Array representation of nonidentical electrical cells

Electrical cells (electrochemical cells, fuel cells, solar cells) are of relatively low voltage and power levels. The cells are, therefore, connected in series and parallel combinations to form an array that produces the desired voltage and power. The cells are "nonidentical" in their parameter values and have a certain statistical distribution. The dispersion of the cell parameters affects the electrical behavior of the array in such a way that the power output of the array may differ from the power output of the individual cells operating separately at the same conditions. This difference depends on the cell type, cell parameter distribution, array configuration, and the load type. The paper introduces a general procedure for the determination of the array performance of nonidentical cells based on statistical considerations. An identical "equivalent cell" was introduced, simplifying the array calculations. The procedure has been applied to voltage and current sources, series and parallel arrays, and four types of loads: matched load, constant resistant load, constant voltage, and constant current loads.