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1 – 10 of over 1000
Article
Publication date: 31 May 2022

Srinivasan Vadivel, Boopathi C.S., Sridhar R. and Tarana Kaovasia

The aim of this research study is to mitigate shading impact on solar photovoltaic array. Photovoltaic (PV) array when getting shaded not only results in appreciable power loss…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this research study is to mitigate shading impact on solar photovoltaic array. Photovoltaic (PV) array when getting shaded not only results in appreciable power loss but also exhibits multiple power peaks. Due to these multiple power peaks, the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controllers’ performance will be affected, as most of the times it ends up in tracking the local maximum power peak and not the global power peak.

Design/methodology/approach

The PV panels in an PV array when getting shaded even partially would result in huge power loss. The pattern of shading also plays a crucial role, as it renders a cascaded impact on the overall power output because the cells/panels are connected in series and are parallel. Therefore, during shading, intelligent schemes are needed to appropriately connect and discard the unhealthy and healthy panels in right place with right combination. This research proposes one such scheme to mitigate the shading impact.

Findings

To mitigate the shading impact and also to have a smooth power-voltage (P-V) curve, a new series inducing switching scheme is introduced. The proposed scheme not only mitigates the shading impact and enhances the output power but also smoothens the P-V curve that facilitates the MPPTs to track the P-V appropriately.

Originality/value

The research findings are inventive in nature and not copied work. The reference works and the inspirations have been duly cited and credited.

Details

Circuit World, vol. 49 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0305-6120

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 April 2022

Hyoungsub Kim, Se Woong Kim, Yongjun Jo and Eujin Julia Kim

First, the contributions of spatial characteristics to microclimate were analyzed. And the results from mobile measurements were compared to those from fixed measurements to…

260

Abstract

Purpose

First, the contributions of spatial characteristics to microclimate were analyzed. And the results from mobile measurements were compared to those from fixed measurements to examine accuracy of mobile method. Air temperature and physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) profiles were plotted to explore the impacts of the spatial characteristics of that urban square and local street.

Design/methodology/approach

This research investigates the effects of urban canyons and landscape on air temperature and outdoor thermal comfort in an open square in Seoul, Korea, a city of diverse thermal environments. Mobile field measurements were carried out to obtain local meteorological data based on higher spatial resolution.

Findings

On a day in October under clear sky, air temperature and PET differences of up to 1.77 °C and 9.6 °C were observed at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. These were mainly from the impact of shading effects caused by surrounding obstacles. The current layout and volume of vegetation in the square seemed not effective for reducing air temperature and improving thermal comfort, which needs further study.

Originality/value

The authors tested a way to investigate time delay when using mobile measurements by correcting measured local data using adjacent meteorological observatory data. The findings of and limitations on mobile station-based field measurement and analysis are discussed herein.

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2011

J. Sidawi, N. Abboud, G. Jelian, R. Habchi and C. Salame

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effect of electric reverse stress currents on the performance of photovoltaic solar modules.

343

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effect of electric reverse stress currents on the performance of photovoltaic solar modules.

Design/methodology/approach

The effect of a reverse introduced current as a function of time is studied on the I‐V and C‐V characteristics and parameters which were extracted and analyzed using numerical analysis based on a reliable double exponential model.

Findings

The effect of an introduced reverse current for different periods simulated the effect of accumulated extreme reverse currents which may arise in solar cells and modules due to different reasons, causing dramatic changes in the shunt resistance as well as other characteristics, mainly when the time of the current application exceeded a certain limit.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the research on the damaging effects of reverse currents on the normal operation of the solar cells and modules.

Details

Microelectronics International, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-5362

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 October 2020

Balraj R. and Albert Alexander Stonier

Partial shading causes significant power decreases in the PV systems. The purpose of this paper is to address this problem, connectivity regulation is designed to reduce partial

307

Abstract

Purpose

Partial shading causes significant power decreases in the PV systems. The purpose of this paper is to address this problem, connectivity regulation is designed to reduce partial shading problems.

Design/methodology/approach

In this approach, the partial shading was estimated and dispersed evenly on the whole array by global shade dispersion technique (GSD). The grey wolf algorithm was implemented for the interconnection of arrays by an efficient switching matrix.

Findings

After the implementation of the GSD technique using a grey wolf algorithm, the performance under different shading conditions was analyzed using the MatLab simulation tool. The results were compared with total cross-tied (TCT), Su Do Ku and the proposed method of reconfiguration, where the proposed method improves the maximum power of the PV system appropriately.

Research limitations/implications

This methodology uses any size of PV systems.

Social implications

Replacement of conventional energy systems with renewable energy systems such as solar helps the environment clean and green.

Originality/value

The GSD interconnection scheme using the grey wolf optimization algorithm has proved an improved output performance compared with the existing TCT and Sudoku based reconfiguration techniques. By comparing with existing techniques in literature, the proposed method is more advantageous for reducing mismatch losses between the modules of any size of the PV array with less operating time.

Article
Publication date: 29 April 2014

Jihad Sidawi, Carine Zaraket, Roland Habchi, Nathalie Bassil, Chafic Salame, Michel Aillerie and Jean-Pierre Charles

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dark properties as a function of reverse current induced defects. Dark characteristics of solar modules are very essential in the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dark properties as a function of reverse current induced defects. Dark characteristics of solar modules are very essential in the understanding the functioning of these devices.

Design/methodology/approach

Reverse currents were applied on the photovoltaic (PV) modules to create defects. At several time intervals, dark characteristics along with surface temperature were measured.

Findings

Current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics furnished valuable data and threshold values for reverse currents. Maximum module surface temperatures were directly related to each of the induced reverse currents and to the amount of leakage current. Microstructural damages, in the form of hot spots and overheating, are linked to reverse current effects. Experimental evidence showed that different levels of reverse currents are a major degrading factor of the performance of solar cells and modules.

Originality/value

These results give a reliable method to predict most of the essential characteristics of a silicon solar cell or a module. Similar test could help predict the amount of degradation or even the failure of PV modules.

Article
Publication date: 2 May 2023

Praveen Kumar Bonthagorla and Suresh Mikkili

To generate electricity, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are among the best, most eco-friendly and most cost-effective solutions available. Extraction of maximum possible…

Abstract

Purpose

To generate electricity, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are among the best, most eco-friendly and most cost-effective solutions available. Extraction of maximum possible electricity from the solar PV system is complicated by a number of factors brought on by the ever-changing weather conditions under which it must operate. Many conventional and evolutionary algorithm-based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques have the limitation of not being able to extract maximum power under partial shade and rapidly varying irradiance. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to propose a novel hybrid slime mould assisted with perturb and observe (P&O) global MPPT technique (HSMO) for the hybrid bridge link-honey comb (BL-HC) configured PV system to enhance the better maximum power during dynamic and steady state operations within less time.

Design/methodology/approach

In this method, a hybridization of two algorithms is proposed to track the true with faster convergence under PSCs. Initially, the slime mould optimization (SMO) algorithm is initiated for exploration of optimum duty cycles and later P&O algorithm is initiated for exploitation of global duty cycle for the DC–DC converter to operate at GMPP and for fast convergence.

Findings

The effectiveness of the proposed HSMO MPPT is compared with adaptive coefficient particle swarm optimization (ACPSO), flower pollination algorithm and SMO MPPT techniques in terms of tracked GMPP, convergence time/tracking speed and efficacy under six complex partial shading conditions. From the results, it is noticed that the proposed algorithm tracks the true GMPP under most of the shading conditions with less tracking time when compared to other MPPT techniques.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a novel hybrid slime mould assisted with perturb and observe (P&O) global MPPT technique (HSMO) for the hybrid BL-HC configured PV system enhance the better maximum power under partial shading conditions (PSCs). This method operated in two stages as SMO for exploration and P&O for exploitation for faster convergence and to track true GMPP under PSCs. The proposed approach largely improves the performance of the MPP tracking of the PV systems. Initially, the proposed MPPT technique is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink environment. Furthermore, an experimental setup has been designed and implemented. Simulation results obtained are validated through experimental results which prove the viability of the proposed technique for an efficient green energy solution.

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2021

Annapoorani Subramanian and Jayaparvathy R.

The solar photovoltaic (PV) system is one of the outstanding, clean and green energy options available for electrical power generation. The varying meteorological operating…

Abstract

Purpose

The solar photovoltaic (PV) system is one of the outstanding, clean and green energy options available for electrical power generation. The varying meteorological operating conditions impose various challenges in extracting maximum available power from the solar PV system. The drawbacks of conventional and evolutionary algorithms-based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) approaches are its inability to extract maximum power during partial shading conditions and quickly changing irradiations. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to propose a modified elephant herding optimization (MEHO) based MPPT approach to track global maximum power point (GMPP) proficiently during dynamic and steady state operations within less time.

Design/methodology/approach

A MEHO-based MPPT approach is proposed in this paper by incorporating Gaussian mutation (GM) in the original elephant herding optimization (EHO) to enhance the optimizing capability of determining the optimal value of DC–DC converter’s duty cycle (D) to operate at GMPP.

Findings

The effectiveness of the proposed system is compared with EHO based MPPT, Firefly Algorithm (FA) MPPT and particle swarm optimization (PSO) MPPT during uniform irradiation condition (UIC) and partial shading situation (PSS) using simulation results. An experimental setup has been designed and implemented. Simulation results obtained are validated through experimental results which prove the viability of the proposed technique for an efficient green energy solution.

Originality/value

With the proposed MEHO MPPT, it has been noted that the settling period is lowered by 3.1 times in comparison of FA MPPT, 1.86 times when compared to PSO based MPPT and 1.29 times when compared to EHO based MPPT with augmented efficiency of 99.27%.

Article
Publication date: 9 November 2020

Md Ehtesham and Majid Jamil

The purpose of this paper is to focus on two major areas of concern for the Photovoltaic (PV) system, i.e. power quality and maximum power point tracking (MPPT). Novel control…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on two major areas of concern for the Photovoltaic (PV) system, i.e. power quality and maximum power point tracking (MPPT). Novel control strategies have been proposed for both these issues, and their respective superiorities over the existing techniques have been established. On the other hand, as far as MPPT is concerned, two limitations are found in the available techniques. One is the inability of effective MPPT in dynamic conditions where the environmental parameters changes very rapidly. Second one is the ineffective tracking of global maxima under partial shading conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

Here, modified Kalman filtering approach has been applied for estimating the reference current of active power filter, incorporated for power quality improvement. The proposed Kalman algorithm introduces a weighted matrix, which advances the estimated values of state variables. This paper presents a simple and enhanced model-based (MB) MPPT algorithm that has the capability of tracking MPPT effectively in both these working conditions. The proposed MB algorithm uses the mathematical modelling, and based on precised estimation of parameters, it pre-determines the MPP analytically.

Findings

It has been tested successfully for dynamic variations of insolation, temperature and partial shading, where all these three parameters are rigorously varied over the full scale of practical values. The results have been also investigated experimentally and compared with the simulated one. A close matching of both the results has been shown through the plots, which validates the effectiveness of proposed algorithms.

Originality/value

This research paper is part of the original research work carried out in Lab. Simulated results are obtained in MATLAB/Simulink platform, whereas these are further validated experimentally on 2-KW panel constituted with all types of commercial products, namely, mono, poly and thin-film.

Details

International Journal of Energy Sector Management, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6220

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2016

Francesco De Luca, Hendrik Voll and Martin Thalfeldt

The purpose of this paper is to constitute an efficient way to improve energy efficiency and occupants comfort in buildings through reduction of direct solar heat gains by…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to constitute an efficient way to improve energy efficiency and occupants comfort in buildings through reduction of direct solar heat gains by exterior shading devices. The shadings orientation and layout depends on the building location and façade orientation, and influence consequently the windows layout. It is still debated which type of window layout is preferable for a specific building location and façade orientation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a method to determine the most efficient windows’ layout, horizontal or vertical, for shading devices optimization by mean of integrating energy simulations and computational design. A parametric model has been built by visual programming language to simulate, iterate and compare the results.

Findings

The research shows the most efficient layouts of windows to be shaded for three latitudes and locations, and the 16 cardinal directions, to be used by architects and designers. The results show a significant prevalence of the horizontal window type on the south façades but also on the east and west orientations for all the three locations, while the rules of thumb would suggest the vertical layout for the sunrise and sunset façades.

Originality/value

The task of designing exterior shading devices presents two main issues: the shading period selection and the method of calculating its size and shape. The present research uses the innovative method Shaderade that existing literature demonstrates superior comparing other more dated like the section method and the solar vectors one.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 27 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2016

B. Chitti Babu, Suresh Gurjar and Tomas Cermak

This paper aims to present a detailed investigation on the parameter estimation of a photovoltaic (PV) module by using a simplified two-diode model.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a detailed investigation on the parameter estimation of a photovoltaic (PV) module by using a simplified two-diode model.

Design/methodology/approach

The studied PV module in this paper resembles an ideal two-diode model, and to reduce the computational time, the proposed model has a photocurrent source and two ideal-diodes and neglects the series and shunt resistances. Hence, for calculating the unknown parameters, only four parameters are required from the datasheet. Moreover, the studied model is simple and uses an easy modeling approach which is free from complexities.

Findings

The performance of the PV module is analyzed under non-standard test conditions by considering partial shading at different shaded levels, and it is found that the model has less computational time and gives accurate results.

Originality/value

The usefulness of this PV model is demonstrated with the help of several illustrative figures, and the performance of the PV module is evaluated.

Details

World Journal of Engineering, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1708-5284

Keywords

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