An adaptive utility interactive photovoltaic system based on a flexible switch matrix to optimize performance in real-time

Alahmad, Mahmoud; Chaaban, M.; Lau, Siu‐Kit; Shi, Jonathan; Neal, Jill

doi:10.1016/j.solener.2011.12.028

Cited by 92 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In [9], experimental results prove that by using the reconfiguration system and an additional DC/DC converter, 13% of the power losses under partial shading can be recovered. Most PV reconfiguration techniques identify the irradiance value of each PV module of the plant and use this information as input for the relative optimization algorithm.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Proof of Concept of an Irradiance Estimation System for Reconfigurable Photovoltaic Arrays

et al. 2015

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Abstract:In order to reduce the mismatch effect caused by non-uniform shadows in PV arrays, reconfigurable interconnections approaches have been recently proposed in the literature. These systems usually require the knowledge of the solar radiation affecting every solar module. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effectiveness of three irradiance estimation approaches in order to define which can be well suited for reconfigurable PV arrays. It is presented a real-time solar irradiance estimation device (IrradEst), implementing the three different estimation methods. The proposed system is based on mathematical models of PV modules enabling to estimate irradiation values by sensing a combination of temperature, voltage and current of a PV module. Experimental results showed generally good agreement between the estimated irradiances and the measurements performed by a standard pyranometer taken as reference. Finally one of the three methods was selected as possible solution for a reconfigurable PV system.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Proof of Concept of an Irradiance Estimation System for Reconfigurable Photovoltaic Arrays

et al. 2015

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“…There are different reconfiguration models available [25]. The six-switches model employs six switched for each PV module to enable a fully flexible configuration [26].…”

Section: Reconfiguration Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photovoltaic Array Fault Detection by Automatic Reconfiguration

Dong

Cai

et al. 2017

Energies

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Photovoltaic (PV) system output electricity is related to PV cells' conditions, with the PV faults decreasing the efficiency of the PV system and even causing a possible source of fire. In industrial production, PV fault detection is typically laborious manual work. In this paper, we present a method that can automatically detect PV faults. Based on the observation that different faults will have different impacts on a PV system, we propose a method that systematically and iteratively reconfigures the PV array until the faults are located based on the specific current-voltage (I-V) curve of the (sub-)array. Our method can detect several main types of faults including open-circuit faults, mismatch faults, short circuit faults, etc. We evaluate our methods by Matlab/Simulink-based simulation. The results show that the proposed methods can accurately detect and classify the different faults occurring in a PV system.

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“…The switches' matrix, the sweep device and the controller are described in the following paragraphs. The PV panels are connected to the switches' matrix, which is implemented by a set of interconnected relays to obtain low power losses, as reported in [15,21,33,34]. The switches' matrix has two main functions defined by the controller algorithm: connect each PV panel to some string of the array, and connect each PV panel to the sweep device.…”

Section: Structure Of the Reconfiguration Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, a distributed switches' matrix reduces considerably the cabling requirements and, as a consequence, the ohmic losses and the installation costs in comparison with a centralized matrix. The design and implementation of different switches matrices are reported in [15,21,34,35].…”

Section: Structure Of the Reconfiguration Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconfiguration of Urban Photovoltaic Arrays Using Commercial Devices

2015

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Abstract:A recent approach to mitigate the adverse effects of photovoltaic (PV) arrays operating under mismatching conditions is the dynamic electrical reconfiguration of the PV panels. This paper introduces a procedure to determine the best configuration of a PV array connected in a series-parallel structure without using complex mathematical models. Such a procedure uses the experimental current vs. voltage curves of the PV panels, which are composed of multiple PV modules, to construct the power vs. voltage curves of all of the possible configurations to identify the optimal one. The main advantage of this method is the low computational effort required to reconstruct the power vs. voltage curves of the array. This characteristic enables one to implement the proposed solution using inexpensive embedded devices, which are widely adopted in industrial applications. The proposed method, and its embedded implementation, were tested using a hardware-in-the-loop simulation of the PV system. Finally, the real-time operation and benefits of the proposed solution are illustrated using a practical example based on commercial devices.

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An adaptive utility interactive photovoltaic system based on a flexible switch matrix to optimize performance in real-time

Cited by 92 publications

References 20 publications

Proof of Concept of an Irradiance Estimation System for Reconfigurable Photovoltaic Arrays

Proof of Concept of an Irradiance Estimation System for Reconfigurable Photovoltaic Arrays

Photovoltaic Array Fault Detection by Automatic Reconfiguration

Reconfiguration of Urban Photovoltaic Arrays Using Commercial Devices

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