An efficient power extraction technique for improved performance and reliability of solar PV arrays during partial shading

Abstract

Partial shading in the arrays reduces the power output, creates hotspots and damages the modules affecting the performance of the system. The modules bypass diodes create non-convexity in the power curves causing additional power losses. Hence, this work proposes a black widow reconfiguration (BWR) with reduced switch counts for mitigating the effects of partial shading in the arrays. The methodology effectively reduces the current difference between rows of the PV array within a short period with a faster calculation rate and electrically reconnects the modules. The reconnection ensures reduced mismatch among modules, higher power output and smoother power curves during partial shading. To show the effectiveness of the BWR in arbitrary-sized arrays, three arrays of 2 × 4, 5 × 5, and 9 × 9 sizes are considered and tested under static and dynamic partial shadings. The results are then compared with three conventional, six static, and three dynamic techniques using power curves and various parameters. Besides validation in the MATLAB environment, the experimental setup and OPAL-RT platform are considered to show the application in real-time environment. From the investigation, an average power improvement of 25.49%, 15.47%, and 9.29% in BWR compared to the existing conventional, static, and dynamic techniques with 99.60% efficiency have been observed.