Optimal dynamic reconfiguration of large-scale PV plant under partial shading conditions based on two reconfigurable stages

Varying solar radiation on photovoltaic (PV) panels reduces the PV system's output and increases the mismatch losses. Several techniques have been proposed to solve the mismatch problem, for example, the reconfiguration technique of PV panels. Most of the reconfiguration techniques have been proposed for small systems because of the difficulty in applying to large systems as a large number of switches are required for such applications. In this paper, a new technique based on total-cross-tied (TCT) in two reconfigurable stages is proposed. In the first stage, the shading over the PV plant is dispersed by switching between arrays. In the second stage, the shade dispersion from the first stage is increased by optimizing between the columns. The number of switches and sensors were reduced by using genetic algorithm, thus reducing the system cost. To demonstrate the proposed new reconfiguration technique, four shaded cases were simulated and tested using MATLAB/SIMULINK. A comprehensive analysis of power-voltage (P-V) curves and row currents calculation was performed, for TCT configuration and the proposed new reconfiguration technique. Also, a comparative study on performance analysis, energy-saving, and income generation was carried out for each shading case. The comparative study of the four cases shows that the reconfiguration techniques proposed in two stages generate more power under partial shading conditions than TCT. Further research is needed to ensure the practicality of the switches needed to realize this technique.

Automated summary

This paper proposes a new technique based on total-cross-tied (TCT) in two reconfigurable stages, which can generate more power under partial shading conditions. The use of genetic algorithm to reduce the number of switches and sensors has effectively decreased the system cost.