Improved Sampling of IV Measurements

The measurement of IV curves is the most important characterization technique of photovoltaic devices. This work seeks to determine a fair sampling rate for IV curves. Traditional sampling methods, such as using equidistant voltage steps, result in biased data by over- and undersampling the measurement at different voltages, which affect critical evaluations such as maximum power point (MPP) determination as well as series and shunt resistance estimation. Therefore, an adaptive sampling approach based on calculating the arc length of the IV curve is proposed, aiming to distribute data points equidistantly along the curve. This method is intended to provide a more balanced representation of the measurement data across all segments of the curve. The results indicate that using this adaptive approach, the measurement points can be significantly reduced at lower voltages while maintaining essential data density at key characteristics such as the MPP, facilitating faster and more accurate assessments.