One factor that drastically limited the penetration level of photovoltaic (PV) panels into the market was their low performance in partial shading conditions (PSC). When the cells from a panel receive different amounts of irradiations, the maximum power generation capability of the panel is impacted, and the entire performance is reduced. Several techniques were employed to overcome this phenomenon i.e. bypass diodes, different cells interconnections, cooling solutions, etc. In this study, we analyze the effect of partial shading over PV panels containing cells with different bus bars (BB) configurations. This is important because it can help designers choose the most appropriate type of cell for areas that are more prone to PSC and it can also be useful for other studies to improve the performances of new types of cells.

Keywords: Photovoltaic panel, Bus bar, One diode model, Partial shading