This document presents a modified particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to improve the tracking of the maximum power point (MPP) in photovoltaic (PV) arrays. The traditional PSO algorithm can track the MPP under shaded conditions but has issues with tracking speed and optimization process. The proposed modified PSO partitions the duty cycle into two parts - the previous duty ratio is adjusted by a linearization factor, and two new duty cycles are perturbed by a constant value to search the PV curve for the MPP. Simulation results show the modified PSO approach improves tracking speed, accuracy, and efficiency compared to the traditional PSO algorithm.