Estimation of equivalent circuit parameters of PV module and its application to optimal operation of PV system

A method to estimate the equivalent circuit parameters of a PV (photovoltai c) module is presented. The parameters are calculated using a least-squares fitting of the equivalent model current-voltage characteristic with the me asured one. For applications of the equivalent circuit model parameters, a quantitative diagnostic method of the PV modules by evaluating the paramete rs is introduced and examined by simulation. A new maximum peak power track ing (MPPT) method using the model parameters, a solar insolation, and a cel l temperature is also shown. Its performance is compared with other MPPT co ntrol algorithms by simulations. The performance of the proposed method was better than other MPPT methods. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.