Simulation, validation and analysis of shading effects on a PV system

A simulation program for calculating the IV-curve for series connected PV-modules during partial shadowing has been developed and experimentally validated. The software used for modelling the modules is LTspice IV. The validation has been done by means of a comparative analysis using the experimental results obtained in a set of tests performed on the mono-crystalline modules of the Gavle University's laboratory in Sweden. Experimental measurements were carried out in two groups. The first group is a string of six modules with bypass diodes while the second one corresponds to a single PV module. The simulation results of both groups demonstrated a remarkable agreement with the experimental data, which means that the designed model can be used for simulating the influence of shading on the power of a string. The model has been used for analysing the performance of strings of PV modules with shadows and the benefits of installing DC-DC optimizers or module inverters, that minimise the impact of shading, have been investigated.