In this study, a photovoltaic (PV) panel emulator was developed based on a single diode model of a PV cell, and four prototypes of this kind emulator have been produced. In addition, an electronic potentiometer and a central control unit were developed to be used in experimental studies. Each of the developed emulators was planned to be at least 16 W in power. LabVIEW‐based interfaces were designed to reveal the electrical characteristics of the PV panel emulator and compare them with that of an actual PV panel, and the acquired electrical data were graphical analyzed with Matlab program. Results show that the developed PV panel emulator and actual PV panel characteristics are consistent with each other. A low‐cost system which does not need light source for experimental studies has been developed to be used in renewable energy laboratories, and to give psychomotor and cognitive behaviors to students.