Student Abstracts: Physics at NREL

Regression Analysis Program for the Characterization of Photovoltaic Devices. JASON STOKE (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523) KEITH EMERY (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 89401) .
Characterization of photovoltaic devices is key for understanding of how the devices perform. With a characterized photovoltaic panel, module, or array, one can have an idea of how well that device will produce power under any climatic condition. This program is able to take recorded data and fit it to the Photovoltaic Utility Scale Application (PVUSA) model. The fit will produce coefficients that are then substituted back into the model to give a power rating at the project test conditions. This allows predictions to be made about the performance of the device under varying degrees of weather. It can analyze recorded data and give the power rating of that device under the project pest conditions of air temperature of 20 C, wind speed of 1 m/s, and an irradiance of 1000 W/m2.