Accurate assessment of solar cell conversion efficiency relies heavily on the precise determination of unobserved parameters within photovoltaic (PV) cell models. To address this need, we present a novel approach named MOLNMGWO in this paper. This method aims to streamline the process of identifying latent parameters in PV models. MOLNMGWO ingeniously combines the Nelder-Mead simplex method with a mutated opposition-based learning mechanism derived from the gray wolf optimizer (GWO).Gaussian-Cauchy mutation in mutated opposition-based learning mechanism provides the ability to jump out of the local optimum. The opposition-based learning ensures that the local exploitation ability of the algorithm guarantees that it always obtains a better solution. In addition, the introduced Nelder-Mead simplex method also enhances its capability for local search and convergence precision. Evaluating the efficacy of MOLNMGWO involved a comprehensive comparison with various cutting-edge algorithms using the CEC2014 function set. The findings underscore the remarkable superiority of MOLNMGWO over these diverse algorithms. Subsequently, the application of MOLNMGWO to discern enigmatic PV parameters in the context of the single-diode model (SDM), double-diode model (DDM), and three-diode model (TDM) was pursued under consistent temperature and illumination circumstances.The MOLNMGWO can identify these parameters accurately and reliably. Finally, MOLNMGWO was used to identify the three commercial PV module parameters under diverse temperature and light conditions, and satisfactory results were obtained. All the above three experimental results show that MOLNMGWO has excellent competitiveness and that MOLNMGWO can accurately and efficiently identify photovoltaic parameters even in harsh environments. Overall, the MOLNMGWO is a novel, reliable and effective method to overcome the problem of the estimation of parameters for solar cell PV models.