Modeling of PV Array to Study The Effects of Partial Shading on Its Characteristics and MPPT

Abstract

MATLAB based modeling and simulation scheme suitable for studying the I-V and P-V characteristics of PV array under a non-uniform insolation due to partial shading and finding maximum power point from the characteristic is presented in the paper. This involved the Simulink and embedded MATLAB code for simulation. This is simple to use, accurate and economical computer aided design tool which can be used to enhance the understanding and predict the I-V and P-V characteristics of large PV arrays. It can be used to study the effect of temperature, insolation variation, varying shading patterns and the role of array configuration on the PV characteristics. Paper proposes standard algorithm to track the power peak under partially shaded conditions. The modeling and simulation of the maximum power point tracking algorithm is implemented in MATLAB / Simulink environment. The simulation results prove that with Perturb and Observe (P&O) algorithm, MPPT reaches the intended maximum power point.