Impact Of Ideality Factor And Semiconductiong Material On PV Module Performances

conventional power resources since it is clean and renewable. The PV system allows the Sun’s energy to be converted to electricity using solar cells which currently is made by silicon. This project aims to evaluate the impact of ideality factor and semiconducting material variations on the I-V and P-V characteristics of the PV cell. For the purpose, five mathematical equations used to replicate the operations of PV module are modelled in MATLAB/SIMULINK and the electrical performances of the PV modules are analyzed. The results indicated that the electrical performances of a PV cell are highly dependent on the types of semiconducting material used and the ideality factor. From the tested material, it is found that at a temperature below the standard temperature condition (STC) of 25°C, Gallium Phosphide, GaP with a bandgap of 2.26eV would be the better option. An improved of 9.52% in maximum power is observed at 10°C when compared to silicon. However, at a temperature above the STC of 25°C, the use of Germanium with a bandgap of 0.67eV would be the better option than silicon as an increased of the maximum power of 4.97% is found at 40°C. Besides, the improper fabrication process (e.g. n= 2.0) would reduce the Pmax of the PV modules by 12%.