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I-V Characteristic of A Solar Cell
I-V Characteristic of A Solar Cell
The figure below shows the output characteristic of a solar cell. This I-V curve
illustrates the relationship between the current and the voltage under standard test
conditions (STD),i.e. 1000 per square meter of radiation and 25 of temperature.
Where as in reality, the characteristics of the I - V curve depend on the solar cell
technology or on a number of environmental conditions like temperature, solar
radiations etc.
Open-circuit voltage.
Short-circuit current.
Open-circuit voltage ( )
When there is no load connected to the output of the solar cell then the value of the voltage will
be at its maximum with no current being drown through it (i.e. Voc = V(at I = 0) ).That is
the point where open circuit voltage occurs.
Voc can be calculated from the equivalent solar cell circuit as,
Voc =
nkT
q
(ln
Iph
Io
+ 1)
Short-circuit current ( )
Short circuit current occurs when the voltage at the output is zero and the value of the
current is at its maximum ((i. e Isc = I (at V = 0))
Isc can be calculated from the equivalent solar cell circuit as,
= ( 1)
Maximum Power Point ( )
As power is the product of current and voltage so therefore looking at the I-V curve the
power operating at the Isc and Voc is zero. As at Isc the output current is at max. value
but has zero voltage similarly at Voc the voltage is max. but has zero current, in both of
these cases the output power is zero, So therefor the point where the power will be at its
maximum will lie some ware between these two extreme point and that point is known
as maximum power point ( MPP ) or .This is the point which is desired for most of
the application which work on solar cell. Voltage and Current at this point are denoted
as and - [21].
Figure 5: Characteristic of a solar cell with
maximum power point