COMPARISON OF SINGLE-DIODE MODELS APPLIED TO THIN FILM PV MODULE OPERATING UNDER DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

Abstract

The electrical current-voltage (I-V) characteristic a of photovoltaic (PV) module depends on the environmental conditions under which it operates. The shape of the I-V curve depends on the solar cell technology and changes dynamically in time with irradiance and temperature. A simulation model of the PV module can be used to examine the dynamic behavior of the I-V curve as well as to extract the module parameters from the curves. This paper presents the results of comparison of two different models based on a single diode equivalent circuit applied to a thin film module. The Matlab/Simulink simulation studies of I-V characteristic curves in the function of irradiance and temperature were carried out. The results were compared with the experimental data of the I-V curves obtained from outdoor measurements. Relative errors of the simulation and experimental results were analyzed.

Keywords

• solar energy
• photovoltaics
• I-V electrical characteristics
• computational modeling