Name: Lucky Kumar
Experiment No: 1 Date of Allotment:
Date of Submission:
1. Aim: To study the V-I characteristics of a given solar panel at different intensities and
find the maximum power point and fill factor.
2. Apparatus: Solar cell characteristics apparatus with ammeter and voltmeter, lamp
with holder, wooden plank, connecting leads
3. Formula Used:
Maximum power, Pmax = Imp * Vmp
Where, Imp is current at Pmax
Vmp is voltage at Pmax
Fill factor, FF = Imp*Vmp/IscVoc
Voc is open circuit voltage and Isc is short circuit current
4. Circuit Diagram:
Circuit diagram for studying the IV characteristics of a solar cell.
5. Precautions:
● Check the solar cell (or panel) before use. Measure the voltage across the solar cell using
multimeter under sunlight. If it is single solar cell, the voltage must be around 0.5 to 0.6
V. If it is a solar panel than the voltage is number of solar cells times the above voltage.
● Use the voltmeter and ammeter of smallest least count. Too big a least count will lead to
poor resolution between successive observations. This is specially taken care of for
ammeter.
● Make the circuit carefully.
● The intensity of light falling on the sample is controlled by changing the distance
between the source and the solar cell. The source is energized by the ac line voltage.
● Make sure that the source should not be placed very near to the solar cell. The excessive
heat may bring permanent damage to the device. A good way to check this is to keep
your hand at a distance from the source and you can comfortably manage to hold it there
for a minute or two.
● Take large number of observations so that the characteristic curves are evident.
● The observations for RL equal to zero (short) and infinity ohms (open) must be recorded.
● Perform the experiment in dark (if possible) to cut down the effect of ambient light on
the measurements.
6. Expected graphs:
IV characteristics of a solar cell measured at different intensity of incident radiations
on the solar cell
7. Observations:
Least count of Voltmeter = 0.1V
Least count of Ammeter = 0.5mA
Least count of meter scale = 1mm
Least count of Lux meter = 10 lux
Table: V-I data for different Intensities (or distances) between Source and Solar
Panel.
(Tabulate the data in ascending or descending order of INTENSITY)
Note: In order to get curves uniformly separated from each other, choose short
circuit current (Isc) as the first value to decide the intensity (or distance) of source
for different set of observations. Avoid taking distance as a parameter for taking
different set of observations.
S. Distance (cm) =25 Distance (cm) =15 Distance (cm) =10
No. Intensity (lux) = 940 Intensity (lux) =1490 Intensity (lux) =2100
Voltage, V Current, I Voltage, V Current, I Voltage ,V Current ,I
(V) (mA) (V) (mA) (V) (mA)
1. 0 4.0 0 6.5 0 9.5
2. 0.2 4.0 0.1 6.5 0.2 9.5
3. 0.6 4.0 0.2 6.5 0.6 9.5
4. 0.9 3.5 0.3 6.5 0.8 9.0
5. 1.4 3.0 0.6 6.0 1.6 8.5
6. 1.7 3.0 1.1 5.5 2.0 8.5
7. 2.0 2.5 1.5 5.5 2.3 8.0
8. 2.2 2.5 2.0 5.0 2.9 7.5
9. 2.6 2.0 2.7 4.5 3.2 6.5
10. 2.8 2.0 3.0 4.0 3.4 5.0
11. 2.9 1.5 3.2 3.5 3.5 4.0
12. 3.1 1.0 3.4 2.5 3.6 3.5
13. 3.2 0.5 3.5 1.5 3.6 2.0
14. 3.2 0 3.5 1.0 3.7 1.0
15. 3.5 0.5 3.7 0.5
16. 3.6 0.5 3.8 0
17. 3.6 0
S.No. Distance (cm) =7.5 Distance (cm) =5
Intensity (lux) =3220 Intensity (lux) =5440
Voltage, V Current, I Voltage, V Current, I
(V) (mA) (V) (mA)
1. 0 13.5 0 15.5
2. 0.2 13.5 0.5 15.5
3. 0.5 13.5 0.8 15.5
4. 0.9 12.5 1.3 15.0
5. 1.2 12.5 2.1 14.5
6. 1.7 12.0 2.6 14.0
7. 2.3 11.5 3.2 13.5
8. 3.1 10.5 3.5 13.0
9. 3.4 8.5 3.6 12.0
10. 3.5 7.5 3.7 9.5
11. 3.6 5.5 3.8 7.5
12. 3.7 4.0 3.9 5.5
13. 3.8 2.5 3.9 4.0
14. 3.8 2.0 4.0 2.5
15. 3.8 1.5 4.0 1.5
16. 3.8 1.0 4.0 1.0
17. 3.8 0.5 4.0 0.5
18. 3.8 0 4.0 0
8. Calculations:
Plot V-I characteristics of the given solar panel for different intensities (or distance).
Join the points to draw a free hand curve. Determine and locate the maximum power
points. Mention the points on the plots.
1)
2)
3)
9. Result:
Distance Intensity Voc Isc Pmax FF
(cm) (Lux)
(V) (mA) (mW)
25 940 3.2 4.0 5.6 0.44
15 1490 3.6 6.5 12.5 0.54
10 2100 3.8 9.5 22.0 0.61
7.5 3220 3.9 13.5 36.0 0.68
5 5440 4.0 15.5 43.0 0.69
10. Discussion
In this experiment, we have found out that the form factor increases as we move the
solar cell closer to the light source. It means that we can generate higher amount of
power by just increasing the intensity of the light source, by either moving the solar
cell close to it or increasing it brightness. The maximum output voltage that can be
generated from the solar cell is around 4V. For each intensity value, we have found
out those values of voltage and current where the output power generated is
maximum.
But one thing that comes into play is the effects of heat on the solar cell which is
emanating from the source (in our case, it was a 100W incandescent bulb). We have
observed that at the positions closer to the source, the circuit just breaks and show
zero deflection on both voltmeter and ammeter when the solar cell is left in that place.
The temperature of the solar cell has gone up which may have damaged the solar cell.
It can also cause permanent damage to the cell which will make the solar cell
completely useless. So, we have to find those positions where first, the heat emanating
from the source doesn’t raise the solar cell’s temperature that much. And by its V-I
characteristics, we can find the V,I pair for the maximum power and can use the solar
cell optimally.
