Evaluating the output power of a PV system under uniform and non-uniform irradiance

Non-uniform operating conditions for photovoltaic (PV) modules of the PV array, especially the different irradiation levels received by the modules, greatly affect the energy yield of the PV system. This paper compares different avenues by which the energy yield of grid-connected PV system can be increased. The effect of some common array configurations, the level of distributed maximum power point tracking (DMPPT), and the type of converters and their gain; on the output power of the PV system operating under uniform and non-uniform conditions are addressed. Rather than focusing on the output power of the PV array, the power supplied to the grid and the overall system- efficiency are considered as the performance parameters for evaluation of various approaches. The results of exhaustive simulation study performed in MATLAB/Simulink are reported as a summary to highlight the superiority of high-gain converters over other approaches.