This study presents a novel search algorithm of maximum power point tracking for photovoltaic power generation systems. The I-V characteristics and the P-V power output under specific irradiation and temperature conditions are simulated. The performance of the algorithm under fully shaded and sudden partially shaded conditions as well as variable insulations levels is investigated. The developed algorithm performs a wide-range search in order to detect rapidly changing weather conditions, and keeps the simulated stand-alone or grid-connected systems continuously operating close to the maximum power point. The performance of the developed algorithm, under extremely changing environmental conditions, is found to be superior compared to that of other conventional algorithms. The results of this study show that, under uniform radiations conditions, the developed algorithm takes only half of the time required by the Perturbation and Observe algorithms to reach maximum power point MMP. Furthermore, when PV is subjected to sudden partial shading conditions, the algorithm rapidly detects these changes and reaches the new MMP in less than a second. 1. Introduction It is now widely accepted that the nonrenewable sources in the world are finite and it is only a matter of time before reserves will essentially be consumed [1, 2]. It has been proven that the use of nonrenewable energy sources has severe effect on the environment. Due to environmental awareness and technological advancement, high oil price, and government support, the renewable electricity generation capacity has reached an estimated 240 gigawatts (GW) worldwide in 2007 while it was 160？GW in 2004 [3]. The solar photovoltaic (PV) power system is attractive renewable energy source due to its availability and economic feasibility [4, 5]. Stand-alone PV systems are found suitable for powering remote areas [4]. The power produced by a PV module depends on the operating temperature, the amount of falling solar irradiance over the PV Cells array, and the load connected [5, 6]. The power output of PV cells depends on the nonlinear current voltage (I-V) characteristics relationship. Because of this nonlinear relationship between the current and the voltage of the PV cell, there is a unique maximum power point at particular weather conditions, and this maximum power point keeps changing with the irradiance levels and ambient temperature. Therefore, a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm is commonly used, to obtain the maximum possible power under varying weather conditions and loads. Because of the
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