Determination of the best shading pattern to maximize the power of TCT connected solar PV array during partial shading condition

In solar photovoltaic (PV) array, sometime it is seen that some parts of the array gets shaded due to the obstacles like trees, nearby houses, and pillars. This phenomenon is commonly known as partial shading. During partial shading, the efficiency of the solar PV array decreases severely. Because of that, the maximum power point (MPP) of the whole PV array decreases heavily. If the partial shading occurs in the same location for a longer period of time due to the deposition of dust or mud or obstacles, it causes overheating at that portion of PV module. As a result, the module gets damaged due to the generation of hot spot. In this paper, an effort is made to explain the behavior of the solar PV array in different shading patterns. Along with that, a detail comparison regarding the best possible pattern of shading is discussed to increase the efficiency of the PV array during partial shading condition. For different shading patterns and different environmental conditions, the voltage-current (V-I) and the voltage-power (V-P) characteristics are shown for both simulation and experimental setup. Finally, the MPP is calculated for both the cases and is found that they exhibit similar results.