Comparative analysis of partial shading between Total Cross Tied (TCT) and Series Parallel (SP) in solar farm

• Main Author: Darishini Nadarajah, Ms.
• Format: text::Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Comparative analysis of partial shading between total cross tied (TCT) and series parallel (SP) in solar farm

Continuous use of fossil fuels has a detrimental impact on the atmosphere. With an increase in energy consumption in recent times, there has been widespread use of renewable energy sources to meet energy requirements. Solar energy is a major nonpolluting energy that can be used for the cause of renewable energy sources. In a photovoltaic power system, the most fundamental elements are photovoltaic arrays or solar panels. Photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules are being used to produce electricity from solar. Concerning radiance and temperature, photovoltaic modules have dynamic characteristics. PV arrays are being used in place of PV modules for high-power applications. Due to partial shading conditions, the PV array power generation significantly reduces. This can cause inconsistencies between the modules, resulting in detrimental effects such as a decrease in power produced and hot spots. To overcome the mismatch problem, several methods have been proposed, such as the PV panel reconfiguration methodology. Partial shading is caused by clouds passing by, tree shadows, buildings nearby, towers, poles, etc. Therefore, the power output is lower than the predicted value. It depends not only on several shaded modules but also on the PV array configuration. Physical PV modules for partial shading studies are difficult to utilise in field trials since they are expensive, slow, and fully dependent on current climate conditions. The interconnection topology of the PV modules is modified in this study to research its effect on partial shading. The two commonly used topologies for interconnections, the Series-Parallel (SP) and Total Cross Tied (TCT) series, are considered under a 6 x 6 PV array. The power generation capacity for both topologies was analysed under six different shading patterns. MATLAB/Simulink is used to model all the shading scenarios. Based on the findings of the proposed reconfiguration, the power generated has increased by 0.22%, 12.5%, 3.1%, and 7%, for cases 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively, under TCT. Comparative studies for three performance indices are carried out in terms of power loss, mismatch loss, and fill factor. The proposed method decreases the power loss of mismatch. The outcome of mismatch loss is 15%, 3%, 2.9%, and 1.27% for cases 3, 4, 5, and 6 under TCT configuration. Findings show that TCT configuration has satisfactory results and generates greater power than SP configuration under partial shading conditions, based on the simulation and comparative analysis.