Project design > PV array electrical behaviour

This option presents a set of graphic tools, intended for a better understanding of the electric phenomena involved when connecting several modules together in arrays.

Electrical connections of non-identical modules are not trivial. They lead to complex I/V characteristics shapes and current flows, which are far from being intuitive.

They often involve the reverse characteristics of the cells in the module, which has to be modelled. In PVsyst, this reverse cell model is only involved in the frame of these phenomenological and didactic tools; moreover in the practise, modules are protected against severe cell reverse bias through bypass diodes. Therefore the exactness of this model is not crucial.

The four graphical tools are:

Reverse characteristics of cells or modules,

Array or Cells Mismatch effects and calculation,

Array or Module with one shaded cell, hot spots, effect of bypass diodes,

Heterogeneous arrays connected in parallel.