The paper presents a modified particle swarm optimization (MPSO) control strategy for the maximum power point tracking applied to a multilevel DC-link PV power generation system. This system consists of a chain of PV modules with individual DC-DC converters and has a DC-AC converter at its terminals for generating AC voltage. The proposed MPSO control method can predict all PV voltages at their maximum power point on the basis of respective light level and temperature. A PWM with permutation of DC converter switching is applied to balance switch utilisation. The method is applied to a system of five-voltage levels with two PV-converter units under different light intensities and the results are compared with the perturb and observe (P&O) method and the traditional PSO method under the same operating conditions. The paper shows that the new method gives more rapid convergence, increased power output, and lower total harmonic distortion. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.