An Experimental Assessment of the Single- and Double-Diode Models: The Possibility of a Hybrid Approach

The rise in CO₂ emissions due to increased productivity in industrial and agricultural sectors has led to negative impacts on the environment and human health. To combat this issue, green sources such as solar are being explored. Among various solar technologies, photovoltaic (PV) technology is eco-friendly and cost-effective. However, accurate mathematical modeling of the PV cell is required before integrating them into industrial or domestic applications. This work evaluates the performance of single- and double-diode configurations of PV cells using two parameter extraction methods under non-standard conditions. The study aims to prioritize the use of a particular configuration based on prevailing meteorological inputs to achieve high accuracy in PV cell modeling. Both models performed very well under the climate fluctuations with a remarkable performance of the single diode under the fluctuated profiles, especially the high variations. On the other hand, the double-diode model performs well with low variations. A hybrid algorithm is proposed to switch between the models based on the level of solar irradiance and temperature. This hybrid approach is validated by experiments conducted on a grid-connected PV system. The findings of this study could enhance the accuracy of PV cell modeling and provide insight for future research.