Improved power generation by dispersing the uniform and non-uniform partial shades in solar photovoltaic array

Highlights: • An image processing based Chaotic Baker Map is proposed to mitigate shading effects. • In this proposed technique, pixel of an image is considered as a panel in an array. • The proposed work is tested on 4 × 4 & 6 × 6 dimensions with several shading scenarios. • For all shading scenarios, the output power in proposed configuration is superior. • Results clearly demonstrate the worth of the proposed work. -- Abstract: Partial shading plays a vital role in reduction of output power from Solar Photo-Voltaic (SPV) array. In SPV arrays, power loss is dependent on shading patterns, shading area and level of irradiation. In this work, Chaotic Baker Map (CBM) technique is proposed, to reduce the mismatch power losses due to partial shading. This technique focuses on reducing the power loss by spreading the partial shading effect across the entire array without changing its electrical connections. The efficacy of the proposed system is analyzed and compared with conventional configurations such as, Series Parallel, Total Cross Tied, Bridge Link and Honey Comb configurations during different uniform and non-uniform shading conditions for 4 × 4 and 6 × 6 SPV Arrays. From the comparative results, it is observed that the proposed image processing based Chaotic Baker Map improves the output power and reduces the power loss under all shading conditions. As the proposed configuration doesn't involve complex algorithms, it is ideally suitable for Building Integrated PV (BIPV) systems and large size solar farms without any complications.