Soft Shading Sensor with Real-Time Maximum Power Point Tracking Capability for Solar Panels in Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Systems

Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems are often affected by shadows from surrounding city buildings, resulting in multiple maximum power points appearing on their output characteristic curves. This poses a challenge for the algorithms used for maximum power point tracking (MPPT). This paper introduces a soft-shading-sensor-based MPPT algorithm for solar panels in BIPV systems. The algorithm is designed to perceive shading information and improve the energy conversion efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) strings. It can provide shading details on the PV string without the need for additional and costly solar irradiance sensors, making it a cost-effective solution. Additionally, the system can be operated online during the MPPT process. Experimental simulations were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.