Exploration of partial shading condition in photovoltaic array

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) power generation is the most promising renewable energy source. Photovoltaic module has dynamic characteristics with respect to irradiance and temperature. To extract maximum power from PV module maximum power point tracking algorithms are used. These algorithms are trained according to dynamic characteristics of PV module. Array of Photovoltaic modules has distinct behavior than a single PV module under partial shading condition. PV array characteristics has multiple peaks under partial shading condition and maximum power point algorithms are need to trained to find peak with maximum power. Examination of PV array characteristics under normal irradiance and under partial shading is essential to extract maximum power from PV array. This paper explores various traits of Photovoltaic array under partial shading condition and proposes a model to select region on array characteristics for tracking global maximum power point.