Modeling, analysis and comparison of solar photovoltaic array conﬁgurations under partial shading conditions F. Belhachat a,b , C. Larbes b,⇑ a Ecole Nationale Supe ´rieure de Technologie Rouı ¨ba, Alger 16200, Algeria b Laboratoire des Dispositifs de Communication et Conversion Photovoltaı ¨que, Ecole Nationale Polytechnique, Alger 16200, Algeria Received 19 April 2015; received in revised form 24 July 2015; accepted 24 July 2015 Communicated by: Subject Editor Nik Romeo Abstract The main purpose of this paper is to model, study and analyze the performance of diﬀerent photovoltaic (PV) array conﬁgurations under various partial shading conditions (PSC). The aim is to improve the eﬃciency of PV systems in general by reducing mismatch losses and to select the most appropriate PV array conﬁguration which provides the best performance i.e. the highest maximum power and hence the lowest relative power losses under partial shading conditions. For this purpose, a comprehensive study which considers all the available PV array conﬁgurations: Series (S), Parallel (P), Series–Parallel (SP), Total-Cross-Tied (TCT), Bridge-Linked (BL), and Honey-Comb (HC), is carried out under all possible scenarios of shading. The performance and output characteristics of these array conﬁgurations are analyzed and compared by using a 6  4 PV array size under various possible shading scenarios. The Bishop model of a photovoltaic module which describes best the solar cell behavior at negative voltages is considered in this paper for modeling the PV arrays, and it is implemented by using the Simulink and SimPower software. On the whole, the obtained results prove the superiority of the TCT conﬁguration which provides the best performances under most cases of PSC: uneven or random distribution of partial shading. However, for some cases of PSC this is not the case because the performance depends strongly on the patterns of shade. Therefore, this paper will enrich and complement previous studies in this area through a detailed analysis and comprehensive study of the diﬀerent PV array conﬁgurations under all possible shading scenarios which may occur in reality, the thing that has not been carried out previously. In addition, these results represent an interesting guide which provides useful and relevant information concerning the performance of each PV array conﬁguration under any pattern of shading. This will allow the estimation and prediction of maximum power and consequently will help to select the most suitable PV array conﬁguration. Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Photovoltaic array conﬁgurations; Partial shading; Series–Parallel; Bridge-Linked; Honey-Comb; Total-Cross-Tied 1. Introduction Partial shading is the major cause for mismatch losses which can reduce considerably the energy yield of photovoltaic (PV) systems. Partial shading may be caused by clouds, trees, nearby buildings, chimneys, snow, dust, dirt, bird droppings. The presence of shade on PV panels causes masks which block all or part of the direct sun radi- ation, so there is a loss of energy received by the cells. Moreover, when a solar cell is shaded it becomes equivalent to a resistor which consumes the energy generated by its neighboring cells. The absorbed energy is converted into heat which raises the temperature of the cell and damages http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2015.07.039 0038-092X/Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +213 772 506002; fax: +213 21 522973. E-mail address: cherif.larbes@enp.edu.dz (C. Larbes). www.elsevier.com/locate/solener Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Solar Energy 120 (2015) 399–418