An analytical approach based on coupled multi-physics model for photovoltaic arrays performance simulation

Abstract

Simulating the output performance of a proposed photovoltaic plant is a necessary phase prior to the construction stage and has been intensively studied for decades. The requirement for accurate and reliable simulation needs a comprehensive analysis of the photovoltaic power generator considering environmental factors and device behaviors. Unlike other published work, this paper presents an analytical approach to simulate the output performance of photovoltaic arrays using coupled multi-physics modeling without the support of historical data. The interplay among the electrical and thermal models, device characteristics, and device topologies are deeply investigated and formulated. In the electrical model, a parameter extraction method, as well as an iterative algorithm, are utilized on the equivalent circuit model for a quick solution of the I–V characteristics of the photovoltaic module. To obtain accurate results of the output power and its interaction with the environment, irradiation, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction are analyzed along with the photovoltaic output power in the thermal model. Meanwhile, this output power is constrained to the maximum power point tracking mechanism of the inverter. Real data from a photovoltaic plant are used for comprehensive analysis in both long-term and short-term scenarios. The experiment shows that the proposed approach is competitively accurate and feasible. Compared with the state-of-the-art studies, the proposed approach improves the simulation accuracy by 7.75%.