Photovoltaic panel simulation based on individual cell condition

摘要

The maximum power generated by a photovoltaic (PV) system depends on the intensity and uniformity of the irradiation over panels. The Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is a control technique used to adjust the operating voltage of PV panels in order to continuously harvest the maximum power available. Modeling of PV panel characteristic curves are useful for the evolution of MPPT control algorithms. However, most of simulation models are not capable of completely handling non-uniform irradiation, since they do not consider PV cells individually, and use simplified uniform approaches instead. This paper explains mislead estimation of maximum power point (MPP) caused by simplified approaches and proposes a new perspective to model PV panels based on individual cells' irradiation condition. The testing of shadow patterns demonstrates the importance of modeling cells individually in order to perform an accurate MPP analysis. During the passing of shadows, the MPP voltage variation range can be over 39 times wider than the range predicted by simplified approaches. The proposed PV model is feasible and capable of provide a set of characteristic curves suitable for evaluating the MPPT algorithm efficiency.