Experimental study of mismatch and shading effects in the I–V characteristic of a photovoltaic module

A conventional photovoltaic module has been prepared with the purpose of accessing its cells either individually or associated. Measurements of every cell and of the whole module have been performed in direct and reverse bias, with the objective of documenting the scattering in cell parameters, working point of the cells and shading effects. Several shading profiles have been tested, and the influence of the reverse characteristic of the shaded cell in module output is stressed.