An Iterative Analytical Solution for Calculating Maximum Power Point in Photovoltaic Systems under Partial Shading Conditions

Abstract

Detection of maximum power point (MPP) is one of the most sought-after topics in the field of photovoltaic systems. There are many approaches to detecting MPP, amongst these are analytical methods. Analytical methods use mathematical functions to solve the given problem and therefore are one of the dominant strategies. However, their applications to detect MPP have been limited to study only uniform shading conditions. The use of analytical methods to detect MPP for more challenging cases like partial shading conditions is yet to be investigated. In this brief, an analytical solution to identify MPP under partial shading conditions is proposed. Equations describing photovoltaic panels and MPP conditions are derived by applying fundamental circuit laws. The derived equations are non-linear and can be solved using numerical techniques available in most of the simulation packages. The proposed model can theoretically detect the MPP amongst 'N' peaks. The results from the simulation are verified by conducting experimentation with standard algorithms available in the literature. The results from simulation and experimentation are found to agree with each other. 2004-2012 IEEE.