with Labview environment which gives
to the system more powerful abilities such as a simple user
interface, sophisticated control, high processing speed, real
time monitoring and even more.
II. PV A RRAY M ODELING AND C HARACTERISTICS
The basic working principle of the PV array is the photo-
voltaic effect of semiconductor PN junction. When exposed
to the light, a DC current is generated, the generated current
varies linearly with the solar irradiance [2]. The complex
physics of a PV module can be represented by the equivalent
electrical circuit based on double Diode Model shown in
Figure1.
Figure 1: Solar cell double Diode Model
This model is commonly accepted as reflecting the behavior
of polycrystalline silicon power cells. One of the two diodes
represents the diffusion current in the PN junction, whereas the
other is added to take the space charge recombination effect
into account. The mathematical expression of the equivalent
model is given in Equation (1).
 2

Vpv + Rs .Ipv
Ipv = Iph − ID1 − ID2 − (1)
Rp
we replace the diode current ID1 and ID2 by their expres-
sion, we obtain the result in Equation(2):
   
Vpv + Rs .Ipv
Ipv = Iph − Is1 exp − 1 ...
n1 .k.T /q (a) Equivalent Circuit of a Boost Converter

   
Vpv + Rs .Ipv Vpv + Rs .Ipv
. . . − Is2 exp −1 − (2)
n1 .k.T /q Rp
Iph Photodiode current
VD1/2 Diode voltage
ID1/2 Diode current
n Diode factor (1 for ideal and >2 for real conditions)
I0 Reverse saturation current
T Temperature for the solar arrays panel in kelvin (b) Equivalent Circuit of a Buck Converter
k Boltzmann’s constant = 1.38 x 10-23 J/K Figure 3: DC/DC Converer model
q Electron charge = 1.6 x 10-19C
Rs Intrinsic series resistance usually in milli-ohms
Rp Shunt resistance usually in kilo-ohms A. Buck converter
The model I pv − Vpv and P pv − Vpv characteristics curves The buck converter is known as the voltage step down and
under differents irradiances are given in Figure2 at 25 °C. current step up converter [3]. This gives a hint of its typical
application of converting its input voltage into a lower output
voltage, where the conversion ratio M = Vout /Vin varies with
the duty ratio D of the switch [3],[4].
The state space equation of buck converter is as follows:
dIL 1 d
= − .Vo + .Vpv (3)
dt L L

(a) I pv − Vpv characteristic (b) P pv − Vpv characteristic
Figure 2: PV characteristics curves
Figure2 shows the I pv − Vpv and P pv − Vpv characteristics
curves of a solar array for differents irradiances (200, 400, 600,
800 and 1000 W/m2) at a fixed array temperature (25°C). As
it is evident in Figure2, the irradiation and the temperature are
two important factors that highly affect the characteristics of
solar modules. Therefore, MPP must constantly be tracked to
ensure that the PV generation system achieves the maximum
power output in real time.
III. DC-DC CONVERTER ANALYSIS
DC/DC Converters are most widely applied in photovoltaic
systems as an intermediary between the PV and the load
to follow up the maximum power point (MPP). Different
topologies and different design approaches could be used
for DC/DC converters. In this part two different models of
converters are introduced, buck and boost converters. The
diagrams in Figure3.a and Figure3.b show the structure of
these converters with the switching period T and duty cycle
d. For each converter, state space equation of voltage for
both buck and boost converters is given in Equation (3) and
Equation (4).
B. Boost converter
The boost converter is also known as the step-up converter.
The name implies its typically application of converting a low
input-voltage to a high output voltage, essentially functioning
like a reversed buck converter [3],[4].
The state space equation of boost converter is as follows:
dIL 1−d 1
=− .Vo + .Vpv (4)
dt L L
IV. MPPT TECHNIQUE
As was previously said, MPPT algorithms are necessary in
PV applications because the MPP of a solar panel varies with
the irradiation and temperature, so the use of MPPT algorithm
is required in order to obtain the maximum power from a solar
array.
A. P&O Method
The Perturb and Observe (P&O) method is one of the most
commonly used methods in practice. The P&O algorithms
operate by periodically perturbing, i.e. incrementing or decre-
menting, the array terminal voltage and comparing the PV
output power with that of the previous perturbation cycle. If
the PV array operating voltage changes and power increases,
the control system moves the PV array operating point in
that direction. Otherwise, the operating point is moved in the

Figure 4: principle of P&O algorithm
opposite direction, Figure4 demonstrates the principle of the
P&O algorithm
firstly, The DC-DC controller adjusts slightly the voltage
from the PV array and measures power, then it varies the
terminal voltage of the PV and takes a second measurement of
the power, if it increases, further adjustments in that direction
are tried until power no longer increases.
The Figure5 shows the flowchart of the P&O technique
Figure 5: Flow chart of P&O MPPT algorithm
B. Enhanced P&O
The P&O algorithm is based on the “hill-climbing” princi-
ple, which consists of moving the operation point of the PV
array in the direction in which the power increases [6] and [7].
Hill-climbing techniques are the most popular MPPT methods
thanks to their ease of implementation and good performance
when the irradiation is constant [7]. The advantages of P&O
method are the simplicity and low computational power they
need. The drawbacks of this technique are mainly two; the
main one is that they can easily lose track of the MPP if the
irradiation changes rapidly [7], [9], [10]. The other handicap
of P&O method is the oscillations of the voltage and current
3
around the MPP in the steady state [9], [11], [12] and [13].
To overcome these drawbacks, we propose a new enhanced
P&O; a diagram of this algorithm is shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6: The flowchart of the enhanced P&O Algorithm.
In this technique, the Maximum Power is calculated based
on the measurements of the Irradiance and the Temperature
using a model of the PV module. After calculating the max
power, we run the classical P&O algorithm and after each
complete execution cycle the difference between the current
power (real power) and the power estimated at the beginning
of the algorithm is calculated.
If the difference is zero, then we have reached the max
power, so the present duty cycle value is the optimal control
signal. This value is fixed and is taken as control signal for DC-
DC boost converter until the next variation of the maximum
power that PV can provide.
The efficiency of the classical P&O algorithm tracking is
improved by the new enhanced algorithm. This technique
was simulated in powerSim, implemented and tested using
a complete system based on a microcontroller, a DC-DC
boost converter, a voltage and current sensors and a software
application, all the results are explained in the next part.
V. SIMULATION AND EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
A. simulation result
The circuit of the complete Photovoltaic system is simulated
under PowerSim environment, The PV system is modeled
using solar panel bloc, and the MPPT algorithm is modeled
using microcontroller bloc. Figure7.a shows that the PV is
 4

connected to a resistive load without MPPT system, the load

imposes its own characteristic which is generally different
from Maximum Power Point.

(a) DC-DC boost converter simulation model

(a) PV panel without MPPT system

(b) Boost converter Input and Output voltage

Figure 8: Boost converter simulation results

as a Digital processing bloc in which we must implement our

(b) PV-Output Power without MPPT system
MPPT algorithm.
Figure 7: PV Output power simulation Figure9.a shows the complete circuit diagram based on a
PV panel, DC-DC boost converter, Load, voltage and current
The simulation result of the circuit in Figure7.a shows that sensors and MPPT controller.
the load cannot extract the available power of the PV terminal
(Figure7.b)
To overcome this problem, we insert a DC-DC boost
converter with variable duty cycle, the interest of this addition
is to change the load characteristic which becomes a function
of the duty cycle D and allows to move on the solar panel
characteristic regardless of the load value.
The boost converter is used to raise the input DC voltage
to a higher output DC voltage. The DC-DC boost converter
circuit is shown in the following schematic Figure8.a. This
boost converter includes one MOSFET that will be controlled
through a square wave control signal. (a) PV panel with MPPT system
The principle of this circuit is the utilization of the inductor
at the input of the converter. During the on state, the DC input
and the inductor are isolated from the remaining circuit since
the diode becomes reverse biased. In this state, the inductor
stores energy, so that at the off state, the DC input along
with the stored energy of the inductor is applied to the load.
The Figure8.b presents the voltage output, voltage input and
inductor current I L waveforms for continuous conduction.
we note that the output voltage is higher than the input and
respects the following relation:
1 (b) PV-Output Power with MPPT system
VS = × VE (5)
1−D Figure 9: Complete MPPT system simulation
Now when we can control the output characteristic by
varying the duty cycle of the DC-DC boost converter which The algorithm shown in Figure5 and Figure6 is imple-
inserted between the PV panel and load, we need to make this mented in the MPPT controller bloc shown in Figure9.a . This
duty cycle automatic; to do this, we must add a microcontroller result demonstrates the performance of the MPPT algorithm
 5

under irradiance step of 500, 1000 and 1500 W/m2 . The MPP
values are shown in blue, whereas the real values are shown
in red. Figure9.b illustrates the results of the simulation.
To demonstrate the performance of our improved P&O
algorithm compared to the classical P&O, we expanded the
simulation scale of the MPPT system response. We can clearly
notice that the system with a classical P&O algorithm presents
a higher rate of instability than that of the enhanced P&O
algorithm, which has greater accuracy (see Figure 10.a and
Figure 10.b).
∆PEnhancedP &O ≈ 15mW
∆PClassicalP &O ≈ 400mW

∆PEnhancedP &O  ∆PClassicalP &O (6)

(a) MPPT hardware implementation
Equation(6) shows the effectiveness of the new enhanced
P&O algorithm.

(a) Classical P&O accuracy

(b) Labview user interface

Figure 11: hardware and software application

Below is a list of feedback and control indicators that are

(b) Enhanced P&O accuracy
Figure 10: P&O abd Enhanced P&O response
B. hardware implementation and software application
In this work, the Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT)
will be implemented by using a microcontroller and Labview
applications that are programmed to execute any desired MPP
research algorithm. The developed program will control the
charge of the PV array by sensing the panel voltage (V) and
current (I) to determine the single operating point where the
values of current and voltage correspond to the maximum
power output. The goal of the MPPT solar system is to match
the impedance of the load to the optimal impedance of the PV
array.
The complete system implementation including the MPPT
controller, current and voltage sensor and DC-DC boost con-
verter is shown in Figure 11.a.
A graphical user interface will be designed to give the user
access to control the operation of the system. This interface
will be implemented through LABVIEW. The interface pro-
vides various feedback indicators and controls options for the
user.
required by the user to operate the system.
• System start and stop: This is a button that will start or
stop the system operation.
• An indicator showing which mode is currently being
used, automatic or manual .
• Indicators showing the Input Power, Voltage and Current,
Max Power, MPPT Algorithm used, Duty cycle value and
more.
These control options and indicators constitute the basic
interface needed to control the system. Additional indicators
and control buttons are added to provide extra accessibility to
the system.
The user interface built in LABVIEW is shown in Figure
11.b.
VI. CONCLUSION
In this work, an enhanced P&O algorithm has been proposed
so as to improve the maximum power point tracking in PV
systems. A modified rule for updating the reference variable,
i.e. current/voltage or duty-cycle, has been presented. The
proposed system offers powerful abilities which are: good
tracking efficiency, high response, simple user interface, so-
phisticated control, high processing speed, real time monitor-
ing and good control for the extracted power. The simulation
 6

and experimental results have been presented, validating the

performance and functionality of the proposed algorithm. The
simulations have been achieved using PowerSim. Finally, a
hardware prototype has been designed, realized and discussed.
The components and parameters related to the hardware de-
sign have been analyzed. The hardware prototype has been
implemented using a microcontroller board, a buck DC-to-DC
converter, current and voltage sensors and a PV panel. The
proposed MPPT strategy was tested in simulations and imple-
mented in the developed solar regulator and was observed to
perform far better than standard P&O strategy.

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