Voltage and current in a parallel connection of solar cells

Principle

The pupils should examine a parallel connection of solar cells by measuring the open circuit voltage, U_ges, and the short-circuit current, I_ges. 

Using a connection in parallel, greater currents can be reached.

Furthermore, the currents I₁ and I₂ at each solar cell will be measured. Using this information and I_ges, the relation relation for the parallel connection of the solar cells can be derived: I_ges = I₁ + I₂.

The voltage at each solar cell is equal to the open circuit voltage, U_ges: U_ges = U₁ = U₂.

Benefits

• Experiment is part of a complete solution set with a total of 26 experiments for Renewable Energy solar cells, wind power, water power
• The power supply used is versatile and is particularly suitable for pupil tests for all ages
• Doubled learning success: Electric circuit diagram on top, real components can be seen at the bottom

Tasks

What happens when you connect two solar cells in parallel?