Optimizing Photovoltaic Model for Different Cell Technologies Using a Generalized Multidimension Diode Model

Commercial photovoltaic (PV) modules are made of different PV cell technologies such as monocrystalline, multicrystalline, amorphous silicon, and copper indium diselenide. Usually, a single- or a double-diode PV model is used to model the output characteristic. However, it is unclear which PV model is optimal for each PV cell technology as the modeling accuracy is dependent on the PV model used. To fill up this research gap, a generalized multidimension diode PV model is proposed in this paper to determine the optimal PV model. The proposed PV model allows the diode network to be configured to better fit the output characteristics of different PV cell technologies. Both simulation and experimental results are presented to illustrate the advantages of the proposed model. From the results, the optimal PV model that matches each of the cell technology is established. They can be used as a reference PV model for future works.