M5: Chap.8 Lec.

Chapter 8 PV Solar Energy

Systems

Cheng-xian Lin
 Notes
• Unless sources are specified, the numbers for
Sections, Figures, Tables, Equations,
Examples, and the Nomenclature are those
used in:
– Chapter 5 of the textbook
– Materials by the instructor
 Table of Contents
• Current-voltage characteristics
– Curve fitting to the current-voltage characteristic
• Two-diode model
• One-diode model
• Parameter identification procedure
– Full parameter set calculation
– Simple explicit model for system design
• Three methods
5.7 Current-voltage characteristics
5.7.1 Characteristic values and efficiency

• Open circuit voltage: Voc

– Total value of current I = 0
• Short circuit current: Isc
– Voltage V = 0
• Electrical power P and MPP (maximum power point)

a) Electric power:
b) MPP: the maximum power
point

Efficiency of a solar cell based on MPP and surface area A:

 5.7.2 Curve fitting to the current-
voltage characteristic
• The two-diode model

Coulomb (C)
Diode factors and saturation currents
• The two diode equations with the saturation currents I01 and I02 and with the
diode factors n1 and n2 describe the diffusion and recombination characteristics
of the charge carriers in the material itself (index 1) and in the space-charge
zone (index 2)

Similarly,
 Series resistance
• Rs: the series resistance consists of the internal resistance of the solar cell and the
contact resistance
• Rs,total: total series resistance [Ω]
• rs,cell: surface-related cell resistance [Ωm2]
• ns: number of cells

Open circuit voltage

Figure 5.11: Influence of the series resistance on

the I-V characteristic of a module with 36 cells
 Shunt resistance
• Rp: the parallel or shunt resistance represents the leakage current, which
is lost mainly in the p-n interface of the diode and along the edges
– During a series connection of cells, the reciprocal resistance add up.
• np: number of parallel-switched cell strings
• Assume same shunt resistance for each cell (Rp,1 = Rp,1 = … = Rp,np)

Typos: should be “cell” ?

Short circuit current

Figure 5.12
 Example 5.2 ns = 54
Example 5.2 np = 3

Eq. (5.9)

Eq. (5.11)
 Photocurrent
• Iph: it depends not only on the wavelength-dependent absorption
coefficient, but also on the diffusion and recombination characteristics of
the material

αI: the temperature coefficient [in percentage % or absolute units AK-1]

Neglecting the very small diode current, the photocurrent can be equated to
the short circuit current Isc.
 Curve fitting of the two-diode model
• The error function of the measured and simulated
currents must be minimized

• Parameters Iph,STC and αI can be calculated from linear

regression. Other parameters can be determined by
gradient, raster or genetic procedures
 5.7.2.1 Parameter adjustment from
module data sheets
• One-diode model
– Recombination in the space-charge zone is neglected. i.e. the 2nd
diode term is omitted
– Use previous equation (5.13) for Iph ~ Iph,STC
– I0 = I01, based on equation (5.7) and related to C0 (for C01)
– Six parameters (Iph,STC, αl, C0, Rs, n, Rp) need to be determined,
while manufacturer data sheet can identify five unknown
parameters
A simplified approach for crystalline
modules:
Assume initially infinitely high parallel resistance, and set a realistic parallel
resistance after parameter adjustment.

How to determine the 5 parameters?

- A parameter identification procedure:

(αI: photocurrent differentiated by temperature)

Parameter 3
Parameter 4
 Parameter 5

(See textbook, page 218, for some detailed mathematical

manipulations, including the differentiation of I0, which are skipped
here…..)
Example 5.4

I: one-diode model
Resultant of the 5 Parameters
5.7.2.2 Full parameter set calculation
(optional)
Equation 5.27
5.7.2.3 Simple explicit model for
system design

4 parameters in the above equation (5.28):

Iph,STC and αI: can be found from the data sheet available
C0 and n: can be determined by three methods:
Equation 5.29
Equation 5.30
Equation 5.14
Thank You !