The influence of parameter dispersion of electrical cells on the array power output

Energy conversion by electrical (photovoltaic and chemical) cells are of relatively low power and low voltage levels. The cells are therefore connected in an array to produce the higher power and voltage levels desired. The dispersion of the cell parameters affect the array performance in such a way that the power output is lower than that desired, and hence additional cells have to be added. A larger dispersion of the parameters requires a greater amount of additional cells for the same power output requirement to make up for the so-called cell mismatch losses. This paper deals with the influence of parameter dispersions on array output power. The required number of cells in an array is determined analytically for a known distribution of the cell parameters. The nonidentical cell array can now be interchanged with an equivalent identical cell array permitting less complex calculations. The analysis in this paper is given for a large number of ideal electrochemical cells; a similar approach can be applied on other electrical cells.