Realistic Modeling of Photovoltaic Solar Cell: A Simple and Accurate Two-Diode Model

Abstract

Photovoltaic modules are determinant in producing sustainable energy with a reduced environmental impact. This article explores the progressive modeling of photovoltaic modules, from the straightforward but approximate one-diode model to the more accurate but more complex two-diode model. It focuses on the parameters to be considered and the judicious choice of hypotheses to obtain electrical behavior close to that obtained experimentally for different environmental conditions. A reverse coupled saturation current and the Newton−Raphson method are both used for theoretical calculation and the simulation, respectively. Simulations show that the root mean square error (RMSE) on the I–V curves is reduced by 11.2% for irradiance of 1000 W/m² and by 28.3% on the P–V curves at 60°C. Additionally, the parallel resistance estimated with the two-diode model is lower than with the single-diode model (310 to 110.8 Ω), indicating a better consideration of leakage currents. Although the computation time is increased by around 40%, the improvement in accuracy justifies this added complexity. In conclusion, the study confirms the relevance of the two-diode model for a more realistic representation of photovoltaic module performance under various environmental conditions.