A novel MPPT design based on the seagull optimization algοrithm for phοtovοltaic systems operating under partial shading.

The use of a maximum power point (MPP) tracking (MPPT) controller is required for photovoltaic (PV) systems to extract maximum power from PV panels. However, under partial shading conditions, the PV cells/panels do not receive uniform insolation due to several power maxima appear on the PV array's P-V characteristic, a global MPP (GMPP) and two or more local MPPs (LMPPs). In this scenerio, conventional MPPT methods, including pertub and observe (P&O) and incremental conductance (INC), fail to differentiate between a GMPP and a LMPP, as they converge on the MPP that makes contact first, which in most cases is one of the LMPPs.