Abstract
Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy sources are rapidly becoming more popular than ever. The PV system output power relies on the applied current or voltage nonlinearity, and there exists a unique point called maximum power point (MPP). In addressing effective energy extraction from the PV system, this paper presents a controller design strategy to track the MPP of a PV system using the sliding mode control method of self-optimization. The PV system modeling practice is discussed. The proposed controller design offers a fast and accurate convergence to the MPP in steady state and during varying environmental conditions. A DC/DC boost converter is utilized as a control actuator for the MPP tracking using pulse width modulation (PWM) control on the switches. Results and discussion are provided to demonstrate the validity of the proposed controller design.