String-Level (kW-scale) IV curves from different module types under partial shade

Patricia L. Hidalgo-Gonzalez, Adria E. Brooks, Emily S. Kopp, Vincent P. Lonij, Alexander D. Cronin

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Partial shade is known to cause significant de-rating for most photovoltaic (PV) systems. However, the specific de-rating due to partial shade from differently shaped objects like overhead wires is not well known. We present current-voltage (I-V) curves from three different strings containing 4 to 9 PV modules while applying various types of partial shade, including shade from electrical cables in front of the modules. We show that a 1-kW string of nine poly-Silicon modules manufactured by Sharp can have a power loss of 13% due to shading just 1% of its surface area. We verify that blocking columns of cells in a module has less impact on power loss than blocking rows. This demonstrates how the non-linear response to partial shade can depend on the placement of bypass diodes that isolate different sub-strings within each module. Furthermore, we quantify the reduction in power and I-V parameters caused by shade from wires (or PVC pipes in our experiments).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProgram - 38th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2012
Pages1442-1447
Number of pages6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2012
Event38th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2012 - Austin, TX, United States
Duration: Jun 3 2012Jun 8 2012

Publication series

NameConference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference
ISSN (Print)0160-8371

Other

Other38th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2012
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityAustin, TX
Period6/3/126/8/12

Keywords

  • current-voltage characteristics
  • photovoltaic systems
  • system performance

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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