Experimental and Numerical Enhancement of Solar PV Panel Performance Using Anti-Reflective Coatings and MPPT Control Algorithms

Main Article Content

Falah Hassan Mohammed

Abstract

In this review we describe the experimental and numerical research about improving the performance of a PV system using the combined application of a SiO₂ anti-reflective (AR) coating and an advanced maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm to achieve improvements. Through the combination of a DC–DC converter and a parallel lithium-ion battery pack, a microscale PV prototype was developed and tested for steady-state and dynamic irradiance conditions. The initial PV voltage increased from 3.45 V to 3.50 V and the current from 1.30 A to 1.45 A from the SiO₂ coating, in this, an increase of 4.6 W to 5.1 W is noticed, which relates to an enhancement of 10–12% power output, respectively. At 60 min, the coated panel kept a higher power (≈1.35 W) and efficiency (≈29%) than the baseline panel (1.25 W and ≈26%). The performance of four modes—no MPPT, Perturb and Observe (P&O), Incremental Conductance (INC) and Fuzzy Logic MPPT—was investigated. Fuzzy Logic MPPT produced the greatest power output (4.45 W in the beginning and ≈1.4 W after 60 minutes), with the best tracking efficiency of about 95%, better than P&O (≈85%) / INC (≈91%) respectively. The fuzzy logic controller remained close to theoretical peak at rapid irradiances of 800 to 500 W/m² (≈5.1 W and ≈3.2 W) with low tracking error (2–3%) and fastest convergence time of ≈9 s. The harvested power maximum was reached around 0.91 Wh with SiO₂ coated and fuzzy logic MPPT, while 0.67 Wh was reached for the baseline system without MPPT. Analysis of the battery charging indicated higher state of charge from 21% to 56–57%, and the total energy delivered to the battery increased from 2.0 Wh to 2.7 Wh. The findings are suggestive of the efficiency of the integration of the surface design and intelligent MPPT control, that enhance the output electricity of photovoltaic (PV) systems, energy harvesting, dynamic response and battery charging performance, giving effective and scalable system for PV-based high-efficiency renewable energy system.

Article Details

How to Cite
[1]
Falah Hassan Mohammed, “Experimental and Numerical Enhancement of Solar PV Panel Performance Using Anti-Reflective Coatings and MPPT Control Algorithms”, Rafidain J. Eng. Sci., vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 149–167, Jan. 2026, doi: 10.61268/maaesr09.
Section
Electrical Engineering

How to Cite

[1]
Falah Hassan Mohammed, “Experimental and Numerical Enhancement of Solar PV Panel Performance Using Anti-Reflective Coatings and MPPT Control Algorithms”, Rafidain J. Eng. Sci., vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 149–167, Jan. 2026, doi: 10.61268/maaesr09.

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