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Modules practice questions

23 questions from the solar pv fundamentals practice test.

Modules practice test

10 questions, graded as you go, with the reason for every answer. No sign-up.

What this covers

Sample questions

About what open-circuit voltage does a single crystalline silicon cell produce, whatever its size?

  1. 1.5 to 2.0 V
  2. 5 to 6 V
  3. 0.5 to 0.7 V
  4. 12 to 14 V
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C. 0.5 to 0.7 V

A silicon cell produces roughly half a volt to a little over 0.6 V open circuit; the voltage is set by the material, not the cell area. That is why modules string dozens of cells in series to reach a useful voltage.

Reference: PV cell characteristics: cell voltage

If a silicon cell is made with twice the surface area, how does its output change under the same sunlight?

  1. Voltage roughly doubles; current stays about the same
  2. Both voltage and current roughly double together
  3. Current roughly doubles; voltage stays about the same
  4. Neither voltage nor current changes noticeably
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C. Current roughly doubles; voltage stays about the same

Cell current is proportional to the area collecting light, so doubling the area doubles the current. Voltage depends on the semiconductor junction, not on area, so it barely moves.

Reference: PV cell characteristics: area and current

What is a module's short-circuit current (Isc)?

  1. The current when operating at maximum power
  2. The current when no load is connected
  3. The current rating of its series fuse
  4. The current when the output voltage is zero
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D. The current when the output voltage is zero

Isc is the current that flows when the module terminals are shorted, so the voltage is zero; it is the highest current on the IV curve. With no load connected the current is zero and the module sits at open-circuit voltage instead.

Reference: IV curve: short-circuit current

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