A modeling method for photovoltaic cells using explicit equations and optimization algorithm

•Ideal factor of the diode has great impacts on the output when radiation changes.•Explicit equations and the optimization algorithm make the method very simple.•The method can be applicable to various types of photovoltaic cells.

A numerical method for determining the five-parameter model of photovoltaic cells is presented in the paper. Explicit equations are applied to analyze the relations between parameters which are solved by an optimization algorithm. Lambert W function is implemented to convert the I–V characteristic implicit equation to an explicit one, so the output current and voltage of photovoltaic cells can be obtained by substituting the five parameters into the explicit I–V equation. Several cells are used to verify the accuracy of the proposed method from different aspects. It is found that the proposed method gives precise results and can be applicable to various types of photovoltaic cells.