A fuzzy‐elephant herding optimization technique for maximum power point tracking in the hybrid wind‐solar system.

Summary: In recent years, the attention towards the utilization of solar and wind power systems are becoming more popular because of its nonpolluted and nondepleting nature. However, these power sources rely on environmental conditions for power generation. So, extracting maximum power available from the wind and solar systems is essential. Many of the existing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques' performances are not convenient in the hybrid operation of wind and solar power systems. So, to provide an optimum MPPT operation, this paper proposes a fuzzy logic controll er (FLC)–based elephant herding optimization (EHO) technique for MPPT in the hybrid wind‐solar system. The proposed fuzzy‐EHO (FEHO) method has the tendency to track the maximum power under the partial shading condition of the photovoltaic (PV) system and low wind speed situations. The results are compared with the conventional MPPT methods, and it shows that the proposed optimization method efficiently tracks the maximum power point of the wind‐solar power systems even with the variations in the climatic conditions. MATLAB tool is used in the design and operation of the proposed method. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed system is tested with an experimental setup and provides better efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]