Comparison of two PV array models for the simulation of PV systems using five different algorithms for the parameters identification

Simulation is of primal importance in the prediction of the produced power and automatic fault detection in PV grid-connected systems (PVGCS). The accuracy of simulation results depends on the models used for main components of the PV system, especially for the PV module. The present paper compares two PV array models, the five-parameter model (5PM) and the Sandia Array Performance Model (SAPM). Five different algorithms are used for estimating the unknown parameters of both PV models in order to see how they affect the accuracy of simulations in reproducing the outdoor behavior of three PVGCS. The arrays of the PVGCS are of three different PV module technologies: Crystalline silicon (c-Si), amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and micromorph silicon (a-Si:H/μc-Si:H).