Tracking control of high-concentration photovoltaic systems for minimizing power losses

ABSTRACT This paper presents three key factors that cause system mismatches and power losses in high‐concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) systems. The first factor is the I–V mismatch within a module, similar to the manufacturing mismatches in conventional photovoltaic modules. The second factor is the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Progress in photovoltaics 2014-09, Vol.22 (9), p.1001-1009
Main Authors: Kim, Yong Sin, Kang, Sung-Mo, Winston, Roland
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
calibration
concentrating photovoltaic
Electric power generation
Energy
Equipments, installations and applications
Exact sciences and technology
high concentration
Mathematical models
misalignment
mismatch
Modules
Natural energy
photovoltaic
Photovoltaic cells
Photovoltaic conversion
Power loss
Solar cells
Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells
Solar energy
Tracking control
Volt-ampere characteristics
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Summary:ABSTRACT This paper presents three key factors that cause system mismatches and power losses in high‐concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) systems. The first factor is the I–V mismatch within a module, similar to the manufacturing mismatches in conventional photovoltaic modules. The second factor is the misalignments amongst modules, and the third factor is the tracking control. Unlike in the conventional photovoltaic systems, the second and the third factors in HCPV systems introduce larger electro‐optical mismatches due to narrow acceptance angles. We have developed a model to address these three factors. It allows an accurate estimation of power losses in HCPV systems, which enabled us to propose configurations to reduce power losses without adding additional electrical components to the system. Simulation results show that the power harvest can be increased as much as 8.5% for a system using open‐loop controls by simply increasing the number of strings at the time of calibration. Experimental test results are presented for validation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This paper presents mismatches and power losses in high concentration photovoltaic systems. We developed a model based on three factors: mismatch with in a module, mismatch among modules, and tracking control. The proposed open‐loop control increases power up to 8.5% without extract electrical components.
ISSN:1062-7995
1099-159X
DOI:10.1002/pip.2340