Electrical performance of a fully reconfigurable series-parallel photovoltaic module

Reconfigurable photovoltaic modules are a promising approach to improve the energy yield of partially shaded systems. So far, the feasibility of this concept has been evaluated through simulations or simplified experiments. In this work, we analyse the outdoor performance of a full-scale prototype of a series-parallel photovoltaic module with six reconfigurable blocks. Over a 4-month-long period, its performance was compared to a reference photovoltaic module with static interconnections and six bypass diodes. The results show that under partial shading, the reconfigurable module produced 10.2% more energy than the reference module. In contrast, under uniform illumination the energy yield of the reconfigurable PV module was 1.9% lower due to the additional losses introduced by its switching matrix. Finally, a modification in the reconfiguration algorithm is proposed to reduce the output current-voltage range of the module and simplify the design of module-level power converters while limiting the shading tolerance loss. Reconfigurable modules have the potential to increase the energy yield of partially shaded photovoltaic systems. Here, the authors present outdoor test results of a full-scale prototype that can produce over 10% more energy than a module with fixed interconnections and six bypass diodes.

Automated summary

Reconfigurable photovoltaic modules are a promising approach to improve the energy yield of partially shaded systems. This study presents outdoor test results of a full-scale prototype, showing that the reconfigurable module outperforms the reference module by producing over 10% more energy. A modification in the reconfiguration algorithm is proposed to reduce losses and simplify the design.