Optimum PV Array Reconfiguration for Maximum Power Harvest in Partially Shaded Conditions

Solar energy is widely used as a renewable energy source for electricity generation worldwide. Electricity generation in solar farms suffers from various limitations, among which partial shading is considered challenging. Partial shading limits the current and output power of PV panels and creates multiple peaks in the related IV and PV curves, leading to many technical and economic damages to solar farms on a large scale. In this paper, first the factors causing the partial shading phenomenon on PV arrays are introduced, and then the corresponding impacts on the output characteristic of the arrays are investigated. Finally, quality strategies are employed to deal with this phenomenon. In the following, a model based on the optimal configuration of arrays is presented to maximize the output power and flatten the output characteristic of the arrays. Next, the proposed model is simulated using the Ant Colony Optimization algorithm in MATLAB. At the end, the performance of the simulated model is validated with regard to different shading patterns and the results are analyzed and compared.