A simple explicit photovoltaic formulation for characterizing and dimensioning cell-arrays is presented. The method permits the short-circuit current, the open-circuit voltage, the maximum cell power and the optimum cell-operation conditions to be determined. Further, the model also allows quantifying the effects of panel temperature and solar irradiance on key cell parameters. Based on several datasheets, the methodology is validated by covering a wide range of operation conditions. The proposed approach can thus, be very useful for design engineers to quickly and easily determine the performance of any photovoltaic array without performing tedious numerical calculations. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.