In this paper, an embedded design for implementing a real-time photovoltaic (PV) system emulator with user-defined environmental conditions is proposed. The design implemented on a Sitara Cortex 9 ARM processor allows the evaluation of PV cells in a low-cost, portable and affordable system. This embedded PV emulation system uses an LCD screen to establish a human-system interface (HSI), and it contains an extensible database of commercial PV cells with their manufacturer's datasheet parameters. Based on the accurate two-diode model, the proposed design allows the generation of high precision I-V, P-V characteristic curves with the embedded ARM, which represents an affordable and simple solution. Experimental results demonstrate the accuracy of the real-time embedded system for different solar cells and environmental conditions. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.