I–V Characteristics-Based Shading Detection Technique for PV Applications

Photovoltaic (PV) monitoring systems and diagnosis are becoming progressively more important to maximize power generation, improve efficiency, and extend the life of photovoltaic systems. The performance of the photovoltaic system is mainly affected by irradiation and cell temperature. The presence of partial shading causes low incident irradiation to the solar array, which reduces power generation. Also, during partial shading, multiple power peaks are present in the power–voltage characteristics of the photovoltaic array. So, in such a case, MPPT developer faces many problems while developing global maximum power point tracking techniques. The localized shading also causes the heating issues of that particular photovoltaic cell. Since the output power of PV cells is inversely proportional to cell temperature, the localized shading also affects the output power. This paper proposed a unique and accurate photovoltaic shadow detection technique that detects and diagnoses the shading, including the shaded array having uniform shading, two power peaks, and multiple power peaks.