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SPV ShadowingEffect

The document discusses the effect of shading on solar PV systems. It describes how shading of a single cell in a series string can lead to no power output or damage. Bypass diodes are introduced to mitigate this effect by diverting current around shaded cells. Blocking diodes are also used to prevent reverse current draw from shaded parallel strings.

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Anju James
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28 views

SPV ShadowingEffect

The document discusses the effect of shading on solar PV systems. It describes how shading of a single cell in a series string can lead to no power output or damage. Bypass diodes are introduced to mitigate this effect by diverting current around shaded cells. Blocking diodes are also used to prevent reverse current draw from shaded parallel strings.

Uploaded by

Anju James
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Effect of shading in Solar PV

Anju James
AP EEE
Simplest equivalent circuit of a photovoltaic
cell
• Consists of a diode in parallel with ideal current source. Ideal current
source delivers current in proportion to solar irradiation.
Photovoltaic I-V Curve
• Dark curve – diode curve turned upside down
• Light curve – dark curve + Isc
Shading effect- series string
• If any cell is shaded , it produces no
current and diode is reverse biased.
Thus no power will be delivered to
the load if any cell in the series string
is shaded.
• A short-circuited, series string of (n+1) cells
with one cell completely shadowed is shown
• Here the voltages produced by n illuminated
cells add up and appears as reverse bias
voltage of nV volts across the shadowed cell.
• As long as peak inverse voltage (PIV) of the
shadowed cell is more than the reverse bias,
no current will flow.
• If, however, the PIV is less than total reverse
voltage appearing across the shadowed cell,
current will flow through the string,
dissipating large power in the shadowed cell,
leading to possible damage of the module.
Bypass diodes for mitigating shading effect
• The voltage drop/reverse voltage across the shaded cell can be corrected by adding a bypass
diode across each cell.
• When the solar cell is in the sun , there is voltage rise across the cell so the bypass diode is cut off
and no current flow through it.
• When solar cell is shaded , the reverse voltage across the shaded cell will turn ON the bypass
diode diverting the current flow through that diode.
• The bypass diode when it conducts drops about 0.6 V.
• So the bypass diode controls the voltage drop across the shaded cell and limit it to relative
modest 0.6 V instead of large drop that may occur without it.
• During healthy operation, the bypass diode has no role as the cell voltage would keep it reverse
biased..
• Even so, its use would result some loss because of finite reverse leakage current through it. .
• It is neither practical, nor required to incorporate a bypass diode across each cell in a module.
• It has been the international practice to provide a bypass diode for every 18 crystallinesilicon
solar cells in a series string.
Blocking diode
• When string of modules wired in parallel , a similar problem arise
when on of the string is not performing well/shaded/partially shaded.
• A malfunctioning or shaded string can withdraw current from rest of
the array.
• By placing blocking diode at the top of each string , the reverse
current drawn by shaded string can be prevented.

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