19th International Conference on Computer and Information Technology, December 18-20, 2016, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Modeling of Solar Photovoltaic System Using

MATLAB/Simulink
Md. Shohag Hossain, Naruttam K. Roy and Md. Osman Ali
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering,
Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET),
Khulna-9203, Bangladesh.
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract—This work presents a Simulink-based model of a II. BASIC OF PV CELL

photovoltaic (PV) system using a single-diode and two-diode
model of solar cell. A comparison between the two-diode and A. Operating Principle
single-diode model of PV cell has been illustrated. In addition, the A PV cell produces current when sun light is irradiated upon
output of series-parallel connection of PV cells has been examined. on it and produces electron-hole pair as PV cell materials absorb
In the model, series and shunt resistances are calculated by an photons having energy exceeding the band-gap of the material
efficient iteration method based on open-circuit voltage, short-
[8]. These generated carriers are swept apart by the internal
circuit current and irradiance values. The PV module
electric fields of this cell and they contribute to current if the cell
implemented in Simulink/MATLAB considers five parameters.
The parameters are series and shunt resistance, reverse saturation is connected with external circuit.
current, photocurrent and ideality factor. Approximate
parameters are obtained from the manufacturer`s datasheets. The B. Equivalent Circuit of a PV Cell
model includes light intensity and ambient temperature as input. A solar cell can be represented by a widely accepted
Power, cell temperature and voltage as well as any measurements equivalent circuit shown in Fig. 1 and 2 [8].
of interests are the outputs. For the grid connection of solar cell,
inverter, filter and a step-up transformer is utilized. The
performance of the model is found satisfactory.

Keywords—Irradiance; Temperature; Resistance; Series-parallel;

Solar PV.
Figure 1 Single diode circuit. Figure 2 Two diode circuit
I. INTRODUCTION
The renewable energy sources are playing an important role When the cell is exposed to light, direct current is generated
in power systems and the use of solar energy is increasing day that varies linearly with solar radiation. The model can be
by day. Solar power is generated using solar photovoltaic (PV) improved by including the effects of a shunt resistance (RP) and
arrays and electric inverter. A PV array is formed by another in series (Rs) [9]. Here, Rs is introduced for considering
series/parallel combination of PV solar modules [1]. The output the voltage drops and internal losses due to flow of current and
power generated from the solar panels is intermittent in nature
and varies with the irradiance level, temperature, different R p takes into account the leakage current to the ground when
orientations, panel aging, and so on [1-3]. A PV system is the the diode is reverse biased.
most cost effective and environment friendly in many
applications especially in isolated areas [4]. C. Comparison Between Single and Two Diode Model
This work demonstrates the basic combination of PV array The two-diode model takes into account the effect of
and discusses different output characteristics of PV array in recombination between electron-hole pair. In it, the number of
various conditions such as irradiance change, temperature equations as well as unknown parameters increases, thereby
variations and different internal resistance to demonstrate the making calculations little bit more complex but gives more
various effects for series-parallel PV array. In this paper, accurate results as compared to the single-diode model.
modeling of a PV cell based on the Shockley diode equation in Considering mathematical computations and number of
MATLAB [5-7] is discussed. A comparison between the single- iterations, computational errors are less in the single-diode
diode and two-diode model of PV cell has also been illustrated. model and it is faster than two-diode model due to less complex
Overall, a detail model of PV cell with inverter, filter, and step- equations [9].
up transformer has been designed in this work.

978-1-5090-4090-2/16/$31.00 ©2016 IEEE 128 ISBN 978-1-5090-4089-6

 19th International Conference on Computer and Information Technology, December 18-20, 2016, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

III. BASIC SIMULINK MODEL OF PV CELL maximum power from the cell. Now, for findings Rs and R p
at STC
The fundamental equation of PV cell can be derived from Pmp , ref   Vmp , ref + I mp , ref .Rs  
the theory of Shockley diode equation and semiconductor I mp , ref = = I ph , ref − I 0, ref exp   − 1 (9)
Vmp , ref   a  
theory [10]. The single diode Simulink model is given in Fig.
3. The fundamental equations [5] needed to design a PV cell Putting the value of I 0 and I ph,ref finally we get
are given below:
Vmp , ref + I mp , ref .Rs
Rp = (10)
Using KCL in Fig. 1 we get Pmp , ref
I PV = I Ph − I D − I P
I sc , ref − I sc , ref exp B + I sc , ref exp ( )−V
V0 c ,ref
a
(1) mp , ref

Vmp , ref + I mp , ref .Rs − V0, ref N . A.K .Tc

As we know Shockley diode equation Where, B= , a= s
a q
  e (V p + Rs I )  
I D = I 0  exp   − 1 (2)
  nk BT  
    IV. SIMULATION RESULT
Now putting this value into equation (1) we get
  e (V p + Rs I )   A. Effect of different irradiance on a single PV cell
I PV = I ph − I 0 exp   − 1 − I P (3)
  nk BT  
    Figures 4 and 5 show the effect of variation of solar irradiance
Finally, putting the value of IP in equation (3) from Fig. 1
on the I-V and P-V curves. As the irradiance decreases, photo
  e (V p + Rs I )   V p + Rs I current ( ℎ) also decreases. The photo current varies linearly
I PV = I ph − I 0  exp   − 1 −
with irradiance level. From Fig. 4, it is observed that photo
  nk BT   Rp
    (4) current is 3.11A when irradiance is 1000 W/m2 and 0.7 A when
Now the output current at the standard test conditions (STC) is irradiance is 200 W/m2. From Fig. 5, it is observed that the
given as [5]: output power decreases when irradiance decreases. It is found
  Vp   that when irradiance is 1000w/m2 power is 49.3 W but for other
I PV = I ph, ref − I 0, ref  exp 
 a  
−1 (5) values of irradiance output decreases. .
  ref  
If we consider short circuit condition, V=0 we get B. Effect of different temperature on a single PV cell
  0  
I sc , ref = I ph , ref − I 0, ref  exp   − 1 = I ph, ref (6) Figures 6 and 7 demonstrate the effect of the ambient

  aref   temperature on the P-V and I-V characteristics. It can be noted
But photo current depends on light intensity and temperature. from Fig. 6 that maximum power output decreases with
Therefore, equation of photocurrent may be defined as increasing temperature. In this model, the temperature is varied
G
I ph =
G ref
( I ph,ref + μsc .ΔT ) (7) from 25 ˚ to 500 ˚ . From Fig. 6, maximum power output is
49.3 W and 18 W when temperature is 25 ˚ and 500 ˚ ,
respectively. In Fig. 7, it is observed that the output voltage
Where, G=Irradiance, Gref =Irradiance at STC, ΔT = decreases from 23.5V to 19.1V as the temperature is increased
from 25 ˚ to 500 ˚ , respectively.
Tc − Tref (Kelvin), Tref =Cell temperature at STC = 25 + 273 =
298, μ : Coefficient temperature of short circuit current
(A/K), provided by the manufacturer, I ph,ref : Photocurrent (A)
at STC.

Finally, by simplification we get reverse saturation current

3
T   −qΣG   1 1 
I 0 = I 0, ref  c  exp    −  (8)
 Tref   A.K   Tc Tref 

In order to design this model more accurately, Rs and R p are

calculated using Newton-Raphson method in order to get

978-1-5090-4090-2/16/$31.00 ©2016 IEEE 129 ISBN 978-1-5090-4089-6

 19th International Conference on Computer and Information Technology, December 18-20, 2016, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Figure 3 Simulink model of a single diode PV cell

Figure 4 Irradiance effect on I-V curve

Figure 8 Rs effect on I-V curve

Figure 5 Irradiance effect on P-V curve

Figure 9 Rs effect on P-V curve

Figure 6 Temperature effect on P-V

Figure 10 Rp effect on P-V curve

Figure 7 Temperature Effect on I-V

978-1-5090-4090-2/16/$31.00 ©2016 IEEE 130 ISBN 978-1-5090-4089-6

 19th International Conference on Computer and Information Technology, December 18-20, 2016, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Two diode model

Single diode model

Figure 13 Voltage vs. Time

Figure 11 Rp effect on I-V curve

Two diode model

Single diode model
Figure 15 Output current vs. Time for series-parallel connection

Figure 12 Current vs. Time

Figure 14 Series- parallel connection of PV cell

Figure 16 Output Voltage vs. Time for series-parallel connection Figure 18 Voltage vs. Time after filtering

Figure 19 Voltage vs. Time after 220V/2200V step-up transformer

Figure 17 Current vs. Time after filtering

978-1-5090-4090-2/16/$31.00 ©2016 IEEE 131 ISBN 978-1-5090-4089-6

 19th International Conference on Computer and Information Technology, December 18-20, 2016, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

C. Effect of different Rs and Rp on a single PV cell current and voltage are shown in Fig. 17 & 18. In this study, a
single phase pulse width modulation (PWM) inverter has been
Figures 8 and 9 demonstrate the effect of variation of the series used. Harmonics are generated in inversion process.
resistance and parallel resistance on the output of solar cell. The Therefore, to reduce harmonics, a first order low pass filter
has been used. In Fig. 17 current is found 2.7A and in Fig. 18,
higher the value of the series resistance, the lower the output
the voltage is found 210V without any harmonics.
current as well as the maximum power. It is also found that a
lower value of parallel resistance decreases output power. G. Simulated result of Step-up Transformer
Therefore, suitable values of Rs (Rs=0.56 Ω) and Rp (Rp=790 Ω)
have been calculated by Newton Raphson iteration method that Transformers are used to step up the output voltage of the
gives more accurate result at maximum power point [5]. From Fig. inverter. In this model, a single phase PWM inverter, a step
8, it is observed that photo current decreases from 3.11A to 2.6A up three phase two winding 100kVA, 220V/2200V
transformer is used. The output voltage 210V is stepped up
as series resistance is varied from 0.06 Ω to 0.76 Ω. Also, the
to approximately 2000V using step up transformer which is
output power increases from 21W to 49.3W as the parallel shown in Fig. 19.
resistance is varied from 10 Ω to 790 Ω. The effects of parallel
resistance on P-V and I-V curves are shown in Fig. 10 and 11, V. CONCLUSION
respectively. Table I shows the simulation result where for the The performance of a solar cell depends primarily on weather
same approximation method, we got 49.3W whereas conditions. The field tests to examine the performance of
manufacture’s got 49W experimentally. solar cells are highly expensive. However, a detailed
simulation study can save both time and resources. The
TABLE I. PWX 500 PV MODULE (49W) CHARACTERISTICS [5] implemented PV model using MATLAB/Simulink covers all
Name Experimental Simulated Values these concerns. The Simulink implementation of PV model
(Unit) Values (single diode) takes into account five parameters. The effects of variations
of model parameters and the effects of different solar light
Pmp (W) 49 W 49.3 W intensity (200-1000 w/m2) and ambient temperature (25-
Vmp (V) 17 V 17.2 V 500˚C) have been demonstrated. The PV model can be
automatically modified to simulate configurations ranging
I mp (A) 2.88 A 2.9 A from a single PV cell to a string of modules. The comparison
Voc (V) 21.6 V 23.5 V of MATLAB built in single diode and two diode model cell
has been demonstrated. The manufacturer’s test of PWX 500
I sc (A) 3.11 A 3.11 A PV module gives 4.89% efficiency whereas the simulated
model has given 4.98% efficiency. Therefore, it can be
D. Simulation Result of simulated single diode and built-in two concluded that the proposed model has given slightly higher
diode model in MATLAB efficiency than the manufacturer’s value. Series and parallel
combinations of cells for getting desired output are designed
Figures 12 & 13 demonstrate the comparison between two-diode and simulated. Finally, it can be concluded that the complete
and single-diode model. Figure 12 shows that the output current model with the inverter and transformer shows satisfactory
of the built-in two-diode model in MATLAB is 3.67A whereas performance.
the output current of the simulated single-diode model is 3.11A.
From Fig. 13, it is seen that output voltage of built in two-diode
model is 36.7V which is greater than the output voltage 23.5V of References
simulated single-diode model. [1] K. Ding, X. Bain and H. Liu, "Matlab-Simulink Based Modeling to
Study the Influence of Nonuniform Insolation Photovoltaic Array,"
Power and Energy Engineering Conference (APPEEC), 2011 Asia-
Pacific, Wuhan, 2011, pp. 1-4.
E. Simulink Model of Series- Parallel Connection of MATLAB [2] A. N. R. Ahmed, K. Nowaz, J. Tasnim and N. Afroze, "A complete
built-in PV Cell modeling and analysis of solar system (cell/module/array) based on
The output current, voltage and power of a single solar cell is very MATLAB,"International Conference on Electrical & Electronic
low. For getting desired output power solar array is created by Engineering (ICEEE), Rajshahi, 2015, pp. 149-152.
connecting solar cells in series and parallel. Figure 14 shows the [3] K. Biju and R. Ramchand “Modeling and simulation of a novel solar
PV/ battery hybrid energy system with a single phase five level
Simulink model of a series parallel connection which contains six inverter,” 2015 IEEE International Conference on Signal Processing,
series and six parallel combinations of solar cell. It is noted from Informatics, Communication and Energy Systems
Fig. 15 that the output current increases from 1.5A (built in single (SPICES),Kozhikode 2015, pp. 1 – 5.
cell) to 8.75A (six cells are parallel). Also, the output voltage [4] D. Yun-Fen and M. Ying, “Dynamic Modeling and Simulation of
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion System,” 7th International
increases from 15.3V (built in single cell) to 87.67V (six cell are Conference on Wireless Communications, Networking and Mobile
series) as shown in Fig. 16. Computing (WiCOM), Wuhan 2011, pp. 1 - 6
[5] H. Bellia, R. Youcef and M. Fatima, “A detailed modeling of
F. Result of DC to AC Conversion photovoltaicmodule using MATLAB,”NRIAG Journal of Astronomy
and Geophysics (2014), vol. 3, pp. 53–61.
Solar cells produce power at low voltages. Stepping up DC voltage [6] X. Wang and H. Liang, "Output Characteristics of PV Array under
is a difficult task. It is likely to be more energy efficient to convert Different Insolation and Temperature,"Asia-Pacific Power and Energy
Engineering Conference, Shanghai, 2012, pp. 1-4.
it to AC and step it up before transmission [11]. The outputs of

978-1-5090-4090-2/16/$31.00 ©2016 IEEE 132 ISBN 978-1-5090-4089-6

 19th International Conference on Computer and Information Technology, December 18-20, 2016, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

[7] Villalva, M. Gradella, Gazoli, J. Rafael, Filho and E. Ruppert, simulation models in matlab/simulink,” International Journal on
“Comprehensive approach to modeling and simulation of photovoltaic “Technical and Physical Problems of Engineering (IJTPE), ” Iss. 10,
arrays,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 1198–1208, 2009. Vol. 4, No. 1, Mar. 2012
[8] H. B. Vika, “Modelling of Photovoltaic Modules with Battery [10] Villalva MG, Gazoli JR and Filho ER, “Comprehensive approach to
EnergyStorage in Simulink/Matlab,” June (2014) Trondheim Norwegian modeling and simulation of photovoltaic arrays,” IEEE Trans Power
University of Science and Technology. Electron, vol. 24, pp. 1198–1208, 2009.
[9] J. A. Ramos-Hernanz, J. J. Campayo, J. Larranaga, E. Zulueta, O. [11] https://www.quora.com/Why-convert-DC-to-AC-when-using-solar-
Barambones, J. Motrico, U. F. Gamiz and I. Zamora, “Two photovoltaic cell power. (accessed on 20 July 2016)

978-1-5090-4090-2/16/$31.00 ©2016 IEEE 133 ISBN 978-1-5090-4089-6