Analysis and experimental validation of partial shading mitigation in photovoltaic system using integrated dc–dc converter with maximum power point tracker

Abstract

An integrated dc-dc converter with maximum power point tracker (IDCCM) is an electronic device that can be utilised to increase the output power of a photovoltaic generation system. Despite its potential benefits, there is an absence of a comprehensive analytical work to characterise the IDCCM performance under different partial shading conditions. Thus, this work proposes an analytical method to evaluate the system with IDCCM for different shading pattern/intensity, irradiance, and temperature. To validate the analysis, the SPV 1020 boost-type IDCCM devices are incorporated into a 2 kWp experimental test-rig. The performance of the IDCCM is benchmarked against the conventional system that utilises bypass diodes (alone). The results indicate that the IDCCM improves the performance of the central inverter as it ensures the latter consistently tracks the global peak. Also, it was found that that the performance of the IDCCM depends on the shading intensity: at low intensity, the IDCCM is able to extract energy from the shaded modules; however, it is ineffective at high shading intensity. Furthermore, when the shading is absent, the energy gained by the IDCCM is offset by the continuous power losses due to its internal operations.