Performance enhancement of photovoltaic array configurations with blocking p-mosfets under partial shading condition

Abstract

ABSTRACT Being the most abundant renewable source of energy, photovoltaic arrays (PVA) are extensively used for power generation. A number of factors influence performance of the PVAs, among which complete or partial shading of PVAs is perceived as a major concern for the researchers. Complete or partial shading reasonably reduces the output power of PVAs which subsequently leads to multiple maximum power points (MPPs) in the P-V curves. One of its major consequences is reverse power flow, conventionally blocking diodes (BD) based on different configuration are utilized to limit the adverse effects of reverse power flow. This paper proposes a novel scheme to improvise performance of the photovoltaic array configuration (PVAC) under-shaded condition, in which conventionally used BDs are replaced by blocking P-MOSFET (BP-MOS). A comparison study is carried out to determine performance of four different PVAC’s such as series-parallel (SP), total-cross-tied (TCT), bridge-link (BL), and honey-comb (HC) employing BDs as well as BP-MOS. Simulations are accomplished on MATLAB/SIMULINK, in order to analyze practical implications of preferred the PVAC under various illumination conditions (such as horizontal, vertical, and diagonal). Obtained results reveal efficacy of the proposed configuration in terms of least power loss, increased fill factor, and thus maximum efficiency.