A general model for comprehensive electrical characterization of photovoltaics under partial shaded conditions

Abstract

Partial shading condition (PSC) causes underperformance, unreliability, and fire risks in photovoltaic (PV) systems. Accurate estimation of PV behaviors is crucial to fundamental understanding and further mitigation. However, current modeling methods lack full consideration of the physical behaviors, system complexities, and shading pattern diversities, ending in coarse and simple analysis. Herein, an innovative modeling approach with high-performance algorithms is proposed to address these challenges simultaneously. Based on rigorous analysis, physics models considering the reverse-biased behaviors, the system complexities, and shading pattern diversities, are developed at the cell, module, and array levels, respectively. Then, a strict and progressive validation via measurement data is conducted to justify the effectiveness of the developed method. The method is valid for mainstream PV technologies in the market and can predict cell behaviors and module electrical characteristics perfectly. Notably, the proposed method is more computationally efficient than Simulink when simulating the same PV array. Lastly, to demonstrate its exclusive advantages, two case studies are conducted. The localized power dissipation can be quantified. The observed energy loss justifies the necessity of reverse biased behaviors and high-resolution simulation. This method can be coded in any development environment, providing an efficient and comprehensive tool to analyze PV systems.