Effects and Performance Indicators Evaluation of PV Array Topologies on PV Systems Operation under Partial Shading Conditions

There are numerous confronting issues with photovoltaic (PV) generations. Conditions of partial shading impact the capability of maximum power generation. Various PV array configurations are considered in this paper and their performances are examined under the conditions of various patterns of shading. A two-diode PV model in Matlab/Simulink is utilized to simulate the topologies of PV array of size 6×5 using KG200GT parameters. Output characteristics and various array topologies performances such as series, series-parallel, honeycomb (HC) and total cross-tied (TCT) are compared and analyzed. The results are presented with analyses for impacts of connecting bypass diodes and vice versa during partial shading phases. The evaluation of performance indicators of various PV array topologies gives the decision to pick the best topologies of PV array for designing stand-alone and grid-connected networks. Results indicate that the mentioned topologies demonstrate similar performances for uniform irradiation levels, while the TCT and H-C configurations provide better performances as well as higher efficiency compared to the other array topologies under PSCs despite their high interconnection complexities.