The present paper deals with the parameter identification of one diode model equivalent circuit of solar cell modules from real data acquired in different temperature conditions. We termed this procedure as an optimization problem and solved it through the FSDE (Free Search Differential Evolution) algorithm as well as a novel IFSDE (Improved FSDE) approach. The IFSDE is compared with other well-known metaheuristics, namely genetic algorithms, harmony search and particle swarm optimization, showing overall better results for the proposed IFSDE approach. In particular, the IFSDE is better in escaping local optima and obtained better results. Identified results are compared with acquired data, what shows the validity of the proposed algorithm. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.