Modeling, Prediction, and Experimental Validations of Power Peaks of PV Arrays Under Partial Shading Conditions

Mismatch losses of photovoltaic (PV) arrays under partially shaded conditions are examined in this paper. Electrical models of PV arrays under different irradiance levels and temperatures are developed. These models form the basis for the development of the power peak prediction schemes for PV arrays with series-parallel, bridge-linked, and total-cross-tied configurations. The developed schemes have been validated using commercial PV modules under different irradiance levels and partial shading conditions. The experimental results have confirmed that the power peak prediction schemes can successfully identify the most efficient configuration under any given partial shading conditions. Furthermore, the predicted power peaks are within 5% of the true measured ones under almost all the cases.