Characterization of Photovoltaic Module Under Random Partial Shading Conditions

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) systems have been gaining the pace in energy market for the past decade. Reducing capital costs and government incentives are among other factors that drive the PV forward. PV massively depends on the sunlight that falls onto its surface to generate electricity. However, partial shading events are a common nemesis to the PV systems. It happened when some part of the PV panel's surface did not receive the maximum light energy. It can be caused by passing clouds, nearby trees or poles, leaves, bird dropping, etc. The harvested power drops during this event, hence the overall system's efficiency is also affected. This paper investigates the characteristic of the single panel system during various partial shading conditions. The identification of the maximum power point (MPP) location and the intensity of the event to occur at the region on the P-V plane is given priority in this study. All in all, this study aims to provide useful information for considerations in the process of designing the converters.