Electrical characterizer of photovoltaic modules using the DC/DC Ćuk converter

This paper presents the procedures employed to specify, design and implement a Cuk converter of 300 W, applied as an electrical characterizer of photovoltaic modules. The designed prototype is autonomous, portable and allows to transfer the measured data (voltage, current, solar irradiance and temperature) to a personal computer by RS232 serial communication. From these quantities, the I-V and P-V curves are plotted and the five parameters that describe the one diode model of the tested PV module are obtained. Thus, it is possible to replicate the photovoltaic module behavior in a simulation platform regarding any solar irradiance and temperature conditions. In order to validate the accuracy of the developed characterizer, the experimental curves obtained from it are compared with those acquired from the use of a commercial PV tracer.