A simpler method for extracting solar cell parameters using the conductance method

This paper presents and examines an alternative method for determining the series resistance, the ideality factor, the saturation current and the shunt conductance in solar cells. The technique uses the measured current voltage characteristics and the subsequently calculated conductance of the device. Although numerical techniques have been readily developed for such purposes, the alternative technique presented here avoids the difficulties and problems that are likely to arise when using very specialized numerical methods. Furthermore the present method, tested for selected cases, is easy, straightforward and requires no prior knowledge of any of the parameters of interest. The results obtained for a solar cell and a module are in good agreement with previously published data. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.