Implementation of photovoltaic water pumping system with MPPT controls

To increase the output efficiency of a photovoltaic (PV) system, it is important to apply an efficient maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique. This paper describes the analysis, the design and the experimental implementation of the tracking methods for a stand-alone PV system, using two approaches. The first one is the constant voltage (CV) MPPT method based on the optimum voltage, which was deduced experimentally, and considered as a reference value to extract the optimum power. The second one is the increment conductance (Inc-Cond) MPPT method based on the calculation of the power derivative extracted by the installation. The output controller can adjust the duty ratio to the optimum value. This optimum duty ratio is the input of a DC/DC boost converter which feeds a set of Moto-pump via a DC/AC inverter. This paper presents the details of the two approaches implemented, based on the system performance characteristics. Contributions are made in several aspects of the system, including converter design, system simulation, controller programming, and experimental setup. The MPPT control algorithms implemented extract the maximum power point (MPP), with satisfactory performance and without steady-state oscillation. MATLAB/Simulink and dSpace DS1104 are used to conduct studies and implement algorithms. The two proposed methods have been validated by implementing the performance of the PV pumping systems installed on the roof of the research laboratory in INSAT Tunisia. Experimental results verify the feasibility and the improved functionality of the system.