This work deals with the development of an intelligent monkey king evolution (IMKE) algorithm for maximum power peak (MPP) detection under partially shaded condition in a solar photovoltaic (SPV) array. In IMKE algorithm, an additional intelligent decision taking ability is embedded with the monkey king evolution (MKE) algorithm, which magnifies all the options to closely observe the exact peak position. The MKE algorithm is good in terms of exploration and exploitation. However, the additional intelligent decision taking ability avoids the stagnation on local maxima and helps to quickly track the true global maximum position. The performance evaluation of IMKE algorithm is performed on ten types of power-voltage patterns of partially shaded SPV array, through MATLAB simulation, as well as through experimentation. Moreover, the effectiveness of all the results is verified through comparison with state-of-the-art methods. The satisfactory steady-state and dynamic performances of the IMKE algorithm on partially shaded SPV array show the superiority over the state-of-the-art maximum power point tracking methods. © 1972-2012 IEEE.