  A single diode model with five parameters is the simplest and robust approach
for modeling a photovoltaic (PV) module in a simulated environment. These
parameters need to be accurately extracted from the specifications given in the
datasheet of the PV module such that the simulation model should exhibit the
same characteristics as the actual measurements. A definite set of five
independent equations, that should represent the characteristics of the PV
module as accurately as possible, is needed to solve for these five parameters.
In literature, the first four equations are easily created from the key data
points on the characteristic curve given in the datasheet of the PV module. The
main challenge however is the formulation of the fifth equation. The approaches
found in literature have inherent inaccuracies due to some approximations or
iterative techniques leading to discrepancy in the simulated model. This paper
presents a unique analytical approach for the formulation of the fifth equation
which yields the most accurate single diode model. As evident from the results,
the proposed method is superior to not just the single diode model approaches
but also to the double diode ones in simulating the characteristics of the PV
module with least error.
