High Gain Multilevel Boost Converter-Based Synergetic MPPT Controller for Standalone Photovoltaic Array

Photovoltaic (PV) system output power is strongly influenced by temperature variations, shadowing, and irradiation. Monitoring the Maximum Power Point (MPP) under various climatic conditions is necessary to increase efficiency and optimize the output power that PV systems supply to the load. Numerous strategies have been put forth to maximize the power delivered to the load, such as Perturb and Observe (P&O), Incremental Conductance (IC), and Fractional Open-Circuit Voltage (FOCV). Furthermore, advanced Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) techniques such as Synergetic Control (SC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have also been proposed for improved tracking performance. In this context, this paper provides a novel combination of nonlinear closed-loop SC with a Multi-Level Boost Converter (MLBC) to track the MPP of a standalone PV system. MLBCs hold useful benefits compared to traditional DC/DC converters in high voltage gain applications using smaller inductor values. A performance study of the proposed system proposed a tracking efficiency of 99.86% of MPPT at Standard Testing Conditions (STC) and under sudden changes in irradiance, temperature, and load. A faster response of 15 ms is recorded providing its superiority over contemporary trackers. The proposed system is robust when compared to traditional DC-DC single-level converters.