Virtual Sensing of Photovoltaic Module Operating Parameters

The single diode equivalent circuit allows describing photovoltaic panels behavior quite accurately. The values of the five parameters appearing in this model are usually identified in standard test conditions, at which irradiance and temperature values are given. Instead, when this identification has to be performed on field, suitable environmental sensors are required. In this article, a procedure for the on-site identification of the single diode model parameters as well as of the working irradiance and temperature conditions is presented. The procedure operates only on the measured panel current versus voltage curve, or on a part of it around the maximum power point, and does not need any other input data. A consolidated identification algorithm, effectively running on any embedded system for on-site application, is used. The proposed procedure is validated through a large number of experimental measurements acquired in two different geographic locations.