Global MPP Tracking Under Partial Shading Conditions Using LandS Algorithm: Hardware Implementation

We recently proposed a novel algorithm inspired by the Land and Snake (LandS) game that we have successfully adapted and applied to the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) problem under normal conditions of irradiance. In the present paper, we demonstrate the validity of using the algorithm for a more important case which is the tracking of global MPP (GMPP) under non-uniform conditions of irradiance. The validation was done through outdoor experimental tests under natural irradiance in presence of partial shading. In parallel, the algorithms: Cuckoo search (CS), Harmony Search (HS) and Teaching Learning Based Optimization algorithm (TLBO) were implemented to compare the performances of the LandS algorithm with those of the three algorithms. The obtained results show that the proposed algorithm succeeds in identifying the GMPP in all tests performed with performances of accuracy and identification-speed that are superior or comparable to the other algorithms involved in the comparison.