Shading and bypass diode impacts to energy extraction of PV arrays under different converter configurations

Huiying Zheng, Shuhui Li, Rajab Challoo and Julio Proano

Renewable Energy, 2014, vol. 68, issue C, 58-66

Abstract: A solar photovoltaic (PV) energy conversion system requires power converters for maximum power extraction and grid integration. At present, typical converter configurations used in a solar PV system include central, string and micro-converter based PV systems. In order to develop efficient and reliable photovoltaic energy conversion technologies, this paper compares the energy extraction characteristics of a PV system for different converter schemes. The paper particularly focuses on how energy extraction characteristics of a PV array are affected by uneven shading and how different bypass diode arrangements improve and affect PV system energy extraction characteristics under different converter configurations. A detailed comparison study is conducted for central, string and micro-converter based PV systems. It is found that compared to micro-converter based PV systems, the central converter PV systems with large-scale distributed bypass diode connections could be an economic solution to enhance PV system efficiency, reliability and performance, in particular for utility-scale PV generators.

Keywords: Solar photovoltaic system; Uneven shading; Central converter; String converter; Microinverter; Bypass diode (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:68:y:2014:i:c:p:58-66

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2014.01.025

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