Solar photovoltaic technologies have undergone significant scientific development. To ensure the transfer of knowledge through the training of qualified personnel, didactic tools that can be acquired or built at a reasonable price are needed. Most training and research centres have restrictions on acquiring specific equipment due to its high cost. With this in mind, this article presents the development and transfer of a low-cost I–V curve tracer acquisition system. The device is made up of embedded systems with all the necessary hardware and software for its operation. The hardware and software presented are open source and have a low cost, i.e., the estimated material cost of the system is less than 200 euros. For its development, four institutions from three different countries participated in the project. Three photovoltaic technologies were used to measure the uncertainties related to the equipment developed. In addition, the system can be transferred for use as an academic or research tool, as long as the measurement does not need to be certified. Two accredited laboratories have certified the low uncertainties in the measurement of the proposed system.

This paper presents the main aspects of implementing a laboratory for testing qualification and approval related to crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic devices. In this aspect, a simplified review-based IEC 61215 standard methodology for mechanical and electrical tests is presented from a practical-experimental view. The instrumental requirements and uncertainties are discussed. Specially focused on the nowadays high-size PV modules.

<p>Mediante el equipamiento de primera línea, adquirido gracias a la presentación en diversos proyectos en los que activamente participa, se logró desarrollar la capacidad de realizar ensayos de certificación de módulos fotovoltaicos (FV), según normas IRAM vigentes en el país. La exactitud conseguida en los ensayos para la potencia nominal es del 5,4 % lo que es comparable a la de laboratorios de otras regiones o países vecinos.</p><p> </p>

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This work proposes a new five-parameter model equation for PV devices, which operates as a function of the main representative parameters of PV devices. It is specifically developed for implementation in embedded systems. The methodology presented in this work is notable due to the fact that three of the five parameters can be directly extracted from the experimental current–voltage (I–V) curve, simplifying the iterative process until a pre-set small difference in the determination of the maximum power is achieved. The iterative methodology for extracting the remaining parameters is also described. The proposed methodology is verified by applying it to seven different PV technologies, including crystalline and thin-film technologies. Its parameters are compared with those obtained using the highly precise trust region iterative method. The resulting parameters and the error in the adjustment along the I–V curve are discussed. This methodology demonstrates the capability to accurately adjust the model along the entire I–V curve, determine the maximum power, and is not dependent on highly variable parameters.