A DISTRIBUTED SPICE-MODEL OF A SOLAR-CELL

In this paper, a distributed SPICE-model for a solar cell is worked ou t, Special attention is paid to the problems of nonhomogeneous current distribution and the effective series resistance, Elaborate experimen tal techniques have been used to determine the model parameters. They are based on the I-V characteristics, the small signal impedance, and the open-circuit voltage decay measurements. The SPICE simulation resu lts are compared with the measured static and dynamic characteristics of a solar cell, We found satisfactory agreement concerning the static characteristics, whereas there is discrepancy in the dynamic characte ristics. This is because the SPICE-model of a p-n junction diode conta ins only one time constant, It is found that two time constants are ne cessary for accurate description of the dynamic performance. The techn iques and methodologies developed here are applicable to other junctio n diodes operating at high frequencies or under transient conditions.