Investigating the energy yield performance of smart photovoltaic modules in shaded environments

Abstract

In urban settings, residential photovoltaic (PV) systems typically involve conversion from direct to alternating current either at the string or module level. Generally, conversion at the module level offers better performance in shading scenarios induced by the built environment but is usually more expensive. This study explores the potential of ‘Smart’ PV modules, which include built-in buck converters that allow substrings within a PV module to operate independently and thus improve PV energy yield in shaded urban scenarios. Eight PV system configurations, varying in inverter topology and cell architecture, are simulated across three locations. Results show that systems using string inverters with Smart modules achieve the highest annual energy yield. Financial analysis further demonstrates that for the considered scenario’s up to 50% additional module costs are tolerable for a similar financial performance. In addition to energy yield improvements, Smart modules reduce the maximum temperatures observed within the system.