An I-V curve, also known as a current-voltage curve, displays the possible current to voltage combinations that a photovoltaic cell can have. A cell has maximum current but no voltage during a short circuit of its negative and positive terminals. It has maximum voltage but no current during a circuit break. Using a variable resister, you can take readings of a cell’s output at every condition between these two extremes, then use this data and Microsoft Excel to create an I-V curve, for an at-a-glance look at the conditions between these two extreme states. Writer Bio
