A comprehensive comparison and assessment of global power extraction techniques of partially shaded PV system

The challenges of energy loss caused by partial shadowing conditions (PSCs) of solar photovoltaic (PV) system have been addressed by several worldwide peak-tracking systems, but an effective global maximum power point tracking (GMPPT) system is still urgently essential. Many advanced MPPT methods, including classical, soft computing, and metaheuristic methodologies, have been successfully used to harvest the GMPP from the PV arrays. Although, these techniques have good performance under uniform and PSCs, they suffered from many drawbacks and limitations when used individually. Therefore, to address these shortcomings and limitations, employing two or more MPPT approaches offers greater benefits over employing single one and enhances the whole system performance. The current work is organized to present the performance of PV modules under PSCs, to provide a detailed overview for various MPPT techniques, i.e., conventional (classical), soft computing, and hybrid MPPT, and to make inclusive review of the most recent hybrid GMPPT methods, with detailed comparison of their performances. Finally, an efficient and practical hybrid MPPT algorithm based on salp swarm algorithm and particle swarm optimization (SSA-PSO) under uniform and complex scenarios of PSCs is proposed. Comparing the developed hybrid SSA-PSO to seven state-of-the-art MPPT techniques, both simulation and experimental results showed its robust performance in terms of precise global power harvesting, tracking rapidity, tracking efficacy, and steady-state oscillations. The upgraded SSA-PSO MPPT methodology has the shortest reaction time (0.01 s), the least oscillation (1.5 W), and the best average tracking efficacy (100%), outperforming the state-of-the-art MPPT techniques. This article is expected to be a comprehensive resource for PV specialists to remain updated on developments in the PV power sector and for new researchers who are planning to work on MPPT techniques.