Mismatch Losses in Simulated Commercial and Utility-scale PV Arrays due to Shortened Strings

Abstract

The intentional removal of one or more photovoltaic modules from a string, thus shortening the length of the string relative to others within the array, may occur for a variety of reasons. The result is a mismatch in string length which our previous work has shown to impact the operation of the array by 1) shifting the ideal maximum power point of the array, and 2) inducing reverse currents in the shortened strings at VOC, a condition experienced by arrays under normal operation and during some maintenance activities. This work takes the experimentally verified simulation results of our previous small-scale studies and expands the simulations to elucidate behaviors at commercial and utility scales.