ABSTRACT
Electrical performance data measured under laboratory conditions (e.g. Standard Test Conditions) are felt to be of limited use in the design of a photovoltaic (PV) system. This work proposes a method for characterising the behaviour of PV modules using "performance surfaces" of electrical power output as a function of incident irradiance and ambient or module temperature. Performance surfaces were modelled from measured outdoor data and compared to surfaces generated from indoor laboratory testing. The suitability of this method for various PV technologies is investigated (crystalline silicon, amorphous silicon. Cd-Te etc.)
