The role of computational intelligence techniques in the advancements of solar photovoltaic systems for sustainable development : a review

Abstract

The use of computational intelligence (CI) in solar photovoltaic (SPV) systems has been on the rise due to the increasing computational power, advancements in power electronics and the availability of data generation tools. CI techniques play an important role in modelling, sizing, forecasting, optimizing, analysing and predicting the performance and control of SPV systems. Thus, CI techniques have become an essential technology as the energy sector seeks to meet the rapidly increasing demand for clean, cheap, and reliable energy. In this context, this review paper aims to investigate the role of CI techniques in the advancements of SPV systems. The study includes the involvement of CI techniques for parameter identification of solar cells, PV system sizing, maximum power point tracking (MPPT), forecasting, fault detection and diagnosis, inverter control and solar tracking of SPV systems. A performance comparison between CI techniques and conventional methods is also carried out to prove the importance of CI in SPV systems. The findings confirmed the superiority of CI techniques over conventional methods for every application studied and it can be concluded that the continuous improvements and involvement of these techniques can revolutionize the SPV industry and significantly increase the adoption of solar energy.