Fault Management System Prototype for Photovoltaic Arrays: Study Case

A subarea of energy management systems is the management of power failures and losses. This paper presents the experimental results of a Fault Management prototype, whose main objective is to mitigate power losses and isolate the faulty panel. The Fault Management System (FMS) consists of a switching matrix and a control unit that operates independently of a maximum power point tracker. The control of the unit is implemented on a low-cost, low-power microcontroller and runs a simple algorithm that analyzes the voltage and current of the photovoltaic panels. When short circuit or open circuit faults occur in the PV array, the FMS system isolates the electrical fault and reconfigures the PV array. The experiment was executed in real time, under outdoor conditions, with a test bench that allowed ten failures at critical points of the photovoltaic array. The results show that it is possible to recover at least 50% of the power loss caused by the electrical failures studied in this small grid-connected photovoltaic system.