A maximum power point tracking method based on tabu search for PV systems under partially shaded conditions

The power-voltage characteristic of the photovoltaic (PV) array shows multiple maximum power points (MPP) under partially shaded conditions. This makes the conventional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods ineffective due to their inability to discriminate between the local and global MPP. This paper proposes a new MPPT method based on tabu search (TSMPPT) for PV systems under partially shaded conditions. It combines three different search strategies, i.e. diversification search, local search and intensification search, to avoid the risk of trapping into the local MPP. Simulation results show that the proposed method could accurately track the global MPP with low complexity. (4 pages)