Photovoltaic panel weak current branch line identification

What is a line-line fault in a PV array?

Line-line faults are created by unintentional low impedance current path in a PV array. Ground faults are similar to line-line faults; however, the low impedance path is from current-carrying conductors to ground/earth. Figure 1 shows the classification of PV array faults, whereas Figure 2 shows the main types of electrical faults in PV systems.

Can a PV fault be detected with a low-solar irradiance level?

Valuable studies [11 - 13] offer several algorithms to detect PV faults such as low-mismatch faults, and line-to-line fault (LL) under low-solar irradiance levels. However, such studies provide low accuracy in fault identification and need high-cost measurement sensors.

Can a PV system detect faults among modules with different array configurations?

This PV system is capable of studying faults among modules with different array configurations. In order to test the ability of the proposed approach to detect and locate the faults and identify the fault types, a series of line-line faults within the string are used in the simulations.

How do we identify faulty PV modules in multiple PV power plants?

Through field investigation, faulty PV modules in multiple PV power plants are collected and their I-V (current-voltage) characteristics are tested. The fault characteristics of different fault type modules are then extracted. A novel fault diagnosis method based on I-V data is proposed.

Why is fault diagnosis important in photovoltaic systems?

The fault diagnosis of photovoltaic (PV) arrays aims to increase the reliability and service life of PV systems. Line-Line (LL) faults may remain undetected under low mismatch level and high impedance due to low currents of faults, resulting in power losses and fire potential disaster.

Can intelligent fault diagnosis model be used in PV systems?

In this paper, an intelligent fault diagnosis model is proposed for the fault detection and classification in PV systems. For the experimental verification, various fault state and normal state datasets are collected during the winter season under wide environmental conditions.