Design and implementation of PV panel characterization platform

Abstract

Solar power contribution in producing energy has been increasing rapidly due to the negative impact of rising carbon emissions. Considerable growth of photovoltaic technology installations have been noticed around the world. However, this technology suffers major concerns regarding the efficiency and reliability of system generation. Solar panels' lifespan and efficiency decline over time due to the environment conditions, thereby affecting its main parameters. Weather factors like irradiance and temperature have a direct impact on the overall generation system efficiency and its functionality period. Many attempts have been made in order to interpret the electrical behavior of solar panels module to observe the performance under natural conditions. For monitoring these weather conditions that may affect the main parameters of PV panel, we have developed a new platform frame work using Labview, Ardouino and MOSFET to obtain the current-voltage (I-V) and P-V curves automatically. This platform aids to characterize quickly a solar panel with high accuracy and precision in measurement of its dynamic parameters. The new developed platform uses PC associated with the Arduino to acquire the values of current and voltage from the solar panel under test and store the data for the objective of full analysis of its characteristics under different environmental conditions.