SOM を応用した太陽光発電の MPPT 制御の改善

抄録

PV power generation must operate at its optimum operating point because the generated power varies with changes in weather conditions. Therefore, in PV, MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) is indispensable. However, conventional methods of MPPT require complex numerical computations, which tend to increase hardware and software costs. Also, it cannot cope with sudden changes in solar radiation and partial shadowing problems. To work out these problems, we investigated a method applying the SOM (self-organizing maps) to predict the power-voltage (P-V) characteristics of photovoltaic power generation in order to realize a high-performance MPPT. The SOM is a data analysis method that maps multidimensional data onto a 2D planar map. The P-V characteristics of a solar cells can be estimated by using the SOM. The maximum power point also can be predicted simply by measuring the current and voltage of the solar cell at the least number of points. In this study, an experimental apparatus was constructed to measure the output of solar cells. The method presumes maximum power point. As a result, the current-voltage (I-V) and P-V characteristics could be predicted to some extent. However, it was difficult to accurately predict the maximum power point due to the characteristics of the SOM and unexplained factors. Although in this study effectiveness of the simple method by using the SOM for the MPPT is confirmed.