In-depth analysis of single-diode model parameters from manufacturer’s datasheet

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to determine all the possible combinations of the five parameters of the single-diode model (SDM) of a photovoltaic panel when only the following three important points (remarkable points) of a IeV curve, namely, short circuit, maximum power and open circuit points, are available, usually from manufacturer’s datasheet. In this work, four of the five parameters of the SDM are expressed as explicit functions of the remaining one. Taking advantage of this, the monotony of these functions has been studied and the intervals where the corresponding parameters belong have been determined, that is, the domain of the parameters, in terms exclusively of the remarkable points. Using these functions, a unique SDM solution can be also easily determined if an extra data or equation is available. A possible application of this study is to validate if an extra equation is compatible with the set of equations obtained from the remarkable points. The results presented in this paper have been tested with a database gathering information of 8835 datasheets included in the Energy Commission’s Solar Equipment Lists. Comparisons have also been made with other works which have tried to obtain the SDM parameters only with datasheet information.