Shading effects in the IU characteristic of a mono-crystalline PV module

This work deals with the impact of the shading on the efficiency of the photovoltaic modules. Including the shading the efficiency of the photovoltaic modules is also influenced by the solar radiation, the temperature and the position. Often, the PV modules get shadowed, partially or completely, by the passing clouds, the adjacent buildings or by the trees, etc. The situation is of a particular interest in a case of the large PV power plants. In the case of the shading the characteristics of the PV module are more complex with the several peak values. Under such conditions, it is very difficult to determine the maximum power point (MPP). In this work the shading of the solar photovoltaic module is evaluated. The solar cells were sequentially and parallel shadowed, according to the bridging diode. The results presented show that the decrease in power of the photovoltaic module is not proportional to the shaded area.