Volume 5: Innovative Solutions for Energy Transitions: Part IV

Influence of Backtracking at Solar-Tracking Photovoltaic Power Plants for Generation and Protection Karen Barbosa de Melo A, Hugo Soeiro Moreira A, Andrew Vinícius Silva Moreira B, Fredrik Wallin C, Marcelo Gradella Villalva

Abstract

Photovoltaic plants appear as an option for a more environmentally friendly centralized generation. Solartracking is used for efficiency gain presenting better performance than fixed tilted plants. However, the system suffers generation and protection problems without the use of backtracking algorithms. Shading conditions can prejudice the energy generation and cause diode failure. This paper studies the influence of backtracking for protection and generation. For protection, it is shown that the bypass diode takes time to activate, generating hotspots. For efficiency, the production and plant size gains are highlighted.

Keywords bypass diode, hotspot, partially shading, solar-tracking energy