One-step adaptive reconfiguration technique for partial shaded photovoltaic array

Abstract

The performance of a photovoltaic (PV) array greatly depends on partial shading conditions, which can be diminished by careful planning and positioning of PV modules during installation to avoid self-shading. However, partial shading caused by nearby buildings, dust, and snow cannot be completely avoided. One of the approaches to reduce the effects of partial shading is the reconfiguration technique. However, the reconfiguration increases the length of the wire and system complexity. This study proposes an adaptive reconfiguration technique for a 4x4 PV array with reduced complexity and better shade dispersion. The effectiveness of the proposed reconfiguration technique is implemented and tested on a 4x4 total-cross-tied PV array in a MATLAB Simulink environment. In the proposed configuration, the switching matrix connects the fixed and adaptive part of the PV array, in such a way that the switches can connect the PV module of the next column by shifting downwards and shifting upwards. A comprehensive analysis of proposed reconfiguration is carried out and its performance is compared with existing fixed and dynamic reconfiguration techniques in terms of performance parameters. The study result shows that the proposed reconfiguration technique delivers superior performance compared to existing fixed and dynamic reconfiguration techniques in terms of better shade dispersion, enhanced performance and reduced complexity. For the LC shade pattern, the proposed BSSU technique has obtained improved PE of 48%, 31%, 15% and 9% compared to CMA, TCT, ADR and SS configurations. Experimental verification is carried out to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed reconfiguration technique.