See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/311478877

Series Resistance Measurement of Solar PV Modules Using Mesh in Real

Outdoor Condition

Article  in  Energy Procedia · December 2016

DOI: 10.1016/j.egypro.2016.11.217

CITATIONS READS

9 1,955

13 authors, including:

Birinchi Bora O. S. Sastry

National Institute of Solar Energy gurgaon Maxop Research & Testing Institute Pvt. Ltd.
99 PUBLICATIONS   827 CITATIONS    128 PUBLICATIONS   1,645 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Dr Rashmi Singh Manander Bangar

Techno India National Institute of Solar Energy, Gurugram
44 PUBLICATIONS   154 CITATIONS    35 PUBLICATIONS   170 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Study of Different types of SPV water pumping systems at NISE View project

Potential of concentrated photovoltaic systemat composite climate of India Conference Paper Analysis of Spectrum Variations in different Seasons in Composite
Climate zone of India View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Birinchi Bora on 23 June 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

ScienceDirect
Energy Procedia 90 (2016) 503 – 508

5th International Conference on Advances in Energy Research, ICAER 2015, 15-17 December
2015, Mumbai, India

Series Resistance measurement of Solar PV Modules using Mesh in

Real Outdoor condition
Birinchi Boraa, O.S. Sastrya*, Rashmi Singha, Manander Bangara, Supriya Raia, Renua,
Yogesh kumar Singha, Ramayan Singha, Bapi K. Dasb, Farazuddin Azlanb, Pranav
Anandb, Ratan Kuberb, Vivek Krishnanb
a
National Institute of solar energy, Gurgaon, India
b
Central University of Jharkhand, Jharkhand

Abstract

This work presents an analysis of three different methods to determine the series resistance, Rs of different PV technologies and
to find the most reliable method under real operating conditions. The methods under consideration are: single slope method, one
curve illumination method and mesh analysis. The interpretation of series resistance is done for 18 different solar PV modules
containing CdTe, CIGS, mono-crystalline and multi-crystalline silicon modules. The reliability of this method under outdoor
operating conditions is also studied. The series resistance measurement using mesh analysis is the most reliable and robust way to
determine the series resistance in real field operating conditions.
© 2016
2016TheTheAuthors.
Authors. Published
Published by by Elsevier
Elsevier Ltd. Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of ICAER 2015.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of ICAER 2015
Keywords: Series resistance; Single slope; Mesh analysis; IEC 60891; Double curve method

1. Introduction

The series resistance is one of the most important factors which influence the performance of PV module. A brief
introduction to the equations governing the current–voltage characteristics is given in several papers and it has been
found that series resistance influences the FF and power output PV modules [1-3]. These parasitic resistances need

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +91-0124-2579213; fax: +91-124-2579207.

E-mail address: sastry284@gmail.com

1876-6102 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of ICAER 2015
doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2016.11.217
504 Birinchi Bora et al. / Energy Procedia 90 (2016) 503 – 508

to be recognized and understood by PV system designers in order to analyses PV module performance, degradation
and/or failure in real operating conditions. In silicon solar cell, Rs is mainly the sum of contact resistance on the
front and back surfaces, and Ohmic resistances of the bulk and n+ (and p+) diffused layers on the front (and back)
sides. Shunt resistance can arise from imperfections on the device surface and in the bulk as well as from leakage
currents across the edge of the cell [1, 2]. Very high values of Rs and very low values of Rsh [4] reduce short-circuit
current density (Jsc) and Voc, respectively [3]. Therefore, both Rs and Rsh need to be recognized and understood in
order to improve the module performance. A number of methods are available in the literature for determination of
series [4-10] resistances of PV module. The behavior of series resistance was not under appropriate focus, although
it had a strong effect on the entire performance. The method for measuring the series resistance of a solar cell was
first proposed by wolf and Rauschenbusch [4]. This involves measuring the characteristic of a cell at two different
illuminations. There are two well-known and widely used models, both with different levels of complexity,
depending on the purpose they are used for: single-diode (often referred to as the single exponential), and two-diode
(or double exponential) model. The value of Rs is determined using illuminated I–V characteristics at two close
intensities. In [4], [5], the nonlinearity in the short-circuit current (Isc) at high intensity for the determination of the
Rs of solar cell is reported by developing one-curve method to calculate Rs. In a method by [6], the dark-forward I–
V curve is compared with the illuminated I–V curve, and the series resistance is determined from the voltage shift
between illuminated and dark-forward I–V curve. In [7] a maximum power point method for determination of Rs is
reported with I–V characteristics under one illumination level. All these methods [4-7] it was assumed that Rsh is
infinite, an assumption that may not be valid for the cell having low Rsh values. Recently, new methods have been
developed for series resistance determination considering the shunt resistance of the cell [9 - 11]. Nevertheless, all
these methods [4-10] are based on single exponential model. The double diode model (or double-exponential model)
considers an additional diode in the equivalent scheme to account for the losses due to the carrier recombination in
the space charge region of the junction, and those due to surface recombination. Both of these are based on the well-
known Shockley diode equation [12]. From the literature review it has been found out that there is a lack of
estimation method which gives accurate results and they are very complicated procedural for the determination of
series resistance. Hence it is very difficult to find out series resistance in any operating environment and the
validation of the estimated data is also a difficult task. But the series resistance is domination and detrimental
phenomenon hence it is very much necessary to determine the series resistance. In real outdoor condition it is very
much necessary to interpolate the performance data into STC for characterization of PV technology. For the
interpolation of data as per IEC 60891, Rs calculation should be used. It has been observed that accuracy of Rs value
effect the voltage calculation. So, an accurate method is very much necessary which can be used in real outdoor
condition. Usually double slope method is the most accurate one but for this two I-V curves are needed at same
temperature and at different irradiance. The aim of this paper is to determine series resistance of the solar module by
using mesh at different intensity but same temperature level. This graphical method includes two different ways for
the estimation, one is with the single illuminated curve, and second one is with the double curve method. This work
presents an analysis of different methods to determine the series resistance (Rs) of different technology viz. CdTe,
CIGS, mono-crystalline and multi-crystalline silicon modules. The reliability of this method under outdoor operating
conditions is also studied.

2. Experimental setup and methodology

For the study of estimation of series resistance, an experimental test-bed facility consisting of different
technology PV modules was setup at NISE (National Institute of Solar Energy), Gurgaon (Latitude 28037 N,
Longitude 7704 E), New Delhi as shown in the Fig 1 (b) & (C). Modules are mounted on manual dual axis tracking
structure and I-V data is recorded at regular intervals. All the modules are cleaned everyday morning before
performing the experiment to avoid soil deposition effect on the output. The test-bed facility consisting of total 18
solar PV modules having, two Cadmium telluride (CdTe), four Copper indium gallium (di) sellenide (CIGS), two
mono-crystalline, and six modules of multi-crystalline silicon (mc-Si)) modules. For the measurement of series
resistance according to the IEC 60891, two I-V curve with same spectrum and temperature with different irradiance
is required. For the second curve data are taken by the help of the mesh [13].
 Birinchi Bora et al. / Energy Procedia 90 (2016) 503 – 508 505

Fig. 1. (a) I-V array tracer (b) & (c) Modules are mounted on structure for the data collection

Series resistance is basically derived from the I-V data points in all these methods. Rs is calculated with the single
I-V curve taken without mesh. For this data of the second curve is derived from the formula using the reference [14].
Mathematically series resistance is determined by:
V2  V1 
Rs ...........................(1)
Isc1  Isc2 
In second method, as per IEC 60891, for estimation of series resistance, we need two I-V curves at different
irradiance but have constant temperature and spectrum. For this a mesh is used for having different irradiance at
same instant of time without any change in spectrum and module temperature. For the calculation of series
resistance, I-V curve at lower radiation with constant module temperature is translated into higher radiation data with
same module temperature. Since I-V curves are at same temperature, temperature coefficient will not play any role.
In procedure 1 of IEC 60891 method the current and voltage needs to find out through the I-V characteristics and
uses the equation below;
§ Gr ·
IrIm Isc¨  1¸  D Tr  Tm
© Gm ¹
Vr Vm  Rs ( Ir  Im)  NIr (Tr  Tm)  E (Tr  Tm)

Where, Ir is the rated current, Im is the measured current, Isc is the short circuit current, Rs is the series resistance,
Vr is the rated voltage, Vm is the measured voltage, k is the curve correction factor and α is the temperature
coefficient of the module. The translational procedure 1of IEC 60891 can be mathematically formulated as below:
§G ·
I2 I1  Isc u ¨¨ 2  1¸¸
© G1 ¹
V2 V1  Rs u I 2  I1 
P V2 u I 2 .....................................(2)

where, I1 and V1 are the pair of measured points on the I-V characteristics, I2 and V2 are the pair of points of the
resulting corrected characteristic, G1 is the irradiance measured with the reference; G 2 is the irradiance at the
506 Birinchi Bora et al. / Energy Procedia 90 (2016) 503 – 508

reference or other desired conditions (IEC 60891). The third method includes the basic method to determine the
series resistance. In this method, slope near the Voc is taken in account to achieve the value of series resistance by
plotting the slope at I-V curve [2].

3. Result and discussion

Three methods were conducted for determining the series resistances from the methods presented above. The profile
and linearity of the measured curve can be used to determine electrical parameters for the module; such as, series
resistance, shunt resistance, diode factor, and saturation current. For instance, a mesh is used, the degree of curvature
to the right at high current levels is an indication of the magnitude of series resistance. Similarly, large curvature at
low current levels indicates low shunt resistance. Before using the mesh for the analysis, the uniformity of the mesh
needs to be checked out. So for this experiment the transmissivity of the mesh is checked by dividing the whole
mesh into number of parts. The irradiance above and below the meshes has been calculated and the transmissivity is
estimated. It has been found that the transmissivity is within 2% for the whole mech.

Radiation at upper and bottom of the screen

1500
Radiation (W/m2)

1000

500

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180
No. of screen section

Radiation below the net Radiation above the net

Fig. 2. Uniformity of mesh in terms of radiation transmissivity

Fig 3 Single slope method to find Series Resistance

Fig. 3. (a) Estimation using mesh (b) Series resistance estimation using single slope

Fig. 3. (a) Estimation using mesh (b) Series resistance estimation using single slope
 Birinchi Bora et al. / Energy Procedia 90 (2016) 503 – 508 507

Table 1 shows the estimated series resistance of the different technology from three different methods. From the
outcome it clearly shows that there is a difference in the value of the estimated series resistance, it is concluded from
the results that value is highly depend up on the method which is opted for the estimation of the series resistance.

Table 1. Estimated series resistance from three different method

Technology Rs (with mesh double Rs (without mesh double slope) Rs (with single slope)
slope)

Multi-crystalline 1 0.512 1.086 0.930

Multi-crystalline 2 0.510 1.182 0.787
Multi-crystalline 3 0.534 1.890 0.671
Multi-crystalline 4 0.640 1.200 0.861
Multi-crystalline 5 0.690 1.380 0.833
Multi-crystalline 6 0.590 1.100 0.739
CdTe 1 4.156 9.060 4.940
CdTe 2 6.920 22.610 5.910
CdTe 4 4.980 14.796 5.131
CdTe 5 4.140 13.230 4.440
CdTe 6 5.610 10.260 5.941
CdTe 7 4.630 11.240 6.035
CIGS 1 1.720 7.430 2.920
CIGS 2 0.810 4.940 2.790
CIGS 3 1.180 8.260 3.095
CIGS 4 0.755 5.660 2.985
Mono-crystalline 1 1.470 2.466 1.368
Mono-crystalline 2 1.330 1.205 1.064

The series resistance calculated from the single slope is less accurate as calculation of slope of the graph is chosen
near the open circuit voltage condition and therefore highly unstable. It is also depends on the linearity of the curve.
For real outdoor condition temperature is varying over a high range and therefore the voltage range is varying with
it. By using mesh the condition of same temperature can be manipulated at different irradiance and the operating
point shift will be less. Using this technique by using double slope method the accuracy of Rs calculation can be
increased. However with the module temperature is also depending on the irradiation so the measurement needs to
be done within fraction of time.

4. Conclusion

This paper reviews the methods to determine solar module series resistance. The values obtained are compared
with the reference values determined by method using the one diode model. The outcome from the results shows that
the Mesh analysis method to determine the series resistance is more suitable and robust in outdoor condition by
using double slope method. It can be generalized from different technology for estimation of series resistance.
508 Birinchi Bora et al. / Energy Procedia 90 (2016) 503 – 508

Acknowledgement

This research is based upon work supported in part by the Solar Energy Research Institute for India and the U.S.
(SERIIUS) funded jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy subcontract DE AC36-08G028308 (Office of Science,
Office of Basic Energy Sciences, and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Solar Energy Technology Program,
with support from the Office of International Affairs) and the Government of India subcontract IUSSTF/JCERDC-
SERIIUS/2012 dated 22nd Nov. 2012.

References

[1] Mc Intosh KR and Honsberg CB, The influence of edge recombination on a solar cell’s I–V curve. Proceedings of 16th PVSEC, 2000, pp.
1651–1654.
[2] Mc Mahon TJ, Basso TS, Rummel SR, Cell shunt resistance and photovoltaic module performance, Proceedings of 25th PVSC, 1996, pp.
1291–1294
[3] Wolf M and Rauschenbach H, Series resistance effects on solar cell measurements, Adv. Energy Conv., 1963, 3 455–479
[4] Abbott MD, Trupke T, Hartmann HP, Gupta R and Breitenstein O, Laser isolation of shunted regions in industrial solar cells, Progress in
Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, 2007, 15: 613–620.
[5] Agarwal SK, Muralidharan R, Agarwal A, Tewary VK and Jain SC, A new method for the measurement of series resistance of solar cells.
Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 1981, 14: 1643–1646.
[6] Singh VN and Singh RP, A method for the measurement of solar cell series resistance, Applied Physics 1983, 16:1823–1825.
[7] Aberle A, Wenham SR and Green MA, A new method for accurate measurement of the lumped series resistance of solar cells. Proceedings of
23rd IEEE PVSC, 1993, 12 133–139.
[8] Sharma SK, Kalpana BS, Srinivasamurthy N and Agarwal BL, Overcoming the problems in determination of solar cell series resistance and
diode factor. Applied Physics 1990, 23:1256-1260
[9] El-Adawi MK, Al-Nuaim IA, A method to determine the solar cell series resistance from a single I-V characteristic curve considering its
shunt resistance—new Approach Vacuum 2002, 64(1), 33–36.
[10] Singh Priyanka, Lal M and Singh SN, A new method of determination of series and shunt resistances of silicon solar cells. Solar Energy
Materials and Solar Cells, 2007, 91(2–3): 137–142.
[11] Bouzidi K, Chegaar M, Bouhemadou A, Solar cells parameters evaluation considering the series and shunt resistance. Solar Energy
Materials and Solar Cells, 2007, 91(18):1647–1651.
[12] Shockley W, The theory of p-n junctions in semiconductors and p-n junction transistors,” Bell System Technical Journal, vol. 28, 1949, pp.
435–89.
[13] IEC 60891 Edi.2.0
[14] Kunz G. and Wagner A., Internal series resistance determinate of only one IV curve under illumination. 19th European photovoltaic solar
energy conference, Paris France. 2004, pp. 1-4

View publication stats