A new algorithm for obtaining the operating point of photovoltaic systems

Abstract

A new algorithm is presented which can be used to find the operating point of a solar panel when only the load resistance is known, using a single diode ideal solar cell model. The algorithm uses a modified version of the binary search algorithm to rapidly discover the operating point of the panel, which makes it particularly suited to use within simulation environments such as Matlab/Simulink. A review of relevant solar cell theory is provided, followed by a discussion of existing methods that may be used to solve this problem. This is then followed by a full description of the new algorithm and a comparison of its performance with existing methods. An example is then provided of how the algorithm can be used to define a Thévenin equivalent model for a solar panel.