A systematic solution method to obtain the five-parameter model of the photovoltaic (PV) solar cells (modules or arrays) in case of only the few data (V(oc), I(sc), V(mp), and I(mp)) available from the manufacturers. To preset the proper initial values (such as R(sh)) within their ranges and select the proper iterative expressions when solving the nonlinear equation system through a concise computer procedure, the basic ranges of parameters are defined and the sensitivities of parameters are graphically analyzed on condition that as few simplifications as possible are made. The stability and effectiveness of the solved five parameters are kept and the convergence is very fast owing to the automatic error corrections during iterative computation. The resultant I-V and P-V characteristics and the experimental results are almost unanimous and show small errors, especially near the maximum power point. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.