Universal power point tracking using binary search: A multi-scenario approach for photovoltaic systems

Global Flexible Power Point Tracking (GFPPT) is crucial for PV grid integration. Existing algorithms often struggle to efficiently track the Global Maximum Power Point (GMPP) when reference power exceeds it, failing to simultaneously achieve power reserve control (PRC). This study proposes a universal tracking strategy based on the binary search method. By flexibly switching binary search modes, it enables Constant Power Generation (CPG) control, GMPP tracking under uniform irradiance or partial shading conditions, and power reserve control This strategy conducts binary search iterations based on the short-circuit current of PV modules combined with power error information at each sampling point, ultimately achieving stable tracking of either the reference power or the maximum power. Under the GMPPT mode, the strategy integrates the Maximum Power Trapezoid (MPT) concept to eliminate local peaks that do not contain the GMPP, significantly enhancing the speed of tracking the GMPP. Simulations and experiments across various PV setups and dynamic partial shading show the algorithm improves response speed by at least 50.93 % and tracking accuracy by over 1.47 times in GMPPT and GFPPT scenarios. For PRC, it achieves over 75.47 % response speed improvement and 3.3 times cumulative error reduction, fully validating its robustness, effectiveness, and universality.