Design and Realization of a Photovoltaic Tracer using DC/DC Converter

This article deals with the characterization of photovoltaic (PV) panels using current-voltage (I–V) tracers. It focuses on the realization of a low cost and real-time I–V tracer that uses an inexpensive DC/DC converter, a fixed load and sensors for measuring current and voltage of the PV Panel. Additionally, a data acquisition interface (DAI) is developed to collect real-time PV data under different weather conditions. The developed tracer reduces testing time for PV panel characterization compared with classical methods. In order to evaluate the performance of the developed tracer, we analyze the electrical parameters to which the electronic equipment is exposed and contrasts the advantages of the suggested technique and disadvantages of the classical method of measurement (i.e., using multimers), taking a variety of criteria including accuracy into account. For further validation, we compare the experimental PV characteristics to the simulated PV curves obtained using a single diode model.