Partial Shading Condition on PV Array: Causes, Effects and Shading Mitigation using DSMPPT

Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are gaining importance increasingly as it directly converts solar radiation into electrical energy which is renewable and environment friendly. Where it has a numerous advantage, some disadvantages are also there like its dependency on environmental conditions. The power developed by solar panel decreases if it does not get uniform radiation. Sometimes due to nearby buildings, passing clouds etc. PV module might be partially shaded because of which power output of solar panel may get decrease this is called partial shading conditions. It causes significant reduction in the system power output. To overcome this, maximum power point-tracking under partial shading condition by continuous duty cycle variation schemes have been proposed, in which dc–dc boost converters are connected to PV module to enable maximum power extraction. In this paper a new method of Duty Sweep Maximum Power Point Tracking (DSMPPT) has been implanted, which is capable of tracking the Global Maximum Power Point (GMPP) in the presence of other local maxima. The proposed scheme tracks Maximum Power Point (MPP) by continuous variation of converter’s duty cycle without the use of costly components such as signal converters and microprocessors thereby increasing the compactness of the system.