Fault Detection Methodology for PV Array

The photovoltaic (PV) array is one of the most important renewable energy resources, as the power generation from PV contributes significantly to the system load among renewable power generation. Further, the energy generation is free of pollution and cost, as it generates power from abundant sunlight using the photovoltaic effect. Though there are various factors, such as variations in sunlight irradiance, sunlight hours, atmosphere temperature, etc., that affect the energy generation in PV, the fault in the PV array is one of the crucial factors that affects it severely. Each fault in the PV array has its own distinct characteristics. These characteristics may be detected using the various methods proposed. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of protection methods implemented for detecting PV array faults. It discusses the features and limitations of each protection methodology elaborately. It also describes the causes of each fault and its characteristics in detail.