Parameter extraction from a typical PV module using a metaheuristic technique

In this study, the mathematical models of two typical photovoltaic modules were obtained from a widely used single diode circuit model. The unknown parameters such as the diode ideality factor and the parasitic resistances were estimated using short circuit current and open circuit voltage given in the manufacturer's data sheet through the circuit model under consideration. It is obvious that parameter extraction is a typical minimization problem which may be solved by deterministic or stochastic optimization techniques depending on complexity of it. Since the equation obtained from I-V characteristic of the circuit model was transcendental a newly developed meta-heuristic technique such as the shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA) was employed to identify the unknown parameters at various irradiance levels and temperatures. The results indicated that application of the SFLA method produced meaningful and encouraging outcomes to deliver peak power to a load.