Maximum power point tracking employing sliding mode control

A fast and unconditionally stable maximum power point tracking scheme with high tracking efficiency is proposed for photovoltaic generators. The fast dynamics and all range stability are attained by a sliding mode control and the high tracking efficiency by a maximum power point algorithm with fine step. In response to a sudden change in radiation, our experiments show a typical convergence time of 15 ms. This is the fastest convergence time reported to date. In addition we demonstrate stable convergence all across the photovoltaic curve, from short-circuit to open-circuit. The theory is validated experimentally.