A new metaheuristic-based MPPT controller for photovoltaic systems under partial shading conditions and complex partial shading conditions

Solar photovoltaic energy is the potential energy in the universe for generating electricity and meeting the required load demand. However, on account of partial shading conditions, the difficult task in the PV system is to track global maxima instead of local maxima and maintain the uninterrupted power supply. To solve this problem, a new metaheuristic algorithm is introduced in this paper such as a heap-based optimizer (HBO). The proposed method is developed in MATLAB/Simulink software. The system is examined under distinct irradiation conditions and compared their performance with other methods. The simulation results reveal that the suggested HBO shows a reliable enhancement as compared to other studied methods with regard to tracking maximum power, convergence time, and settling time. The extracted power efficiencies are 99.85% for case 1, 99.96% for case 2, and 99.92% for case 3. It is found that HBO shows better enrichment than other studied methods.