User-friendly LabView tool to study effects of partial shading on PV characteristics

A photovoltaic (PV) array performance depends on various operating conditions. Solar irradiation is considered the most important factor. The shading on PV array can result from passing clouds, trees, utility, telephone poles, or neighboring buildings. It causes not only power losses, but also increases non-linearity of V-I characteristics of PV array. This phenomenon has been studied in many research works using different software packages. In this paper, user-friendly LabView tool is proposed to simulate effects of PV shading on its characteristics. Simulation results are verified through different case studies.