Implementation and comparison of Perturb and Observe, and Fuzzy Logic Control on Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) for a Small Satellite
Afshin Balal, Mahtab Murshed
Abstract
In a small satellite, with the restriction of the size of solar arrays, variation of the sun radiation, and low efficiency of solar cells, there is a huge demand for Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT). However, the main issue with using solar cells is to reach its maximum power point because of the change in the temperature and sun radiation. There are some basic and hybrid MPPT methods, which in this paper, the Perturb and Observe (P&O) method, has been designed which is a fast method with high reliability. But, because of power oscillation around the operating point in P&O method, a fuzzy method is used for maximum power point tracking so that without the need for temperature and light sensors, reduction of output power oscillations can be achieved. Simulation results indicate that by using the fuzzy method, the output power is less fluctuated and therefore more power can be driven from the same solar panel.