Minimizing mismatch loss in BIPV system by reconnection

Recently, building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems have become increasingly popular because they provide increased available space and have great environmental appeal. However, these systems may be adversely affected by shadows of surrounding buildings. In order to reduce the effect of shadows on solar panels, we propose the concept of a PV system with reconnection (smart PV), where PV arrays can be reconnected to minimize the mismatch loss depending on the output of each module measured at regular time intervals. In this study, the effects of minimizing the mismatch loss of a BIPV system by reconnection are evaluated by studying shadow patterns. The PV system with reconnection showed good performance for typical shadow patterns. In the evaluation, the optimized connection is determined by calculating the outputs of several array connection patterns. To analyze the daily impact of the PV system with reconnection, the daily output energy by the BIPV system that is partially shaded by a neighboring building is considered as a case study. The maximum improvement in the daily mismatch loss with the reconnection was 8.1 kWh per day compared with that of conventional array connections. In conclusion, it is shown that the PV system with reconnection shows better performance compared with conventional fixed array connections.