I-V Curve
Measurement

Measuring the current-voltage characteristic (I-V curve) can determine important parameters for PV modules, such as the maximum output, open-circuit voltage and short circuit current. I-V curves are normally recorded under a sun simulator with specified parameters for the standard test conditions (STC). These include an irradiance intensity of 1000 W/m², a module temperature of 25 °C and the AM1.5 spectrum. Our PV-KLA curve analysers deliver extremely reproducible measurement readings for these quantities, which are crucial for research, development and quality assurance.

Since the parameters under STC only partially reflect the expected yield in practical use, outdoor measurements under various environmental conditions are essential, especially when developing new module technologies. This is the only way to make predictions about expected yields for different temperatures, solar spectra, light incidence angles and diffuse light fractions and allow various module and cell technologies to be compared under real conditions. This provides yield forecasts for different module and cell technologies while taking into account different locations and climate regions. We offer the PV-KLA-MUX measurement system for this purpose, which can perform fully automated measurements on numerous photovoltaic modules over a long period. It can also log extensive meteorological data to evaluate test readings at the same time.