Basic parameter extraction from an organic solar cell through the single diode model and a metaheuristic technique with the Lambert W function

Recently solar power has increasingly been used to generate electricity worldwide through photovoltaic (PV) systems. The electrical performance of each PV module plays major role in maximum power transfer. In order to absorb the maximum power from such systems, optimal output voltage and current should be obtained from the I-V characteristics of previously developed models. It is fact that, this is a relatively uneasy task because manufacturer's data sheet is confined to limited number of measured values. In this study, the hybrid genetic algorithms method is employed to extract basic parameters of the ideality factor and the parasitic resistances in the single diode model to transfer maximum power from a PV module to a resistive electrical load. Optimal parameters in the circuital model are found using the I-V characteristic of a silicon diode expressed by the Lambert W function. The results are meaningful and encouraging for maximum power transfer under certain conditions.