Solar Array Zoning Analysis - Georgia Tech Solar Racing

March 2021

Most solar cells have a sufficient output current, but very low output voltage. Because of this, most solar modules have cells connected in series, which keeps the same current and linearly increases the voltage. Additionally, modules are connected in series to further increase the output voltage for the 147 V battery pack. This process is followed for each zone in an array. When designing a solar array, zoning is a key component. Each zone is a string of solar cells (and in our case, modules) connected in series. It is important to have multiples zones in an array because of array shading and cosine losses. To see if a 3 zone or 4 zone layout is more efficient, I performed an analysis using the aerobody angles, MPPT boost ratio efficiencies, and product datasheets. This is shown to the right. From the analysis, a 3 zone array in minimally more efficient. This is likely because boost ratio losses are greater than cosine losses. Though a 3% increase may seem low, every bit counts for a highly-efficient solar car. To further my theoretical numbers, I confirmed outputs of our previous and current array setups.