A Fixed interconnection technique of photovoltaic modules using a sensorless approach for maximum power enhancement in solar plants

Abstract

ABSTRACT The effect of partial shading results in increased mismatch losses and decreased power output of the solar Photovoltaic (PV) array, requiring reconfiguration of the shading pattern of the panels. Hence, various interconnection schemes and shade dispersing techniques are used to increase the power harnessed from the PV array. This paper proposes a simple offline shade dispersion in the entire PV array using a fixed reconfigured interconnection scheme. MATLAB/Simulations are carried out on a 6 × 6 PV array with fairly larger rating with different shading patterns and an experimental set up has also been developed with a 3 × 3 PV array with a much smaller rating in the laboratory for validating the reduction in mismatch loss and increased fill factor for different shading patterns. This technique can be used for both square and rectangular PV arrays. The proposed interconnection scheme has been compared with the Total Cross Tied (TCT) connection and shown that there is an enhancement of power generation, for about 16.66% in short-narrow shading pattern and a reduction in power loss of 66.66% in a short-wide pattern.