Enhanced Harmony Search Algorithm for Maximum Power Point Tracking Under Partial Shading in PV Systems

This paper proposes, a novel MPPT algorithm based on harmony search (HS). The proposed algorithm not only overcomes the power loss induced by a wide search but also avoids falling into local maximum power points under PSCs. A parameter-setting-free (PSF) HS algorithm is introduced, which is further improved for the MPPT problem. Furthermore, the algorithm integrates a reduced-range (RR) operator to reduce the convergence time. To validate the performance of the proposed algorithm, experiments are performed using a 250-W PV system with a PV emulator under different PSCs. The results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms conventional HS and particle swarm optimization algorithms in terms of the number of iterations and convergence time, while maintaining a similar level of accuracy.

Keywords: Harmony search (HS), maximum power point tracking (MPPT), metaheuristic algorithms, partial shading condition (PSC), photovoltaic (PV) system.