Relationship between power generated and series/parallel solar panel configurations for 3D Fibonacci PV modules

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) Fibonacci number photovoltaic modules (FPMs), which are designed in part based on natural plant leaf arrangements, have been proposed as a means of efficiently collecting solar energy over the course of a day. In an FPM, it is necessary to connect the solar cells of each PV panel in series in order to obtain high output voltage. However, series connections of this type can also decrease the amount of electric power generated by the FPM if the shadows produced by panels fall on those receiving sunlight. In this paper, we report our computer simulation-based investigation into the relationship between the cell series connection numbers and the output electric power of an FPM, the results of which show that amounts of power generated by the FPM decrease with an increase in the number of series cell connections. This rate of decrease is considered to weaken the efficiency of each direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter.