A Symmetric Matrix Approach for Efficient Power Enhancement of PV Arrays Under Partial Shading

Photovoltaic arrays are installed in residential and utility-scale systems for their scalability, modularity, and free-generating capability. However, the real-world operation of the arrays encounters partial shading caused by clouds, shadows of nearby objects, dust, and internal mismatch. This creates a non-uniform irradiance scenario in the PV array, resulting in significant power loss, multiple power peaks, and reduced energy harvesting efficiency. Hence, as a solution, this paper presents a symmetric matrix-based reconfiguration (S-M-R) method for efficiently improving array power operating under shading. The technique utilizes puzzle logic to reposition the PV modules from their original positions to redistribute shading across the array. The proposed approach is evaluated and compared with the conventional and hybrid methods under different complex shading cases. The testing is conducted in the MATLAB simulation platform, where the results demonstrate that S-M-R achieves 19.35% and 18.69% higher power than traditional and hybrid methods. The S-M-R is a cost-effective and efficient solution for enhancing array performance under shading conditions.