Abstract
Solar energy has received attention in the Middle East given the abundant and free irradiance and extended sunny weather. Although photovoltaic panels were introduced decades ago, they have recently become economical and gained traction. We present a mathematical model for series-parallel photovoltaic modules, evaluate the model, and present the I-V and P-V characteristic plots for various temperatures, irradiance, and diode ideality factors. The power performance results are then analyzed and recommendations are made. Unlike other related work, our evaluation uses standard spreadsheet software avoiding commercial simulation packages and application programming. Results indicate improved power performance with irradiance and parallel connections of cell series branches. Given the hot weather in our region, increasing the number of cells connected in series from 36 to 72 is not recommended.