On the Sudoku-based Arrangement in Reconfiguring a Large-scale Photovoltaic Array

Partial shading conditions (PSCs) is the most common phenomenon among photovoltaic (PV) modules of a PV array, causing significant power losses in the PV array as well as reducing lifespan of the PV array. Rearranging the interconnection of PV modules of a PV array can equalize the irradiance in each row of PV modules, which improves the output power of the PV array. This paper proposes a simple and effective method to reconfigure the interconnection of a large-scale PV array. The power-voltage (P-V) characteristic of a PV array is drawn under four typical shading patterns, short narrow, short wide, long narrow, and long wide. The effectiveness of the rearrangement method is verified by an investigation conducted on a polycrystalline PV panel. Since the power loss is minimized in a range from 3.80 % to 10.59 % in four considering cases, proposed method could be a promising solution in reducing the effects of PSCs on the PV arrays.