ABSTRACT

The physical properties and the performance characteristics of a photovoltaic (pv) module depend on its basic materials, manufacturing technology and operating environmental conditions. The basic principle for obtaining an experimental current–voltage (I–V) curve is to control the load current of the pv module. There are three basic methods of controlling the load current. The first method is to use a variable resistor as the load. A second method is to use a capacitor as the load. The third method is to use a transistor as the load. The extremely low-drive-current requirement of the power mosfet and the associated extremely high power gain are major advantages over the conventional bipolar transistor or the Darlington circuit. The data acquisition interface consists of electronic circuits to convert the sensor input voltage to the appropriate voltage range that can be read by measuring instruments connected to it.