Techniques for Reducing Self-Shading in Solar Cells
Partial shading of photovoltaic modules causes disproportionate energy losses far beyond the physically shaded area. When even a single cell experiences reduced irradiance, current mismatch forces the entire string to operate below maximum power point, with measurements showing power losses of 30-40% from just 5-10% physical shading. These effects manifest across multiple scales—from cell-level hotspots exceeding 85°C to module-level bypass diode activation and array-level production instabilities.
The central challenge in PV system design involves balancing electrical interconnection strategies that minimize shading losses against the cost and complexity of implementing distributed power optimization.
This page brings together solutions from recent research—including translational displacement of cell subsegments with parallel bypass elements, multi-modal maximum power point tracking with embedded ICs, shingled cell configurations with parallel-connected groups, and dynamic tracking angle adjustments for uneven terrain installations. These and other approaches demonstrate practical implementations that maintain system efficiency under real-world partial shading conditions without compromising long-term reliability.
1. Horizontal Single-Axis Solar Tracker Backtracking Angle Adjustment on Uneven Terrain
TRINA SOLAR CO LTD, 2025
Optimizing backtracking angles of horizontal single-axis solar trackers on uneven terrain to improve overall power generation. The method involves adjusting initial backtracking angles based on a dispersion-reducing deviation, then finding the best group of adjusted angles with lower dispersion compared to the initial group. This reduces shading and light leakage between arrays while avoiding excessive angle differences that impact global output.
2. Solar Cell Module with Translationally Displaced Subsegments and Parallel Bypass Elements
Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research e.V., 2025
Solar cell module with improved partial shading performance, comprising at least two module segments connected in series or parallel, each with two subsegments secured from partial shading by a bypass element connected in parallel to the two segments via a bypass connector. The subsegments are arranged with translational displacement relative to each other and the bypass elements, enabling efficient bypassing of shaded cells while maintaining module integrity.
3. Multi-Modal Maximum Power Point Tracking System with Distributed Architecture and Embedded Integrated Circuits for Photovoltaic Modules
SIGMAGEN INC, 2025
A multi-modal maximum power point tracking (MPPT) optimization system for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems that improves power harvesting by dynamically adapting to varying PV cell conditions. The system employs a distributed MPPT architecture with multiple operating modes, including pass-through, optimizing, and active bypass modes, to optimize power extraction from PV cells under different conditions such as partial shading, soiling, and manufacturing variations. The system's MPPT ICs are embedded within the PV module laminate and operate autonomously to maintain maximum power point tracking, reducing insertion loss and enabling efficient power optimization at lower system power generation levels.
4. Reverse Tracking Angle Adjustment Method for Photovoltaic Systems with Series-Parallel Modules on Uneven Terrain
TRINA SOLAR CO LTD, 2024
A reverse tracking angle optimization method for photovoltaic systems with series-parallel modules, particularly suitable for uneven terrain. The method switches between two optimization modes based on solar altitude angle: a first mode that controls module blocking to maintain efficiency, and a second mode that adjusts tracking angles to prevent shading. The method also incorporates weather conditions and module height variations to optimize performance.
5. Studying the Impact of Shading on the Energy Characteristics of a Solar String
Maik Streblau, Julien Hristov Georgiev - Technical University of Varna, 2024
The current article presents an analysis of the impact of shading on the characteristics of a solar string, with and without the presence of bypass diodes. A solar string consisting of four solar modules was used for this purpose. Experiments were sequentially conducted by connecting one, two, and four bypass diodes. The study was conducted in laboratory conditions using an artificial light source while maintaining the cell temperature mode. The obtained results were analyzed concerning the volt-ampere characteristics, power characteristics, and the coefficient of performance of the photovoltaic string. All the obtained characteristics are compared with the characteristics of the non-shaded solar string.
6. Photovoltaic Structure with Transparent V-Shaped Profile and Integrated Cooling System
SOLBUZ INC, 2024
A photovoltaic system that overcomes the self-shading effect by using a continuous, 3D PV structure that can be cut to fit irregular roof shapes. The structure consists of a transparent, V-shaped profile that holds a sealed PV module, allowing for efficient light diffusion and reduced shading. The system can be manufactured in various lengths and can be connected using specialized connectors. It also features a cooling system that can increase power generation efficiency by up to 14%. The structure can be adjusted to accommodate different roof directions and slopes, enabling effective coverage of complex roof shapes.
7. Photovoltaic Cell Assembly with Side Soldered Connections and Enhanced Light Reception Area
JIANGSU CLELO TECHNOLOGIES CO LTD, 2024
An anti-shading photovoltaic cell assembly that increases light reception area by using side soldering instead of traditional front-side soldering. The assembly comprises a cell layer with multiple cell modules connected in series, each module comprising multiple solar cells connected in parallel. The cells are connected through side solder ribbons, allowing for a larger light-receiving area while maintaining electrical connections. The assembly can be encapsulated between front and back panels for protection.
8. Review Mitigation Methods of Partial Shading Condition for PV System
Ali Abedaljabar Al-Samawi, Ahmed Samawi Alkhafaji, Abbas Swayeh Atiyah - IEEE, 2024
Photovoltaic (PV) systems are becoming more popular for use both off-grid and linked to the power grid. These systems are static, flexible, and good for the environment. They also turn light from the sun, which is a clean, green energy source, into electrical energy. Because of optical and electrical losses, the PV system is less efficient, even though the energy transfer happens instantly. The optical loss caused by partial shading decreases a PV system output greatly, if not properly mitigated. Partial Shading condition (PSC) mitigation strategies are essential components of the power conditioning unit in all big PV systems. These mitigation strategies guarantee that solar energy systems can operate at their full efficiency even when faced with negative partial shadowing. Thus, the purpose of this work is to demonstrate the most advanced shade mitigation approaches currently in use.
9. Enhancing PV Power Extraction Under Partial Shading Condition with Shade Dispersion Strategy
Parween R. Kareem, Husniyah Jasim, Fattah H. Hasan - University of Diyala, College of Science, 2024
Improving photovoltaic (PV) system efficiency is a popular field of research. Partial shading (PS) adversely impacts the solar system's output power, which considerably reduces the system's efficiency. As a result, this issue has been the subject of extensive investigation. When sunlight is blocked off of photovoltaic cells in a PV array, panel, or module, it is referred to as shading. Using a method that involves spreading shade throughout the PV array is one of the suggested fixes for this issue. This study compares the performance of a shade dispersion method to different PV array configurations under different partial shading circumstances, and it looks at how effective it is in a 3x3 PV system. MATLAB/Simulink is used for the evaluation. To achieve this, shade dispersion-based TCT (SD-TCT) under various shading scenarios has been compared to the current standard designs, which include series-parallel (SP), Honey-Comb (HC), Bridge-Linked (BL), and Total Cross-Tied (TCT). Based on the global maximum power (GMPP), mismatch power losses, fill factor (FF), percentage power losses (PL... Read More
10. Solar Panel System with Dynamic Orientation Adjustment and Low-Aspect-Ratio Assemblies
TRAILANDER OY, 2024
A solar panel system for high-latitude locations that prevents shading between panels by dynamically adjusting their orientation. The system comprises a grid of individual solar panel systems, each with a wide, low-aspect-ratio panel assembly that can be rotated and tilted to track the sun. When the sun's angle is below 20°, the panels are adjusted to a 20-50° rotation and optimized tilt to prevent shading, maximizing energy output.
11. Research on temperature anomalies caused by the shading of individual solar cells in photovoltaic modules
Hong Yang, Ming Zhu, Kangwen Sun - Elsevier BV, 2024
The photovoltaic industry has flourished with the increasing importance of the new energy industry. However, partial shading can cause a decrease in the output power and abnormal temperature rise of photovoltaic module. Currently, there is little research and explanation on the mechanism of the impact of shading on temperature and output power of individual solar cells in photovoltaic modules. This study investigates the temperature and power variations resulting from shading on individual solar cells at different ranges within series-connected photovoltaic modules through experiments and simulation models. Based on the experimental and simulation results, it was found that small-area shading has minimal impact on the temperature and power of photovoltaic modules. However, a sudden change in temperature and power occurs at 25% shading due to current mismatch and reverse bias voltage in the solar cells. The temperature reaches its maximum value at 40% shading, but starts to decrease when the shading range exceeds 60%, attributed to a decrease in Joule heat generated by the shaded cell... Read More
12. Studying the Shading Effect of PV System on Energy Performances in Restricted Spaces
Sameer Khader, Abdel-Karim Daud, Akram Abu-aisheh - AEDERMACP (European Association for the Development of Renewable Energies and Power Quality), 2024
Shading has a considerable influence on solar cells characteristics, temperature, and irradiation. Shading can be represented as partial or total shading over a few cells, panels, or even a set of modules. This study investigates the effect of shading rate on the PV panel's performance when used with modifies SEPIC converter. A mathematical model is performed and simulated on the MATLAB/Simulink platform. The investigation is conducted to study the effect of barrier height, tilt angle, and altitude angle changes for one day, one month, and the whole year. The results showed that the shadow factor depends on a set of parameters and varies from one system to another. Furthermore, the most affected months are the winter months, where the shadowing exceeds 28%, while in the summer months it falls to 10% at the highest barrier. The annual loss of energy is studied with and without obstacles, where results indicate that the loss of energy varies between 30% and 1% as the spacing from the closest PV row increases from 0.5m to 10m. This fact motivates designers to allow a certain rate of sh... Read More
13. The Influence of Partial Shading on the Active Power Output of Solar Grid-Tied Inverter
Arifin Wibisono, Slamet Riyadi, Dimas Ragil Yanuardi - IEEE, 2023
Solar power generation is becoming increasingly popular to meet the continuously growing demand for electricity, as it falls under the category of renewable energy sources that are abundant and inexhaustible. This type of power generation converts direct sunlight into electrical energy using the photovoltaic effect. However, solar panels experience a decrease in output efficiency due to various factors, one of which is shading. In solar power systems, shading is the most significant factor that affects power output and has a considerable potential to disrupt photovoltaic performance. Shading can occur due to weather conditions such as the movement of the sun or clouds, as well as environmental factors like trees or buildings. This research aims to examine the impact of partial shading on the output power of solar panels using an on-grid inverter. Several experiments were conducted by applying shading effects in various patterns to the photovoltaic array to determine their effects on power output. Data collection was performed using two data acquisition devices to minimize errors in t... Read More
14. The Effects of Bypass Diodes on Partially Shaded Solar Panels
Jack Tchira, Todd Thompkins - rScroll, 2023
This study seeks to determine the effects of partial shading on the power output of solar panels and to test the effectiveness of bypass diodes in minimizing these effects. The first part of the study focuses on determining the effect of partial shade on the energy output of a solar panel. The second part of this study is aimed at establishing the effect that partial shade has on solar panel power output. In this study, partial shade was found to reduce the amount of energy generated by solar panels when compared to the solar panel in fully exposed conditions. After conducting experiments and reviewing scholarly works, this study concludes that partial shading does decrease the power produced by the solar panels, thus reducing the amounts of energy produced. Moreover, this research establishes that bypass devices are effective in mitigating these effects, which can improve the performance of the solar panel arrays, increasing the overall efficiency of solar panel systems. This research may offer support for the creation of new solar panel technologies that are more effective and effi... Read More
15. Solar Panel with Shingled Cell Configuration Incorporating Parallel-Connected Cells Within Shingle Groups
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, 2023
Solar panel with shingled cell arrangement that enables partial shadow tolerance by connecting cells in parallel within each shingle group, while maintaining series connections between groups. The parallel connections within each group allow current to be extracted even if one cell is shaded, while maintaining overall series voltage output.
16. Photovoltaic Module with Cross-Tied Substring Configuration and Series-Connected Sub-Substrings
SOLAREDGE TECHNOLOGIES LTD, 2023
A photovoltaic module with improved mismatch condition mitigation and efficiency, comprising a photovoltaic cell array with substrings of serially connected cells arranged in rows and columns. The substrings are electrically connected in a cross-tied configuration, with each substring comprising two sub-substrings that are connected in series. This configuration enables efficient power generation and improved partial shading tolerance, while also enabling the use of conductive backsheets and rear contact cells to simplify manufacturing and assembly.
17. Solar PV Panel Automatic Shading Analysis Using Boost Regulator and Inverter System
Md. Nakib Shahria, Md Rubayet Morshed Anik, Abu Shufian - IEEE, 2023
Shading poses a significant challenge to solar panels, leading to reduced power output and efficiency. This research focuses on implementing boost regulator and inverter technologies to resolve the shading problem. This study aims to determine the effect of shading on solar panels, assess the efficiency of boost regulators, and investigate the practical applications of this technology in residential and commercial contexts. MATLAB Simulink is used to analyze the behavior of the solar panels, with the PV block used to model the solar panel and dedicated blocks for the boost regulator and inverter. The boost regulator raises the output voltage, whereas the inverter converts the DC output to AC. The study analyses the impact of shading on the boost regulator and inverter, focusing on optimizing its performance through various operating modes and components. Simulation results demonstrate changes in system outputs, emphasizing the need for this technology in residential and commercial applications. The findings contribute to a comprehensive comprehension of shading issues in solar panels... Read More
18. Performance enhancement of thin film solar cells using silver triangular and rectangular grating on the back electrode
Safa Saminezhad, Gholam Reza Kiani, Amir Asgharian - SPIE-Intl Soc Optical Eng, 2023
Thin film solar cells, which are the second generation of solar cells, have recently attracted much attention due to their low cost and abundance of fabrication materials. But due to the reduction in the thickness of the absorber layer in this generation to <0.5 m, the amount of absorption is greatly reduced and the short circuit current density (Jsh) decreased due to the reduction of the light path length in the semiconductor. Therefore, light trapping is challenging in this generation to compensate for the reduced short circuit current. In this work, crystalline and amorphous silicon thin film solar cells, which are types of thin film solar cells have been investigated. In this study, using silver metal gratings with triangular and rectangular shapes on the back electrode of the solar cell, we investigated the effect of the grating structure on increasing absorption of the solar cell. Crystalline silicon (c-Si) and amorphous silicon (a-Si) have been used as absorber layer material due to their unique characteristics, such as low cost, abundance, and well established. The results s... Read More
19. Estimating the performance of solar cells with luminescent down-shifting layers
Roberto Bernal-Correa, Arturo Morales‐Acevedo - Peeref, 2023
One of the ways to improve the performance of solar cells is the inclusion of Luminescent Down Shifting (LDS) layers on the cells top, so that the available photon flux density can be increased at a wavelength range where the cell has a high internal quantum efficiency (IQE).In this work, we show a theoretical model to determine the cell illumination current density, considering the modified solar spectrum and the optical losses due to an LDS layer.It is shown that the LDS layer thickness must be optimized for minimizing the optical losses.Examples of application of this type of technology for CdTe thin film solar cells are described, showing that it is possible to increase their performance by more than 20%.
20. An Appraisal in to the Effects of Partial Shading on an Urban Photovoltaic System Using the Internet of Things
Lakshmana Phaneendra Maguluri, S. Farook, R. Saravanan - IEEE, 2023
Partial shadowing of a solar array is known to decrease the array's output power. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to calculate the exact degree of decrease in energy output from the darkened region alone. In this study, the process of partial PV shadowing on multiple PV cells by using IoT wired in series and/or parallel, with and without bypass diodes, is elucidated. A layperson interested in learning how a certain shading geometry affects a PV system may benefit from this study, which is provided in clear language. Commercial 100 W panel and 10 kW PV array data are used to show the study.
21. Solar Cell Module with Dynamically Adjustable Reflection Plate and Angle Modulation Mechanism
NANOVALLEY CO LTD, 2023
Solar cell module with adjustable reflection plate to optimize power generation efficiency. The module includes a solar cell panel and a reflection plate connected to its edge, with the angle between the reflection plate and the panel surface dynamically adjusted to ensure continuous optimal reflection of solar light. The reflection plate can be adjusted in real-time using an illuminance sensor and motor, or through pre-programmed angle settings based on time of day. The module can also include multiple reflection plates and adjustable supports to accommodate different solar panel configurations.
22. Bifacial Photovoltaic Module with Longitudinal Substring Configuration and Parallel Bypass Architecture
NEXT2SUN GMBH, 2023
Bifacial photovoltaic (PV) module design with improved shading tolerance and manufacturing feasibility. The module has substrings of photoactive cells arranged along the longitudinal axis with current directions aligned. This allows net current flow along the module length. Bypass diodes and power lines parallel to cells enable bypassing shaded cells without impacting neighboring cells. This prevents shading slowdowns. The module can have multiple substrings per string, offset strings, or a single string. It allows higher cell series connections without cell breakdown risks.
23. Investigation on Impact of Partial Shading on Solar PV Array
Shiv Shambhu Choudhary, Tripurari Nath Gupta, Ikhlaq Hussain - IEEE, 2023
Partial shading can have a significant impact on the output of a photovoltaic system. The nature of the functioning of photovoltaic systems, which rely on solar irradiation to make electricity, leads to the implicit belief that the maximum power of a partially shaded system always drops as the system gets darker. Although it has been indicated in the literature that this may not be the case, When a critical point is reached, partial shading patterns may become quite resistant to shading heaviness, allowing a solar-photovoltaic system to produce its maximum power even when partially shaded. This research looks at how the introduction of partial shading affects the locus of interest.
24. Review of Different Solar Photovoltaic Array Configurations for Minimization of Power Loss Under Partial Shading Conditions
Niti Agrawal - International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR), 2023
Environmental conditions strongly determine the performance and quality of the power generated by the photovoltaic (PV) system. Partial shading condition (PSC) is a commonly occurring phenomenon which deteriorates the efficiency and effectiveness of the PV system and can also reduce its lifespan. Altering the PV array configuration is a good solution to reduce the negative impact of PSC on PV system. Hence many different types of configuration and reconfiguration techniques have attracted the attention of the researchers. In this paper, a comprehensive review of different configurations of PV array present in the literature has been presented. The advantages and challenges for different configurations have also been discussed.
25. Design and Optimization of a Self-Protected Thin Film c-Si Solar Cell against Reverse Bias
Omar M. Saif, Abdelhalim Zekry, Ahmed Shaker - MDPI AG, 2023
Current mismatch due to solar cell failure or partial shading of solar panels may cause a reverse biasing of solar cells inside a photovoltaic (PV) module. The reverse-biased cells consume power instead of generating it, resulting in hot spots. To protect the solar cell against the reverse current, we introduce a novel design of a self-protected thin-film crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cell using TCAD simulation. The proposed device achieves two distinct functions where it acts as a regular solar cell at forward bias while it performs as a backward diode upon reverse biasing. The ON-state voltage (VON) of the backward equivalent diode is found to be 0.062 V, which is lower than the value for the Schottky diode usually used as a protective element in a string of solar cells. Furthermore, enhancement techniques to improve the electrical and optical characteristics of the self-protected device are investigated. The proposed solar cell is enhanced by optimizing different design parameters, such as the doping concentration and the layers' thicknesses. The enhanced cell structure shows a... Read More
26. Simulation of Anti-Reflective TiO2/SiO2 Coating for Silicon Photovoltaic Application by Ray Tracing
S.H.S. Salleh - UiTM Press, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 2023
n solar systems, anti-reflective coatings are used to reduce reflection and increase efficiency. However, the front surface on the solar cells alone is not effective because most of the light from the sun is reflected and very less energy absorption into the solar cells occur. An anti-reflective coating (ARC) of a sufficient thickness can greatly reduce front surface reflectance. Nanoscale surface texturing, on the other hand, can efficiently capture a higher ratio of incident light to boost optical absorption. In this study, the light trapping scheme within the wavelength of 300 to 1200 nm was used to improve the overall efficiency of silicon solar cells. A thin layer of TiO2 and SiO2 anti-reflective coating with different thicknesses was stacked alternatingly due to their different refractive index with TiO2 having a high refractive index and SiO2 with a low refractive index. Solar irradiance spectrum AM1.5G at normal incidence was used in this present work. For the ray-tracing simulation, the front planar with multilayer ARC with different thicknesses were investigated to obtain t... Read More
27. Method for Calculating Photovoltaic Module Tracking Angles with Shading Prevention
ARRAY TECH INC, 2023
A method for optimizing photovoltaic (PV) module tracking angles to prevent shading between substrings. The method calculates the solar position and projected solar zenith angle (PSZ) relative to a PV module's orientation. It determines whether the module's orientation can be adjusted to prevent shading of both upper and lower substrings. If not, the method sets a target tracker angle based on the PSZ and maximum tracker angle range, and controls the tracker to maintain this setpoint.
28. Solar photovoltaic system under partial shading and perspectives on maximum utilization of the shaded land
Xinyi Feng, Tao Ma - Informa UK Limited, 2023
Partial shading is a common cause for power reduction of photovoltaic (PV) modules. In this paper, the PV characteristics under partial shading are first investigated, based on the model considering reverse biased conditions. The whole-year performance of PV arrays is then simulated under three practical shading cases, including mutual shading, nearby pole shading and overhead wires shading. First, at a standard array distance, the annual energy loss of landscape arrays under mutual shading is 4.05%, while that of portrait arrays is 4.33%. The landscape arrangement has more energy output than portrait arrangement, making it a priority during PV installation. Second, the energy loss of the array built close to a 10-meter-high pole is 9.21%. If far enough from the pole, the array is partially shaded in winter, the loss will drop rapidly to less than 2%, indicating that a considerable portion of pole shading area could be explored for PV installation. Third, the yearly shading loss of PV arrays is only 0.42% and 1.39% caused by four eastwest and northsouth overhead wires, respectively... Read More
29. Performance Analysis of Partial Shading Effect on PV Plant
Su Leit Naing, Aye Aye Mon - Multimedia University, 2023
Partial shading of PV plants mitigate the maximum power generation of solar modules. As a result, the power output is lower than expected. It is affected not only by the number of shaded modules but also by the shaded patterns. This paper examined a PV plant rated at 15 kW connected in series-parallel for various shading patterns, such as row-wise and column-wise partial shading. This solar plant's behavior is also investigated under various irradiation levels and degrees of shading. The number of solar modules required for this plant was also evaluated. The performance results of solar modules under partial shading conditions, such as power, voltage, and current, are revealed by using the Matlab/Simulik model. From the analysis, the result shows that the column-wise shading condition generates more power output than the row-wise shading condition.
30. Simulations of Antireflecting Coating on a Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Cell: Influence of Optical Parameters on a Double Layers
Alassane Diaw, Oumar Absatou Niasse, Nacire Mbengue - Science and Education Publishing Co., Ltd., 2023
The decrease in the reflection of light on the lens is due to the porosity of the surface on a very thin thickness due to the refractive index became lower at 30 %. It is well known that the deposition of one or more layers of certain materials on the front face of the photovoltaic cells and optoelectronic devices such as lasers, diodes, reduces the reflection of the incident light, which improves the performance of the cells. Solar energy, whose efficiency varies around 60 %. In this study, the influence of the thickness of an antireflection layer, in this case SiO2, TiO2, MgF2, Si3N4, ZrO2 on the spectral response of the solar cell to silicon which passes up to about 90 % for a layer of MgF2/TiO2/Si whose refractive index values are respectively n = 1.3767 and n = 2.5742 quite far apart.
31. A Comparative Study on Effects of Shading on a Solar Photovoltaic System
Ashish Kumar Sahu, Shubhrata Gupta - IEEE, 2023
This paper aims to study the effects of shading on a solar PV array configuration using various equivalent circuit models presented in the respective research and results which can lead us to find a better conclusion to get more efficiency under partial shading conditions. Understanding the effects of shading between Photovoltaic (PV) arrays and power outputs is important in efforts to find a good overall PV system performance. It will be easy to understand PV modules by using a generalized equivalent circuit diagram and their characteristics. In an open atmosphere, shading is the main factor that contributes to the deteriorated performance of solar PV panels. Knowing the exact amount of shading allows us to compose mechanisms to overcome the output effects caused by shading. The purpose of this paper is to identify how PV modules perform in different situations of shading through the study of various research papers.
32. Roller Nanoimprinted Honeycomb Texture as an Efficient Antireflective Coating for Perovskite Solar Cells
Maciej Krajewski, Adrian Callies, Minasadat Heydarian - Wiley, 2023
Abstract The properly chosen light management strategy in perovskite solar cell devices is indispensable in achieving high power conversion efficiency. To diminish the reflection losses, texturization of the front surface, similar to what is used in established solar cell technologies, shall be taken into consideration. Within this paper, a honeycomblike textured SU8 photoresist layer is applied using a roller nanoimprint technique onto a planar perovskite solar cell to minimize reflection losses. The results show that the applied honeycomb pattern reduces the solarweighted reflectance from 13.6% to 2.7%, which enhances the current density of the unmodified cell by 2.1 mA cm 2 , outperforming the commonly used planar MgF 2 antireflective coating by 0.5 mA cm 2 . The experimental results are combined with optical modeling to find optimized structures and predict the optical behavior within a solar module. The process used within this work can be transferred to perovskitesilicon tandem solar cells, providing a promising pathway for the reflection reduction in future devices.
33. Relatedness of the amount of energy obtained using solar cells to the lighting of the surface
М. Н. Аликулов - EDP Sciences, 2023
This paper studies the dependence of the amount of energy obtained by solar cells depends on the illumination of the solar cell surface. It was shown that, if the angle between the normal which transferred on the surface of the solar cell and the incident sunlight is smaller, the illumination will be higher. Forever, the higher amount of energy which obtained by solar cell depends on the higher illumination.
34. Short Wavelength Photons Destroying Si–H Bonds and Its Influence on High‐Efficiency Silicon Solar Cells and Modules
Haoran Ye, Shenglei Huang, Qian Cheng - Wiley, 2023
Silicon Solar Cells In article number 2300334, Ye and co-workers explore the effects of short-wavelength photons on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) layers, silicon heterojunction solar cells, and modules. Device performance is affected by the reduced hydrogen concentration of intrinsic and doped a-Si:H films. UV-induced loss can be mitigated through light soaking or the use of UV band cut-off encapsulants.
35. Optical effects of water droplets on the performance of solar cell covered with a hydrophobic thin layer
Piroska Víg, János Tóth, István Seres - Elsevier BV, 2023
Due to the challenges of environmental protection and the exhaution of traditional energy carriers, electricity produced by solar cells is increasingly coming to the fore. The efficiency of solar cells is significantly influenced by many factors, including the purity of the solar cell. The application of self-cleaning coatings is a novel solution for cleaning. In addition, in case of using water to remove dirt and to cool the solar cell, a drop of water falling on nanotechnology thin layers also affects the radiation reaching the surface of the solar cell. The present study focuses on the latter effect. When a water drop appears, on the one hand, the illumination of the solar cell surface becomes uneven, and on the other hand, the water drop redirects some of the otherwise reflected rays back to the surface of the solar cell, so it has an anti reflective effect, we are investigating these two phenomena. The quantitative findings and conclusions were formulated on the basis of the data generated using the C++ model created in the RayTracer framework program. In addition to the equatio... Read More
36. A Modified Bypass Circuit for Improved Reliability of PV Module Validated With Real-Time Data
Kashika Baranwal, Prem Prakash, Vinod Kumar Yadav - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2023
Solar Power is a promising way of electricity generation but it comes with a drawback of low conversion efficiency which is caused by several factors, the most prominent being partial shading. Partial shading leads to mismatch of PV cells, resulting in formation of hot spot. This leads to power dissipation and physical damage to PV cells. Consequently, panels credibility is called into question. A bypass diode reduces the amount of power dissipated by a shaded cell, but it doesnt entirely prevent hot spot formation. Moreover, bypass diode doesnt bypass every small shade as it has a shaded area threshold at and above which it begins to bypass the shaded module. Whereas, the rise in temperature may also be triggered even by a small shaded area, like the area of falling leaves, which further creates reliability issues. A few hot spot mitigation strategies have been devised; however, it still has room for improvement. This paper presents a modified bypass circuit arrangement for reliability enhancement of PV systems and it is evaluated for a <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.or... Read More
37. Solar energy utilization with double-layer cascaded grating metamaterial
Hong Zou, Bo Wang - Elsevier BV, 2023
In order to produce clean energy, a double-layer cascaded grating light-trapping structure and a triangular back-reflecting Ag layer were used to improve the light-capturing ability of amorphous silicon solar cells. And the structure was compared with a planar thin-film solar cell without grating by finite element method. The average absorption of the device is improved and the tolerance of the angle is also enhanced. Besides, the physical mechanism of solar energy can be well explained by studying the electric field distribution of solar cells. The absorption of cascaded grating cells has been enhanced by 12.19%, and the average absorption efficiency at 300800 nm is 87.91%. The performance has been significantly improved by the cascaded grating solar cells. In addition, the structure has maintained its superiority in angle analysis. This provides guidance for the preparation of wide-spectrum, wide-angle thin-film solar cells in the future.
38. Analysis and Comparison of Full and Half-Cut Cell Monofacial and Bifacial PV Modules under Realistic Shading Conditions
Nihaal Singh Adarsh, Yogeswara Rao Golive, Narendra Shiradkar - IEEE, 2022
Shading is one of the key issues of PV systems and it affects the system performance at various levels depending upon module configuration and orientation, system design, and shading pattern. This paper aims to compare the performance of Full Cell monofacial, Half-Cut Cell monofacial, and Half-Cut Cell bifacial modules under some of the realistic shading scenarios that occur in PV plants using SPICE based modelling of PV modules. Shading of cells also pose a risk of turning ON the bypass diodes for extended periods, plausibility and effects of which are discussed in this paper. This paper also illustrates the effects of different values of Albedo on a bifacial PV module and especially on the functionality of bypass diodes. A simple two diode-based SPICE model is proposed for Half-Cut Cell bifacial modules which considers only single (front) side effective irradiance. Using the proposed model, backside shading in bifacial modules is also simulated and its effects on diode current are discussed.
39. Improvement of output voltage from shading interference on solar cell using a reflector system
Muhammad Iqbal, Eko Ihsanto, Agab Bakheet Mohammednour - Asosiasi Staf Akademik Perguruan Tinggi Seluruh Indonesia (ASASI), 2022
One of the factors that affect the performance of photovoltaic cells is shading. Shading can reduce the intensity of solar radiation on the cells. This study aims to design a system that can improve the amount of voltage from shading disturbances to optimise the output voltage on the solar cell by using a reflector. The reflector is designed in a flat mirror measuring. It is expected that there will be an increase in the output voltage of the existing solar cell system. The more reflected light that hits the surface of the solar panel and illuminates the shading area, the more significant the increase in output voltage, current and power, and vice versa.
40. Experimental study on the power losses of a single photovoltaic cell and two series and parallel connected cells with partial shadows
Xiaoxue Guo, Jiapu Zou, Zihua Wu - AIP Publishing, 2022
This study explores the adverse impact on photovoltaic (PV) cells (monocrystalline silicon) caused by obstacles covering different amounts of cell surface area. Experiments for a single cell, as well as modules with two PV cells in series or parallel connections, have been conducted. Under partially shaded conditions, the single cell and parallel modules exhibit a decrease in output current and the decrease ratio is equal to the shading ratio. The series PV module exhibits more deleterious effects including an increase in cell temperature and large decline in output current under different shading conditions. Shading 7.4%, 18.5%, or 29.6% of the area of one of the cells in the series module decreased the current by 15.6%, 37.4%, and 57.6%, respectively, with excess decrease ratios of 8.2%, 18.9%, and 28.0%. This study allows us to conclude that the variations in the reduction of the output of PV cells is highly dependent on the shading conditions of series modules in PV arrays.
41. Ray Tracing of Thin PERC Silicon Solar Cells with Cone Textures
Mohd Zamir Pakhuruddin, Nur Afidah Md. Noor - Trans Tech Publications, Ltd., 2022
Thinning of crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafer is a promising approach to reduce the technology cost of passivated emitter rear cell (PERC) solar cell. However, reducing the wafer thickness compromises light absorption, hence short-circuit current density (J sc ) in the solar cell. This necessitates effective light trapping in the device. In this work, upright cone textures are incorporated on the surface of 50 m PERC monocrystalline silicon solar cell. SunSolve ray tracer is used to simulate the optical and electrical properties of the solar cell within 300-1200 nm wavelength region. Besides, the solar cell is also simulated with a front silicon nitride (SiN x ) anti-reflective coating (ARC) on the cone textures. From the results, the thin PERC solar cell with cone textures and SiN x ARC demonstrates J sc of up to 38.8 mA/cm 2 and conversion efficiency of 20.4%. This is a significant performance improvement when compared to the planar cell, with J sc of 25.1 mA/cm 2 and efficiency of 13.1%. The improvement is attributed to the enhanced broadband light absorption and increased externa... Read More
42. Elimination of Hot-Spot in a Photovoltaic Module using Protection Diode
Subhasri Kar, Sumit Banerjee, Chandan Kumar Chanda - IEEE, 2022
Partial shading is a common phenomenon in the photovoltaic (PV) system and reduces maximum generated output power. In the efficient solar module shadowing effect, a relatively hot spot hinders improving the overall PV system. Bypass diode (BPD) and blocking diodes (BD) are two essential components to protect the PV module or array from unwanted heat loss. Light intensity is an essential parameter for PV power generation, and various levels of sun irradiance levels give the theoretical understanding of partial shading in the solar cell. In this paper, the current-voltage (I-V) and power-voltage (P-V) characteristics have been analysed in the case of shadowing cells with unshaded cells in Matlab software. Also, the output characteristics have been shown with and without BPD.
43. Semi-Transparent Photovoltaic Device with Light Scattering Transparent Sheet and Embedded Solar Cells
UNIV KING ABDULLAH SCI & TECH, 2022
A semi-transparent photovoltaic device that enables uniform light distribution behind the device while converting incident light into electrical energy. The device comprises plural solar cells sandwiched between two transparent sheets, one of which has high transparency and scattering properties to distribute light evenly.
44. Photovoltaic Module with Series-Parallel Sub-Module Configuration and Integrated Power Optimizer Circuits
NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST- NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNO, 2022
A photovoltaic module with improved performance in partial shade conditions, comprising a series-parallel connection configuration of sub-modules, each comprising multiple parallel-connected sub-strings of series-connected sub-cells. The sub-cells are arranged in an array and each sub-module includes a power optimizer circuit. The module's design enables efficient energy extraction under shade conditions without the need for bypass diodes, while maintaining low manufacturing costs and ease of assembly.
45. Light management for improved photon absorption in thin-film radiation-tolerant multijunction space photovoltaics
Julia R. D’Rozario, Stephen J. Polly, Sudersena Rao Tatavarti - SPIE, 2022
Maintaining photon absorption in optically thin III-V multijunction space photovoltaics can be accomplished by integrating back surface reflectors (BSR) to increase the photon path length inside the thin solar cell and enhance the photogenerated current. This research investigates the integration of textured BSRs with thin-film 1-eV InGaAs solar cells to improve radiation tolerance and maintain device performance of thin-film inverted metamorphic (IMM) solar cells. The developed textures include surface treatments using reactive-ion etching (RIE) and in situ processing during the epitaxial growth of the solar cells. The textured layers achieve higher surface roughness than the pre-textured surface, indicating angular photon scattering. The InGaAs solar cells with textured BSRs show an increase in the short-circuit current density compared to the flat BSR with no degradation in the open-circuit voltage. The planar and RIE BSR solar cells result in lifetime enhancement factors of 2.4 and 3.6, respectively, indicating an increased photon path length due to the textured reflector. Improv... Read More
46. Solar Module with Series-Connected Photovoltaic Cells and Parallel Bypass Diodes Configuration
FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JUELICH GMBH, 2022
Solar module with enhanced performance through series-connected photovoltaic cells with bypass diodes. The module features solar cells arranged in series with parallel bypass diodes, where each bypass diode connects to a solar cell on either side. This configuration enables the bypass diodes to bypass the photovoltaic current around the shaded cells, preventing overheating and ensuring reliable power generation even under partial shading conditions. The bypass diodes are connected in parallel to the solar cells, with no direct electrical contact between adjacent diodes.
47. Relationship between module performance and the shading area for modules with different circuit connection mode
Caixia Zhang, Honglie Shen, Jun Chen - IOP Publishing, 2022
Abstract Partial shading is very common in photovoltaic (PV) systems. The mismatch losses and hot-spot effects caused by partial shading can not only affect the output power of a solar system, but also can bring security and reliability problems. This paper centers on the silicon crystalline PV module technology subjected to operating conditions with some cells partially or fully shaded. A comparison of the electrical and hot-spot performance results for four different connection mode PV modules without shading and with partial or full shading is presented. Bypass diode of different modules would start up in the different conditions with increasing shading area. We found that the regular half-cell module degraded about 60% than its non-shaded power, which is about 30% less than the other three modules, when the short edges of these modules were shaded. The highest hot-spot temperature of the regular half-cell module was 75.5 C, which is the lowest among the four modules before the diode started up.
48. Addressing the partial shading effects on solar photovoltaic array by reconfiguration
N.A. Navneet, Neha Khurana, Smita Pareek - Inderscience Publishers, 2022
Renewable energy demand is increasing day by day due to clean and environment friendly source requirements. Partial shading on the solar photovoltaic is unavoidable effect and it affects the solar photovoltaic performance adversely. The photovoltaic cells of a module receive different level of irradiance under partial shading and reduce the power output. Therefore, different connections of these cells are explored to avoid the shading effect. This paper studies a 4 4 module with various interconnection such as series-parallel (SP), total cross tied (TCT), bridge-link (BL), honeycomb (HC) and triple tied (TT). Shading pattern on a 4 4 module is increased cell by cell in vertical direction, both from top to bottom and bottom to top. These shading patterns progress up to three columns out of four on a module. The characteristic curves, i.e., power against voltage and current against voltage are shown for the mentioned shading patterns and interconnections.
49. Analysis of partial shading of PV modules
Elam Cheren Shanmugasundaram, Shylendhran Ragu, Roshan Jayarajan - AIP Publishing, 2022
Solar energy is one of the supreme and reliable source of inexhaustible energy. It is free of pollution, requires minimum maintenance, recyclable and inexhaustible. The performance of solar PV system is mostly depends on solar irradiation, surrounding temperature and array configuration used. However the output of solar photovoltaic arrays also counts on the impact of shading on the panels and the relation between the output powers of the Photovoltaic arrays. Partial shading is a state in which all cells of a PV configuration receive a various range of sunlight. This shading is possible either due to different conditions like neighbour building, nearby tree or due to clouds or building. The purpose of this work is to study[1], analyse and illustrate the effects of partial shading with the P-V and I-V characteristics of the PV array and the analysis is done by using MATLAB - Simulink.
50. Utilization of CaF<sub>2</sub>/ITO Double‐Layer Anti‐Reflective Coating for Increasing the Efficiency in Rear Emitter SHJ Solar Cells
Muhammad Aleem Zahid, Muhammad Quddamah Khokhar, Youngkuk Kim - Wiley, 2022
Abstract A method to minimize optical losses in the front side of rear emitter silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells by applying doublelayer antireflection coating (DLARC) has been examined. The primary aim is to increase the short circuit current density ( J sc ) using DLARC that is associated with the cell's absorbance. The optical and electrical properties of singlelayer antireflection coating (SLARC) are studied and compared with calcium fluoride (CaF 2 )/Indium tin oxide (ITO) DLARC.OPAL 2 is utilized as a simulation tool to increase the optical properties of CaF 2 /ITO DLARC, and the experimental result verifies its validity. ITO is deposited using sputter system while thermal evaporator is utilized to deposit CaF 2 to make DLARC. The SHJ solar cell having DLARC demonstrates the average reflection of 6.55% which is 31.7% less than SLARC, that is 9.59% for the wavelength range of 300 to 1100 nm. The fabricated textured solar cell with CaF 2 /ITO DLARC shows enhancement in external quantum efficiency from 76.89% to 81.06%. It also indicates an improvement in J sc to 40.83 mA... Read More
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