PV system power loss and module damage due to partial shade and bypass diode failure depend on cell behavior in reverse bias

Adria E. Brooks; Daniel Cormode; Alexander D Cronin; Elsa Kam-Lum

doi:10.1109/PVSC.2015.7356290

PV system power loss and module damage due to partial shade and bypass diode failure depend on cell behavior in reverse bias

Adria E. Brooks, Daniel Cormode, Alexander D Cronin, Elsa Kam-Lum

Physics

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Power loss due to partial shade was compared for two types of commercial photovoltaic modules. We also tested both types of modules with bypass diodes removed to simulate diode failure. Modules with uniformly low reverse bias voltage (VBR) cells (of -4V) lost significantly less power compared to modules with high VBR cells (of -15V) when subjected to partial shade. Differences in power loss were even larger when bypass diodes were removed. Associated with higher power loss, we observed several types of degradation on modules with high-VBR cells. A model to simulate power loss in an array due to partial shading that uses VBR as the main parameter was found to be in good agreement with measured power losses in the field.

Original language	English (US)
Title of host publication	2015 IEEE 42nd Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2015
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
ISBN (Print)	9781479979448
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2015.7356290
State	Published - Dec 14 2015
Event	42nd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2015 - New Orleans, United States Duration: Jun 14 2015 → Jun 19 2015

Other

Other	42nd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2015
Country	United States
City	New Orleans
Period	6/14/15 → 6/19/15

Keywords

bypass diodes
crystalline materials
current-voltage characteristics
degradation
photovoltaic systems
power system protection
reverse bias voltage

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

Access to Document

10.1109/PVSC.2015.7356290

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PV system power loss and module damage due to partial shade and bypass diode failure depend on cell behavior in reverse bias. / Brooks, Adria E.; Cormode, Daniel; Cronin, Alexander D; Kam-Lum, Elsa.

2015 IEEE 42nd Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2015. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2015. 7356290.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

Brooks, AE, Cormode, D, Cronin, AD & Kam-Lum, E 2015, PV system power loss and module damage due to partial shade and bypass diode failure depend on cell behavior in reverse bias. in 2015 IEEE 42nd Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2015., 7356290, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 42nd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2015, New Orleans, United States, 6/14/15. https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2015.7356290

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title = "PV system power loss and module damage due to partial shade and bypass diode failure depend on cell behavior in reverse bias",

abstract = "Power loss due to partial shade was compared for two types of commercial photovoltaic modules. We also tested both types of modules with bypass diodes removed to simulate diode failure. Modules with uniformly low reverse bias voltage (VBR) cells (of -4V) lost significantly less power compared to modules with high VBR cells (of -15V) when subjected to partial shade. Differences in power loss were even larger when bypass diodes were removed. Associated with higher power loss, we observed several types of degradation on modules with high-VBR cells. A model to simulate power loss in an array due to partial shading that uses VBR as the main parameter was found to be in good agreement with measured power losses in the field.",

keywords = "bypass diodes, crystalline materials, current-voltage characteristics, degradation, photovoltaic systems, power system protection, reverse bias voltage",

author = "Brooks, {Adria E.} and Daniel Cormode and Cronin, {Alexander D} and Elsa Kam-Lum",

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N2 - Power loss due to partial shade was compared for two types of commercial photovoltaic modules. We also tested both types of modules with bypass diodes removed to simulate diode failure. Modules with uniformly low reverse bias voltage (VBR) cells (of -4V) lost significantly less power compared to modules with high VBR cells (of -15V) when subjected to partial shade. Differences in power loss were even larger when bypass diodes were removed. Associated with higher power loss, we observed several types of degradation on modules with high-VBR cells. A model to simulate power loss in an array due to partial shading that uses VBR as the main parameter was found to be in good agreement with measured power losses in the field.

AB - Power loss due to partial shade was compared for two types of commercial photovoltaic modules. We also tested both types of modules with bypass diodes removed to simulate diode failure. Modules with uniformly low reverse bias voltage (VBR) cells (of -4V) lost significantly less power compared to modules with high VBR cells (of -15V) when subjected to partial shade. Differences in power loss were even larger when bypass diodes were removed. Associated with higher power loss, we observed several types of degradation on modules with high-VBR cells. A model to simulate power loss in an array due to partial shading that uses VBR as the main parameter was found to be in good agreement with measured power losses in the field.

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