The Relevance of the Cell’s Breakdown Voltage in the DC Yield of Partially Shaded PV Modules

Abstract

In this manuscript, we discuss the relevance of the reverse characteristics of solar cells in the energy yield of partially shaded photovoltaic modules. We characterize the reverse IV curves of commercially available cells and we simulate the energy yield of photovoltaic modules using an experimentally validated simulation framework. Results suggest that cells with low breakdown voltages can boost the energy yield up to 74% in modules that are heavily shaded. Also, yield gains larger than 1% can be achieved for modules that are partially shaded only 7% of the time.