A Triple-Tied PV Array scheme with Grey Wolf Optimization based MPPT Approach for Maximum Power Harvesting Under Partial Shading

Renewable energy sources by virtue of their inherent potential and eco-friendliness, are the best and most viable alternative for producing pollution-free energy in the modern era. The energy from sun is one of the most promising possibilities in this category for providing the necessary power and energy for the civilization's advancement. To uplift the efficiency of PV system under partial shading conditions (PSCs), Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controller is used and it extracts the most power from a PV panel and then transmit that power to the load. In this paper, a Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) based MPPT approach along with Triple-Tied (TT) PV array scheme is investigated to harness maximum power under PSCs. This research work is implemented in Simulink environment to examine the performance under four PSCs. Also, to verify its competence a comparison is made with the Perturb & Observe (P&O), Cuckoo Search (CS), and Particle Swarm Optimization methods with performance related indicators such as harnessed maximum power, tracking time and efficiency. The results validate that the GWO-TT scheme significantly outperforms its rivals in terms of reducing the convergence time to reach the global maximum power point.