Sunlight based I-V characterization of solar PV cells

A family of current as a function of voltage (I-V) curves under different illumination conditions as specified in standards are needed to characterize a photovoltaic (PV) cell. Instead of using an artificial light as the source, a method of using sun light through fiber optic cables is described to obtain the I-V characteristics of a PV cell. Moreover, an electronic load realized with a MOSFET as a variable resistor, in conjunction with microcontroller based instrumentation automates the testing process. A prototype I-V curve tracer, developed and tested, establish the efficacy of the proposed method.

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