Comparative Analysis of different PV Array Configurations under Partial Shading Conditions

The ever-increasing demand of electrical energy has led to generation of power from many renewable energy sources. Among different renewable energy sources, solar energy is a prominent source as it is infinite, easily available, and non-polluting. Solar generated power from the photovoltaic (PV), suffers from the partial shading condition (PSC) where the performance and efficiency of the power obtained from the PV module are reduced drastically. Partial shading occurs when different modules of the array receive different irradiations. Partial shading is often caused by building shade, tree shadows and overhead clouds. To eliminate the condition of partial shading and to enhance the efficiency of the PV modules different configuration techniques are used widely. This paper analysed four different configurations namely series parallel (SP), total cross tied (TCT), bridge linked (BL) and honey comb (HC) under varied shading patterns using a 5×5 PV array structure. The modelling of the PV array structure is realized by implementing the parameters KC200GT and simulated in MATLAB/Simulink software.