Table 2.

Comparison between different topologies33

	Advantages	Disadvantages	Power rating
Centralized	Easy to monitor and maintain. Investment cost is low as only one inverter, i.e., central inverter is used.	High DC losses in HVDC cables. Power losses due to centralized MPPT, string diodes, and PV module mismatch. Less reliable. Inflexibility in design.	Several megawatts
Master–slave	Higher reliability compared to centralized topology. Improved efficiency for the operating inverters. Increased life of inverters.	DC losses in HVDC cables. Power losses due to centralized MPPT, string diodes, and PV module mismatch. Less reliable. Cost increased due to multiple inverters. Inflexibility in design.	Several megawatts
String	Reduced energy loss from partial shading. No losses in string diodes. Good reliability. Flexibility in design.	Increase in cost compared to centralized topology.	3–5 kW per string
Team concept	Higher efficiency due to individual MPPT and increase in inverter efficiency. Increased reliability compared to centralized topology.	Persistence of losses due to mismatch of PV modules. Increase in cost as several inverters are used.	Several megawatts
Multistring	Reduced energy losses from partial shading. No losses in string diodes. Control of MPPT and current withdrawn is separated. The boost converter is implied for voltage amplification.	Reliability of the system decreases due to the connection of all the strings to a single inverter. Losses are due to boost converter. Higher cost compared to centralized topology.	5 KW
AC modules	There are no losses due to partial shading and mismatch between modules. Easier in failure detection and maintenance. Flexibility in design and easy to expand.	Very high cost. Inverter replacement due to faults is difficult. Reduced life of power electronic devices due to thermal factors.	Less than 500 W