Power enhancement of partially shaded PV arrays through shade dispersion using magic square configuration

Abstract

This paper proposes a new static reconfiguration technique to configure the modules in the Photo-Voltaic (PV) array so as to enhance the generated power from the array under partial shading conditions. In this approach, the physical location of the modules in a Total Cross Tied (TCT) connected PV array is arranged based on the Magic Square (MS) pattern so as to distribute the shading effect over the entire array. Further, this arrangement of modules is done without altering the electrical connection of the modules in the array. The MS arrangement reduces the effect of shading of modules in any row thereby enhancing the generated PV power. The MS pattern based PV array configuration has only one Global Maximum Power Point at the right most peak in the PV curve as compared to the conventional TCT configuration under partially shaded conditions. Thus, the proposed MS scheme evidently avoids the need for complex Maximum-Power-Point-Tracking algorithms. The performance of the system is investigated for different shading patterns and the results show that positioning the modules of the array according to MS pattern provides improved performance under partially shaded conditions.