Simulation study on characteristics of photovoltaic array under partial shading

Partial shading phenomenon is ubiquity in PV generation system. It makes a great effect on the output characteristics of PV arrays, which reduces the efficiency of PV generation system severely. It is very important to summarize the principles of PV array output characteristics under partial shading. A special categorization and terminology was used in this paper, and at the same time, a simple and practical computer-aided design software of PV array based on engineering model was presented. The software can be used as a tool to study the I-V and P-V characteristics of a PV array under partial shading, and it has been experimentally validated. The analysis provides strong support for the promation of output power and the optimal design of PV array.