Influence of partial shading on performance of a V-trough CPV system with various truncation levels
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24425/ather.2025.156591Abstract
This study experimentally investigates the performance of a fixed concentrated photovoltaics system consisting of a photovoltaics module coupled with V-trough concentrators under partial shading conditions. V-troughs had the same trough angles, but different truncation levels (reflector lengths). Their geometric concentration ratios were 2.35 and 1.80. Research covers a wide range of operating parameters - generated power, electrical efficiency, module’s average temperature, and characteristic curves - offering a unique multidimensional experimental comparison of concentrated photovoltaics performance with V-troughs of different truncation. The objective is to determine a relationship between the V-trough geometry, working conditions, and generated power. Findings reveal that the maximum power point and short-circuit current are strong functions of the truncation level and angle of incidence. For angles close to 0°, these parameters reach greater values at lower truncation. At higher angles, this trend reverses. While concentrator-integrated systems have a higher peak power than the bare module (by 23% and 18% for the longer and shorter concentrators, respectively), they experience greater temporal fluctuations in operational parameters due to shading. Their daily average power production was comparable to that of the bare module as shading cast by V-trough reflectors led to a loss in the instantaneous generated power of up to 45% compared to the system with no concentrator. Thus, among the tested concentrators, the shorter one is more cost-effective due to reduced material consumption. Additionally, the maximum power of concentrator-integrated systems was produced when the module temperature reached 70ºC, rather than when the solar irradiance was maximum.References
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