A Unified Approach for Analysis of Faults in Different Configurations of PV Arrays and Its Impact on Power Grid

Saba Gul,Marium Jalal,Almas Anjum,Azhar Ul Haq,Ihsan Ullah Khalil

doi:10.3390/en13010156

Abstract

Fault analysis in photovoltaic (PV) arrays is considered important for improving the safety and efficiency of a PV system. Faults do not only reduce efficiency but are also detrimental to the life span of a system. Output can be greatly affected by PV technology, configuration, and other operating conditions. Thus, it is important to consider the impact of different PV configurations and materials for thorough analysis of faults. This paper presents a detailed investigation of faults including non-uniform shading, open circuit and short circuit in different PV interconnections including Series-Parallel (SP), Honey-Comb (HC) and Total-cross-Tied (TCT). A special case of multiple faults in PV array under non-uniform irradiance is also investigated to analyze their combined impact on considered different PV interconnections. In order to be more comprehensive, we have considered monocrystalline and thin-film PV to analyze faults and their impact on power grids. Simulations are conducted in MATLAB/Simulink, and the obtained results in terms of power(P)–voltage(V) curve are compared and discussed. It is found that utilization of thin-film PV technology with appropriated PV interconnections can minimize the impact of faults on a power grid with improved performance of the system.

Highlights

Rapid growth in the deployment of renewable energy has been witnessed over the past few years despite it being less efficient and more susceptibile to unexpected faults [1]
The flow chart ofof the array under electrical faults including module disconnection, short circuit, and module mismatch faults array under electrical faults including module disconnection, short circuit, and module mismatch is developed to study the performance of faulted
Of multiple faults is analyzed to study the impact of short-circuit and open-circuit faults under irradiance conditions analyzed to study the impact of short-circuit and open-circuit faultslow under low irradiance on peak power

Summary

Introduction

Rapid growth in the deployment of renewable energy has been witnessed over the past few years despite it being less efficient and more susceptibile to unexpected faults [1]. Advancement in PV technology is still restricted due to high cost arising from its low efficiency and high probability of fault occurrence during photovoltaic system operation. A study on monitoring of PV arrays in 2010 showed that faults can reduce the generated power of solar systems annually by about 18.9% [4]. Many fire accidents have been reported in the past [5]. One such event happened in Bakersfield, California in 2009 due to undetected.

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion