Effects of partial shading on the PV module characteristic curves

Abstract

Photovoltaic system performance is influenced by a variety of factors such as irradiance, temperature, shading, degradation, mismatch losses, soiling, etc. Especially shading, complete or partial, can have a significant contribution to the reduction of power output, depending mainly on the PV array configuration, the shading pattern and the existence of bypass diodes incorporated in the PV module design. In order to obtain the maximum power from a PV generator, it is of great importance to evaluate the complex effects of shading on the P-V and I-V curves.