Experiment 01

Objective:Single PV module I-V and P-V characteristics with radiation and temperature changing effect.

Apparatus Required:Solar PV module, rheostat, ammeter, voltmeter, illumination source, solar flux meter & connecting wires.

Theory:Solar cell: A Solar cell or Photovoltaic cell is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity
by photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic effect is the creation of voltage or electric current in a material upon exposure to
light.
Solar PV module: A PV module is a packaged, connected assembly of PV solar cells. Each module is rated by its DC
output power. Modules electrical connection are made in series to achieve a desired output voltage and/or in parallel to
provide a desired current capability. The conducting wires that take the current off the modules may contain silver,
copper, or other non magnetic conductive [transition metals].
The module is encapsulated with tempered glass (or some other transparent material) on the front surface, and with a
protective and waterproof material on the back surface. The edges are sealed for weather proofing, and there is often
an aluminum frame holding everything together in a mountable unit. In the back of the module there is a junction box,
or wire leads, providing electrical connections.
I-V and P-V characteristics: These are basically a graphical representation of the operation of a solar cell or module
summarizing the relationship between the current and voltage at the existing conditions of irradiance and temperature.
I-V curves provide the information required to configure a solar system so that it can operate as close to its optimal peak
power point (MPP) as possible.

The above graph shows the current-voltage ( I-V ) characteristics of a typical silicon PV cell operating under normal
conditions. The power delivered by a solar cell is the product of current and voltage ( I x V ). If the multiplication is done,
point for point, for all voltages from short-circuit to open-circuit conditions, the power curve above is obtained for a
given radiation level.

Temperature changing effect: Increases in temperature reduce the band gap of a semiconductor, thereby effecting
most of the semiconductor material parameters. The decrease in the band gap of a semiconductor with increasing
temperature can be viewed as increasing the energy of the electrons in the material. Lower energy is therefore needed
to break the bond. In the bond model of a semiconductor band gap, reduction in the bond energy also reduces the band
gap. Therefore increasing the temperature reduces the band gap.In a solar cell, the parameter most affected by an
increase in temperature is the open-circuit voltage. The impact of increasing temperature is shown in the figure below.

Observations:-

S.NO.

Temperature:Volts (mV)

Illumination:Current (mA)
Power (mW)

Calculations:1. Fill up Table and identify the maximum power point for different illumination levels.
2. Plot Characteristics.

Result:The I-V & P-V characteristic was drawn for given solar cell for different illumination levels.

Experiment 02
Objective:I-V and P-V characteristics with series and parallel combination of modules.

Apparatus Required:Solar PV module, rheostat, ammeter, voltmeter, illumination source, solar flux meter & connecting wires.

Theory:Photovoltaic panels can be wired or connected together in either series or parallel combinations, or both to increase the
voltage or current capacity of the solar array. If the array panels are connected together in a series combination, then
the voltage increases and if connected together in parallels then the current increases. The electrical power in Watts,
generated by these different photovoltaic combinations will still be the product of the voltage times the current, ( P = V
x I ). However the solar panels are connected together, the upper right hand corner will always be the maximum power
point (MPP) of the array.

Series Combination:-

Parallel Combination:-

Observations:1) For series combination,

S.NO.

Temperature:Volts (mV)

Illumination:Current (mA)
Power (mW)

Temperature:Volts (mV)

Illumination:Current (mA)
Power (mW)

2) For parallel combination,

S.NO.

Calculations:1. Fill up Table and identify the maximum power point for different combinations.
2. Plot Characteristics.

Result:The I-V & P-V characteristic was drawn for given solar cell for different combinations.

Experiment 03
Objective:Effect of shading on PV Module.

Apparatus Required:

Solar PV module
Rheostat
Ammeter
Voltmeter
Illumination source
Solar flux meter
Shading sheets
Connecting wires

Theory:A number of series/parallel connected PV modules are used to form a solar array for a desired voltage and current level.
Performance of a series connected string of solar cells is adversely affected if all its cells are not equally illuminated
(partially shaded).If even a small section of a photovoltaic module is shaded for example by the branch of a tree there
is a very significant drop in power output from the module. This is because a PV solar panel is made up of a string of
individual solar cells connected in series with one another. The current output from the whole panel is limited to that
passing through the weakest link cell. If one cell is completely shaded, the power output from the module will fall to zero.
If one cell is 50% shaded, then the power output from the whole module will fall by 50% a very significant drop for
such a small area of shading.
In addition to a loss of power output, shade can have much more serious effects on photovoltaic solar modules hot
spot damage to cells in which a shaded cell or cells overheat and potentially burn out.

Characteristic curve:-

Observations:S.No.

Object used for

shading

Approx. area of
coverage (%)

Volts (mV)

Current (mA)

Calculations:1. Fill up Table and identify the maximum power point for different shading levels.
2. Plot Characteristics.

Result:The effect of shading on the performance of PV panel was investigated.

Power (mW)

Experiment 04
Objective:Effect of shading on PV Module.

Apparatus Required:

Solar PV module
Rheostat
Ammeter
Voltmeter
Illumination source
Solar flux meter
Connecting wires

Theory:The surfaces of the world receive different amounts of sunlight because the Earth is spherical and because of the tilt of the
Earths axis. Sunlight that strikes the planet is called insolation (incoming solar radiation). The great distance of the sun to
the Earth results in rays from the sun that are essentially parallel to one another as they strike the surface of the Earth. But
from our perspective, standing on Earth, the sun appears closer to or farther from the horizon, depending on the time of
day, ones latitude, and the season. The angle that the insolation makes with the horizon can be called the angle of
insolation and is measured from the horizon to the sun.
Along the equator, the suns path across the sky appears high in the sky most of the year, and directly overhead (90 angle
of insolation) at noon on the spring and fall equinoxes. As latitude increases, the suns path appears closer to the horizon
(a much smaller angle of insolation).Throughout the year, the suns position at noon above the horizon depends primarily
on latitude,and migrates to the north or south of the celestial equator. The angle of insolation changes constantly with this
variation in the suns position.

Knowing the angle of insolation helps to position the solar panel so it is exposed to the most direct rays of the sun for the
longest period of time, thus increasing the amount of voltage output it can produce.
Flat panel photovoltaic systems (PV) sit in a fixed position, and are often mounted on a roof. The tilt angle is the angle the
solar panel makes with the horizontal, that is, the ground level, or the horizon. To find the best tilt angle to position the
solar panel, subtract the latitude from 90. If the roof is pitched, subtract the pitch of the roof from the tilt angle to find the
additional tilt at which to pitch the solar panel.

Why should solar panels in India be south-facing?

Our country India, lies in the southern hemisphere so when the sun travels, it takes an elliptical trajectory going from east
to west having an inclination towards south ,hence to get the maximum quantity of solar energy we have to place our
panel accordingly. As you can see, be it summer or winter, the inclination is towards south

What should be angle of solar panels in India?

The tilt angle is determined according to the latitude of your position. For example if you are living in Cochin-Kerala, the
tilt angle for your solar panel will be approx. 10-12 degree. On the other hand if you want to incorporate a panel in Delhi,
your tilt angle will be almost 28- 30 degree.
Observations:S.No.

Irradiance
(Kwhm2/mth)

Tilt Angle

Temperature

Calculations:1. Fill up Table and identify the best tilted angle for solar panel in your area.

Result:The effect of tilted angle on the performance of PV panel was investigated.

Volts (mV)

Rank

Experiment 05
Objective:Demonstration of bypass and blocking diode.

Apparatus Required:

Solar PV module
Rheostat
Ammeter
Voltmeter
Illumination source
Solar flux meter
Connecting wires

Theory:Solar panels are equipped with bypass diodes which ensure that power can only flow in one direction. Without bypass
diodes, a shaded solar panel would draw the full current of the string and lose it as heat in the shaded area. This would
result in hot spots, followed by a fire. When a bypass diode is added, the shaded panels are removed from the output
equation and the string operates more efficiently. Bypass diodes are a very simple circuit with very low accuracy. They
tend to operate on a threshold of around 20-30 percent and are aimed more at ensuring safety more than any attempt
at increasing system efficiency.

A bypass diode is connected in parallel, but with opposite polarity, to a solar cell as shown above. Under normal
operation, each solar cell will be forward biased and therefore the bypass diode will be reverse biased and will effectively
be an open circuit. However, if a solar cell is reverse biased due to a mismatch in short-circuit current between several
series connected cells, then the bypass diode conducts, thereby allowing the current from the good solar cells to flow in
the external circuit rather than forward biasing each good cell. The maximum reverse bias across the poor cell is reduced
to about a single diode drop, thus limiting the current and preventing hot-spot heating.
The effect of a bypass diode on an IV curve can be determined by first finding the IV curve of a single solar cell with a
bypass diode and then combining this curve with other solar cell IV curves. The bypass diode affects the solar cell only in
reverse bias. If the reverse bias is greater than the knee voltage of the solar cell, then the diode turns on and conducts
current. The combined IV curve is shown in the figure below.

Observations:

For solar panels having Bypass diode.

S.NO.

Temperature:Volts (mV)

Illumination:Current (mA)
Power (mW)

Calculations:

Compare the collected data and I-V characteristics with simple solar module.

Result:Successfully studied the use of Bypass diode with solar PV module.

Experiment 06
Objective:Simulation to estimate the effect of a given parameter on solar cell efficiency on PC1D (photo-conductance one
dimensional) simulator.

Apparatus Required:

Solar PV module
Rheostat
Ammeter
Voltmeter
Illumination source
Solar flux meter
Connecting wires

Theory:-

Experiment 07
Objective:Spectral Response Measurement of PV Module

Apparatus Required:

Solar PV module
Rheostat
Ammeter
Voltmeter
Illumination source
Solar flux meter
Thin Colored films
Connecting wires

Theory:-