Hot spot suppression in cell-level TCT-interconnected modules and verification by circuit simulation

Abstract The output performance of photovoltaic modules with cell-level Total Cross-Tied (TCT) interconnection was compared with that of conventional Series-Parallel (SP) modules under partial shading conditions. In the SP module, partial shading reduced the short-circuit current, resulting in a significant decrease in output power. In addition, hot spots were observed in several cells. Although the TCT module exhibited a similar reduction in short-circuit current, the output power loss was smaller because of an improved fill factor (FF). The experimental results demonstrate that TCT cell interconnection effectively suppresses hot-spot formation under partial shading conditions. Circuit simulations reproduced the experimental results and enabled prediction of cell temperature rise under partial shading conditions.