A cell-level photovoltaic model for high-granularity simulations

This paper presents a cell-level simulation model of photovoltaic (PV) systems that is capable of reproducing partial-shading and other mismatch effects at high granularity. The nonlinear diode voltage-current characteristic is stored in a piecewise-linear model, and the stored values are employed to compute the Jacobian matrices very efficiently. As a result, the model can be solved with low computational effort, so that simulations at cell-level granularity and over long time spans can be carried out efficiently. The model is well suited for evaluations of energy capture, including the effects of partial shading or other mismatches, in large PV systems over long periods of time. Comparisons of simulation and experimental results are provided for three representative PV systems.