Prototype of power optimization based on converter topologies reconfiguration using PV string smart clustering method for static miniature photovoltaic farm under partially shaded condition

Photovoltaic is a technology that converts sunlight radiation into electrical energy and has a great chance to develop in tropical countries such as Indonesia. The effect of the partially shaded condition reduces the energy generated and the efficiency of the photovoltaic farm. This paper proposes a new method for power optimization by reconfiguring the converter topologies using the Smart Clustering Method. The reconfiguration of converter topologies is based on the voltages magnitude of each string on the PV Farm clustered using the smart clustering method. Each converter has MPPT algorithm, so the total power generated by the PV farm is equal to the sum of power generated by each converter topology. The modified P&O Algorithm is used in the uniform clustering, and the firefly Algorithm is used in the non-uniform clustering. For the validation of the proposed method, this paper compared the performance of the proposed method with the performance of MPPT using single converter topologies as a conventional method.