Measurement Array for Photovoltaic Installation

The measurement array presented in this paper is performed at the University of Bejaia in Algeria by the team working on photovoltaic after two years experiments. It is used to evaluate the performance of photovoltaic modules and systems. It can be adapted for stand-alone systems without storage, with storage or with alternating loads. In this work we have restricted the study to a simplified system consisting of a single module of 120 Wp output and a resistive variable load. The measurement of the voltage and the current are made through transducers and data logger but also directly with voltmeter and ammeter; solar radiation and temperatures are however made only through sensors and data logger. The data are then visualized on voltmeter and ammeter and recorded on data logger which is connected via available RS232 interface to a PC. Software developed under Lab View environment permit to configure the system and to read and save the data. The team is still working to develop some algorithms to evaluate the performances of the photovoltaic installation.