A TCT-SC Hybridized Voltage Equalizer for Partial Shading Mitigation in PV Arrays

In this paper, a novel voltage equalization technique based on the hybridization of total cross-tied configuration and switching capacitor concept for enhancing the power generation of PV arrays during partial shading is proposed. The technique uses the charge balancing concept to maintain the voltage ratio between the total cross-tied array modules and ensures higher power output and convex power curves during partial shading. The validation of the proposed system is carried out in the MATLAB environment for three different size PV arrays under partial shading and compared with the conventional and three reconfiguration techniques in terms of power generation, losses, and conversion efficiency. Also, the insertion losses encountered by the proposed system are derived mathematically. The study concludes that the proposed system tends to generate higher power than any other techniques during shading with conversion efficiency of more than 97%.