Crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules:: Characterization in the field of rural electrification

The need to characterise photovoltaic modules in the general field of ensuring technical quality in photovoltaic rural electrification (PVRE) has often been pointed out. The ongoing national PVRE initiatives announced world-wide, together with the fact that PV modules with an actual power smaller than the nominal value can still be found on the market, make it advisable to apply systematic control to supplied power procedures. This paper argues that it is possible to carry out such control in the case of crystalline silicon PV modules, by means of experiments performed outdoors under a wide range of operation conditions, and using reduced and conventional equipment. A simple characterisation procedure specifically aimed at PVRE programmes is described and validated with an extensive experimental campaign. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.