Application of “PolySwitch” fuses for the limitation of current overloads in photovoltaic systems of solar arrays

Abstract

The results of experimental study of the transformation of the light current-voltage and volt-watt characteristics for the parallel connections of photovoltaic modules when using “PolySwitch” polymer resettable fuses are given. The conditions for selecting such fuses which allow their correctly triggering and minimize the current overload are formulated and experimentally verified. It is established that if resettable fuses are connected in series to the circuits of all photovoltaic modules, which are connected in parallel thus forming a unit, this prevents such a situation as the complete loss of electrical energy generated by this unit due to the short circuit of one of its modules. At the fuse triggering the total power loss of the unit of parallelly connected photovoltaic modules is mainly determined by the decrease of its current by the amount that is equal to the current of the disconnected photovoltaic module.

Modeling of electrical characteristics of photovoltaic solar arrays with protection against current overloads based on PolySwitch elements

“…sunny or cloudy day, time of year, etc.). Note: The points are the experiment (Ivanchenko et al, 2018), the solid line is the approximation…”

“…The simplified circuit of PV array with protection against the indicated short circuits is shown in Figure 1 (Ivanchenko et al , 2018; Lyashkov et al , 2018; Tonkoshkur et al , 2019). The PV module was used as the PV component that was to be protected.…”

“…The PV array consisting of three PV modules (one of which was short-circuited) had already been used in experiments (Ivanchenko et al , 2018; Tonkoshkur et al , 2019) (Figure 8). The special experimental automated measuring complex described by Tyushkevich et al (1988) and Nakashidze et al (2004) was used to register light I–V characteristics.…”

“…The use of less expensive elements of functional electronics to isolate inactive (shaded or faulty) areas of both individual PV cells and their modules is one of the promising directions for solving the problem under consideration. In particular, it is proposed to isolate such areas by applying relatively new and widely used resettable PPTC fuses of the PolySwitch type (Tonkoshkur and Nakashidze, 2018; Tonkoshkur et al , 2018; Ivanchenko et al , 2018; Lyashkov et al , 2018). These elements of electrical and thermal protection have already found application in batteries and galvanic power sources (Oglesbee, and Burns, 2003; Kaminskaya and Domkin, 2008; Gavrikov, 2014; Littelfuse, 2018).…”

Posistor elements based on ceresin–nanocarbon composites

“…Recently, as one of the new areas of application of posistor elements based on the nanocomposites under consideration, they are used to solve the problems of constructing systems for protecting components of photovoltaic systems of solar cells from electrical overloads [11,12]. The general scheme and conditions for the use of resettable fuses to limit the current in parallel connections of photovoltaic modules by connecting a separate PPTC fuse in series with each module are justified [13]. It is shown that the series connection of self-healing PolySwitch fuses in photovoltaic modules when connected in parallel allows them to prevent contingencies of the complete loss of the electrical energy generated by this unit, which occurs when a short circuit in one of its modules.…”