Automation of I-V curve measurement for photovoltaic modules: a practical approach

A photovoltaic (PV) module's efficiency is influenced by factors such as environmental conditions (Solar light intensity, temperature) and the load. These modules can encounter various problems that significantly impact their power output, leading to poor overall system performance. The Current-Voltage (I-V) curve is a graphical representation that illustrates the characteristics of a PV module (MPV). Measuring this curve in real-time is essential for diagnosing faults and analyzing PV installations. It offers a quick way to test modules and identify issues like shading, mismatching... This paper presents an experimental system designed to measure the I-V curve of a PV module under real operating conditions. The measurement process is automated and serves to assess the module’s health, degradation, and overall performance. An Arduino card is used to control the measurements, which are conducted in situ, in real time. The effectiveness of this method is validated through experimental data collected from a PV module. The developed system provides a visual display of the module's electrical characteristics and shows solar solar light intensity and temperature in real time on an LCD screen. All results are also displayed on PC. Experimental results are presented.