Techniques for modeling photovoltaic systems under partial shading

Context: The energy produced by photovoltaic (PV) systems operating under partial shading conditions depends on the connections between the modules and the shading pattern. Several mathematical models have been proposed to address this topic exhibiting different compromises between accuracy, calculation speed and PV model complexity. However, it is not evident how to choose a model for a given application to ensure reliable results. Method: Several mathematical models of PV systems under shading conditions were analyzed to synthetize the characteristics, advantages and drawbacks of each one of them. Three main categories have been identified: analytical, simulation and experimental methods. Analytical and simulation methods require a basic PV model and mathematical analysis supported by computational tools; while experimental methods are based in data or measurements. Results: From the analysis of the published solutions, three representative modeling techniques with different characteristics were selected to perform a practical comparison. Those techniques were implemented and contrasted in realistic scenarios to identify the effects of the compromise between accuracy, calculation speed and PV model complexity. Conclusions: To select a mathematical model it must be taken into account the connection scheme, model of the PV unit, model of the bypass and blocking diodes, size of the system, programming complexity and simulation time. This paper provides some guidelines to choose the right model for a particular application depending on those characteristics.