Irradiance-dependence of the current-voltage characteristics of crystalline silicon solar cells

Variations in the current-voltage characteristics I-out(V) of crystalline silicon solar cells under different levels of irradiance (E) are experimentally investigated. It is demonstrated that the I-out(V) can be well approximated by the sum of a dark current and a voltage-dependent "photocurrent," which is proportional to E. Using this result, the I-out(V) at any E can be calculated from those at two different Es with better accuracy than by the conventional procedure based on the shifted approximation.