On the photovoltaic explicit empirical model: Operations along the current-voltage curve

Modelling of PhotoVoltaic (PV) devices is today used for a number of activities such as systems monitoring, power forecasting, fault diagnosis, etc. Explicit empirical models based on the datasheet parameters are quite easy to implement in computer-aided calculations and therefore they allow fast evaluations of the electrical behavior, whatever is the test condition (steady-state, transient, etc.). This paper focus on the introduction of a correction factor for one of these models in order to improve its performance for operating points different than maximum power point (MPP). The comparison between the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics predicted by the former and the proposed models clearly shows the effectiveness of the proposed correction factors. The model is tested for different environment conditions and for different materials constituting the PV cells.