Design of an Electronic System for Regeneration of Potential-Induced Degradation (PID) in PV Installations

The efficiency of photovoltaic modules greatly depends on different types of degradation, one of which is known as potential-induced degradation (PID). In this study is proposed and designed an electronic system for regeneration of PID, without the need to disconnect the modules for maintenance. It contains a master module and numerous IoT nodes, located at each PV module, which are responsible for the reconfiguration of the strings. It is suggested that the communication between the modules could be implemented wirelessly, with LoRa or other appropriate for the situation technology. The study also presents the operation algorithm of the IoT nodes and the activity diagram of the system as a whole. Finally, three scenarios for the exploitation of such system are defined and their advantages and disadvantages are analyzed. The proposed electronic system could be useful for the owners of PV installation, as it would allow them to reduce the degradation of the photovoltaic installations, which would increase the produced energy in the long run.