A Comparative Analysis of MPPT Methods for SEPIC Converter Based Solar PV System

As the need for sustainable and renewable energy sources expands globally, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have become an economically viable alternative to traditional energy sources. This work investigates and compares three distinct Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) methods namely Perturb and Observe (P&O), Incremental Conductance (INC), and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), within a solar photovoltaic (PV) system that employs a Single-Ended Primary Inductor Converter (SEPIC). The evaluation is carried out using simulation in MATLAB/Simulink and hardware implementation on a 10Watt solar setup. Performance metrics such as tracking efficiency and adaptability to fluctuating environmental conditions are assessed for each algorithm.