Analysis of current and voltage indicators in grid connected PV (photovoltaic) systems working in faulty and partial shading conditions

• Effective detection of partial shading conditions in grid connected PV (photovoltaic) systems.
• Detection of partial shading of PV arrays.
• Estimation of power losses due to partial shading in real time operation.

To ensure the optimization of the energy generated by grid connected PV (photovoltaic) systems is necessary to plan a strategy of automatic fault detection. The analysis of current and voltage indicators have demonstrated effectiveness in the detection of permanent faults in the PV array in real time as short-circuits or open circuits present in the system. In this paper, the analysis of the evolution of these indicators is focused on the detection of temporary faults due to partial shade on the PV array or disconnection of the inverter in case of grid fluctuations of voltage or frequency to prevent islanding. These situations can be identified by observation of the evolution of both indicators and power losses due to these effects can be evaluated from them. The analysis and experimental validation were carried out in two grid connected PV systems in Spain and Algeria.