Cuckoo Search Based MPPT with Quadra Tied Solar PV Array for Maximising Power Extraction Under Partial Shadows

Solar photovoltaics are playing a key role in letting us meet our energy needs and it is important to harvest it efficiently to make it commercially viable. In this paper, a Cuckoo Search (CS) based MPPT algorithm is used to mitigate the challenges caused by partial shading of solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays and enable extraction of maximum power. The PV array is connected in a novel Quadra Tied (QT) configuration which is also designed to produce maximum power under various partial shading conditions (PSCs). This combination is tested under different PSCs common in urban areas using simulations in Simulink and in real time with Chroma Solar PV simulator and Texas Instruments TMS320F28379D micro controller. The performance of the CS MPPT algorithm is compared with the conventional Perturb & Observe (P&O) MPPT algorithm.