Modeling of electrical characteristics of photovoltaic solar arrays with protection against current overloads based on PolySwitch elements

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to minimize and prevent current overloads (including the elimination of abnormal and fire hazardous situations) in photovoltaic solar arrays by using low-cost functional electronic elements, in particular, the new PolySwitch PPTC fuses.

Design/methodology/approach

The modeling method has been used to investigate the circuit solution of the use of PolySwitch type fuses to prevent and minimize current overloads in photovoltaic solar arrays.

Findings

It is shown that the limitation of the short-circuit current with parallel connection of photovoltaic components (photovoltaic cells or their modules) can be implemented when the following conditions are met: the resistance of the fuse in the conducting state is much lesser than the parallel connection of the series resistances of the photovoltaic components; and the tripping current of the fuse must be greater than the maximum current of the separate photovoltaic components and lesser than the current of a parallel connection of several photovoltaic components.

Originality/value

The influence of the magnitude of the resistance in the conducting state and the response current of the fuses to the current–voltage and volt–watt characteristics of parallel connections of the photovoltaic components (photovoltaic cells or their modules) is analyzed. The modeling results are confirmed by experimental data on the transformation research of light current–voltage and volt–watt characteristics of parallel connections of industrial photovoltaic modules using resettable fuses of the PolySwitch type.

Citation

Tonkoshkur, A.S. and Ivanchenko, A.V. (2020), "Modeling of electrical characteristics of photovoltaic solar arrays with protection against current overloads based on PolySwitch elements", Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, Vol. 16 No. 3, pp. 425-438. https://doi.org/10.1108/MMMS-01-2019-0022