Reliability Enhancement of Photovoltaic Systems under Partial Shading through a Two-Step Module Placement Approach

Abstract

Partial shading has a negative impact on photovoltaic systems by forcing the connected modules to generate lower power, creating severe unexpected power losses. To resolve this issue, numerous solutions have been proposed, among which configuration modification has recently attracted a greater audience. The preliminary approach to module reconfiguration was based on the alteration of electrical connections through switches, which introduces lag due to the large number of switches and sensors, complex algorithms, and impractical application. Hence, static techniques are considered to be a cost-effective, low-complexity and easy-to-adopt solution for efficiently reducing the losses due to shading. Hence, this paper proposes a two-step module replacement approach that is validated under multiple partial shading conditions, and the performance is compared with various conventional and hybrid configurations and a static electrical reconfiguration technique using mathematical analysis, comparative parameters and power curves analysis. The validation was performed using the MATLAB platform for two system sizes—6 × 6 and 18 × 3—proving its applicability for arbitrary system sizes. On the basis of the depth investigation, an average power increase of 17.49%, 14.47%, and 14.12% for the two-step approach compared to the conventional, hybrid and electrical reconfiguration was observed in the partial shading cases considered.