The Impact Mitigation of Partial Shading on PV Array Power Generation

Abstract

The impact of partial shading on photovoltaic (PV) array is discussed in this paper. The partial shading on PV array can significantly decrease the power generation of PV array. This study examines the modeling of PV module which relates with solar irradiation, temperature, and shading pattern. There are different shading patterns on PV array, such as one-string shading, two-strings shading, and much more. The characteristics of current-voltage (I-V) and voltage-power (V-P) curves for each individual the PV array can be different dependent on the multiple MPPs, maximum power points (MPPs). These multiple MPPs are basically lower than the MPP in case of no shading. Therefore, the total generated energy in an interested time period is usually reduced. As a result, this paper proposes the appropriate arrangement of PV modules in a PV array in order to mitigate the impact of partial shading. Finally, the proposed arrangement of PV modules is tested in a testing system. All the obtained results confirms that the proposed arrangement of PV modules is effective and can be applied in practice.