Solar cells parameters evaluation considering the series and shunt resistance

This paper presents a new technique for the evaluation of the parameters of illuminated solar cell with a single diode lumped circuit model and considering the series and shunt resistances. This method includes the presentation of the standard I=f(V) function as V=f(I) and the determination of the factors C-0, C-1, C-2 of this function that provide the calculation of the illuminated solar cell parameters. These parameters are usually the saturation current (I-s), the series resistance (R-s), the ideality factor (n), the shunt conductance (G(sh) = 1/R-sh) and the photocurrent (I-ph). Parameter values were extracted using the present method from experimental I-V characteristics of commercial solar cells and modules. The method proposed below appears to be accurate even in the presence of noise and/or random errors during measurement and it needs no a prior knowledge of the parameters compared to other methods. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.