Singla et al.

, International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945

Int J Adv Engg Tech/IV/III/July-Sept.,2013/05-09

Research Paper
MODELING OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE &
EFFECT OF INSOLATION VARIATION USING
MATLAB/SIMULINK
Vineet Singla
1
, Vijay Kumar Garg
2

Address for Correspondence
1
M .Tech Scholar,
2
Asst Prof., EE Department, U.I.E.T, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India
ABSTRACT
The potential for solar energy as a sustainable source of energy is well understood. With the ever increasing use of solar
power the necessity of a model is accentuated. This paper focuses on a MATLAB/Simulink model of a photovoltaic module.
It presents the implementation of a generalized photovoltaic model, which can be representative of PV cell, module or array,
in order to estimate the electrical behavior of the module with respect to change in environmental parameter i.e. Insolation
keeping the cell temperature constant. This model is based on mathematical equations and is described through an equivalent
circuit including a photocurrent source, a diode, a series resistor and a shunt resistor. Taking the effect of sunlight irradiance
as variable parameter into consideration, the output current and power characteristics of PV model are simulated This
enables the dynamics of PV system to be easily simulated, analyzed and optimized. The essential parameters required for
modeling the system are taken from datasheets. A particular typical 60W solar panel is used for developed model evaluation
and simulation results are compared with points taken directly from the manufacturers published curves and show excellent
correspondence to the model.
KEYWORDS Photocurrent, photovoltaic module, MPPT, Insolation, MATLAB/Simulink.
I. INTRODUCTION
The entire world is facing a challenge to overcome
the hurdle of energy crisis. With increasing concerns
about fossil fuel deficit, skyrocketing oil prices,
global warming and damage to environment &
ecosystem, the promising incentives to develop
alternative energy resources with high efficiency and
low emission are of great importance. Renewable
energy resources will be an increasingly important
part of power generation in the new millennium.
Besides assisting in the reduction of the emission of
greenhouse gases, they add the much- needed
flexibility to the energy resource mix by decreasing
the dependence on fossil fuels [1]. Among the
renewable energy resources, the energy through the
photovoltaic (PV) effect can be considered the most
essential and prerequisite sustainable resource
because of the ubiquity, abundance and sustainability
of solar radiant energy. Regardless of the
intermittency of sunlight, solar energy is a renewable,
inexhaustible, widely available & completely free of
cost and ultimate source of energy. The main direct
or indirectly derived advantages of solar energy are
the following; No emissions of greenhouse (mainly
CO
2
, NOx) or toxic gasses (SO
2
, particulates),
reclamation of degraded land, reduction of
transmission lines from electricity grids, increase of
regional/national energy independence,
diversification and security of energy supply,
acceleration of rural electrification in developing
countries [2]. If used in a proper way, it has a
capacity to fulfill numerous energy needs of the
world. The power from the sun intercepted by earth is
approximately 1.8 x 10
11
MW [3]. This figure, being
thousands of time larger than the present
consumption rate enables more and more research in
the field of solar energy so that the present and future
energy needs of the world can be met. India is
endowed with vast solar energy potential. About
5,000 trillion kWh per year energy is incident over
Indias land area with most parts receiving 4 -7 kWh
per sq. m per day [4].
Photovoltaic (PV) system produces DC electricity
when sunlight falls on the PV array, without any
emissions. The DC power is converted to AC power
with an inverter and can be used to power local loads
or fed back to the utility [5]. PV module represents
the fundamental power conversion unit of a PV
generator system. PV system consists of a PV
generator (cell, module or array), energy storage
devices (such as batteries), AC and DC consumers
and elements for power conditioning. The PV
application can be grouped, depending on the scheme
of interaction with utility grid as: grid connected,
stand alone and hybrid.
The output characteristics of PV module depends
mainly on the solar insolation, the cell temperature
and output voltage of PV module. Since PV module
has nonlinear characteristics, it is necessary to model
the PV unit for MPPT (maximum power point
tracking) in PV-based power systems. It is crucial to
maximize the output electrical power available from
the PV module. Several MPPT (Maximum Power
Point Tracking) techniques have been proposed [6-8].
It is difficult to simulate and analyze PV in the
generic modeling of PV power system. This
motivates me to develop a generalized model for PV
module using MATLAB/Simulink. This article refers
about a model for modeling and simulation of PV
module.
II. PHOTOVOLTAIC MODELS
A. Principle of Operation
PV Cells are basically made up of a PN junction
fabricated in a thin wafer or layer of semiconductor
(usually silicon). Fig. 1 shows the photocurrent
generation principle of PV cells. In fact, when
sunlight hits the cell, the photons are absorbed by the
semiconductor atoms, freeing electrons from the
negative layer. These free electrons find its path
towards the positive layer through an external circuit,
resulting in an electric current from the positive layer
to the negative layer.

Fig.1 Photocurrent generation principle
Typically, a PV cell generates a voltage around 0.5 to
0.8 volts depending on the semiconductor and the
built-up technology. This voltage is low enough as it
cannot be of use. Therefore, to get benefit from this
Singla et al., International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945
Int J Adv Engg Tech/IV/III/July-Sept.,2013/05-09
technology, many of PV cells (involving 36 to 72
cells) are connected in series to form a PV module.
These modules can be interconnected in series and/or
parallel to form a PV panel. In case these modules are
connected in series, their voltages are added with the
same current. Nevertheless, when they are connected
in parallel, their currents are added while the voltage
is the same.
Also three major families of PV cells are
Monocrystalline technology, Polycrystalline
technology and Thin film technologies. The
monocrystalline and polycrystalline technologies are
based on microelectronic manufacturing technology
and their efficiency is in general between 10% and
15% for monocrystalline and between 9% and 12%
for polycrystalline. For thin film cells, the efficiency
is 10% for a-Si, 12% for CuInSe2 and 9% for CdTe
[9]. Thus, the Monocrystalline cell has the highest
efficiency.
B. Characteristics of Solar Cell
PV system naturally exhibits a nonlinear I-V and P-V
characteristics which vary with the radiant intensity
and cell temperature. The typical I-V and P-V
characteristics of solar cell are shown in fig 2.

Fig. 2 Typical Characteristics of solar cell
The fundamental parameters related to solar cell
characteristics are Short circuit current (Isc), Open
circuit voltage (Voc), Maximum power point (MPP)
and Fill factor.
Short Circuit Current is the current that
corresponds to the short circuit condition when the
impedance is low and it is calculated when the
voltage equals to zero. It is the greatest value of the
current generated by a cell.
I (at V=0) = I
SC
Open Circuit Voltage is the voltage when the open
circuit occurs and there is no current passing through
the cell.
V (at I=0) = V
OC
Maximum Power Point is the operating point at
which the power is maximum across the load.
Pm = Vm.Im where, Vm is the maximum voltage
and Im is the maximum current.
Fill Factor (FF) is essentially a measure of quality of
the solar cell. It is calculated by comparing the
maximum power to the theoretical power (Pt) that
would be output at both the open circuit voltage and
short circuit current together.
Fill Factor (FF) = P
m
/ (V
OC
.I
SC
)
The fill factor is a measure of the real I-V
characteristic. Its value is higher than 0.7 for good
cells. Typical fill factors range from 0.5 to 0.82. The
fill factor diminishes as the cell temperature is
increased.
Also the open circuit voltage (Voc) increases
logarithmically with the ambient irradiation, while
the short circuit current (Isc) is a linear function of
the ambient irradiation. The dominant effect with
increasing cells temperature is the linear decrease of
the open circuit voltage, the cell being thus less
efficient. The short circuit current slightly increases
with the cell temperature
C. Solar Cell Model & Characteristic Equations
A general mathematical description of I-V output
characteristics for a PV cell has been studied for over
the past four decades [10]-[12]. Such an equivalent
circuit-based model is mainly used for the MPPT
technologies. The simplest equivalent circuit of the
general model which consists of a photo current, a
diode, a parallel resistor expressing a leakage current,
and a series resistor describing an internal resistance
to the current flow, is shown in Fig.3

Fig. 3 PV Cell Equivalent Circuit Model.
The output of the current source is directly
proportional to the light falling on the cell
(photocurrent Iph). During darkness, the solar cell is
not an active device; it works as a diode, i.e. a p-n
junction. It produces neither a current nor a voltage.
However, if it is connected to an external supply
(large voltage) it generates a current I
D
, called diode
(D) current or dark current. The diode determines the
I-V characteristics of the cell. The voltage-current
characteristic equation of a solar cell is given as
I = I
PH
I
S
[exp ( q(V + IR
S
) / kT
C
A) 1] (V +
IR
S
) / R
SH
Where I
PH
is a light-generated current or
photocurrent, I
S
is the cell saturation of dark current,
q (= 1.6 10
19
C) is an electron charge, k (= 1.38
10
23
J/K) is a Boltzmanns constant, T
C
is the cells
working temperature, A is an ideal factor, R
SH
is a
shunt resistance, and R
S
is a series resistance. The
photocurrent mainly depends on the solar insolation
and cells working temperature, which is described as
I
PH
= [I
SC
+ K
I
(T
C
T
Ref
)]
Where I
SC
is the cells short-circuit current at a 25C
and 1kW/m
2
, K
I
is the cells short-circuit current
temperature coefficient, T
Ref
is the cells reference
temperature, and is the solar insolation in kW/m
2
.
On the other hand, the cells saturation current varies
with the cell temperature, which is described as
Is= I
RS
(Tc /T
Ref
)
3
exp[qE
G
(1/T
Ref
- 1/T
C
)/ kA]
Where I
RS
is the cells reverse saturation current at a
reference temperature and a solar radiation, E
G
is the
bang-gap energy of the semiconductor used in the
cell. The ideal factor A is dependent on PV
technology and is listed in Table I.
Table I Ideality Factor A dependence on PV technology

D. Solar Module and Array Model
Since a typical PV cell produces less than 2W at 0.5V
approximately, the cells must be connected in series-
parallel configuration on a module to produce enough
high power. A PV array is a group of several PV
Singla et al., International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945
Int J Adv Engg Tech/IV/III/July-Sept.,2013/05-09
modules which are electrically connected in series
and parallel circuits to generate the required current
and voltage. The equivalent circuit for the solar
module arranged in N
P
parallel and N
S
series is
shown in Fig.4. The terminal equation for the current
and voltage of the array becomes as follows [13]-
[16].
I = N
P
I
PH
N
P
I
S
[exp (q(V / N
S
+ IR
S
/ N
P
) /
kT
C
A)1] (N
P
V / N
S
+ IR
S
)/R
SH


Fig. 4 General PV Module Equivalent Circuit Model.
III. SIMULATION OF SOLAR PV MODULE IN
MATLAB
A. Building of PV Module Model
The use of equivalent electrical circuit makes it
possible to model characteristics of a photovoltaic
cell. The method used here is implemented in
MATLAB / Simulink software for simulations. The
same modeling technique is also applicable for
modeling a PV module.
A general PV model is built using
MATLAB/Simulink [17] to illustrate and verify the
nonlinear I-V and P-V output characteristics of PV
module. The proposed model is implemented and is
shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 Simulink Model Implementation for PV Module (Modeling stage)
Fig. 5 shows the contents of functional block used in
modeling of PV Module. It is important to build a
general model suitable for all of the PV cell, module
and array. Being illuminated with radiation of
sunlight, PV module converts part of the photovoltaic
potential directly into electricity with both I-V and P-
V output characteristics.
Fig. 6 shows the Masked implementation of PV
Module model used in simulation. The input variable
i.e Insolation value can be varied & the variation
effect on I-V & P-V output characteristics of PV
module can be seen by change in its output value in
the curve accordingly.
Fig. 6 Masked Implementation for PV Module Model
Also, In order to get benefit from the developed
model of module, an array of 6 PV modules has been
constructed. In fact, these PV modules are
interconnected in series and all of them are connected
to the external control block as shown in Fig. 7.

Singla et al., International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945
Int J Adv Engg Tech/IV/III/July-Sept.,2013/05-09
Fig. 7 Masked Implementation for PV Array model.
The PV array model is simulated similarly to the
model of the PV module and the obtained results are
shown well in next section.
The Solarex MSX60 PV module is chosen as
reference example for modeling, due is well-suited to
traditional applications of photovoltaics. The MSX
60 module provides 60 watt of nominal maximum
power and has 36 series connected polycrystalline
silicon cells. The used Solarex MSX60 PV module
key specifications are shown in Table II.
Table II- Solarex MSX 60 PV Module Specifications
(1kW/m
2
, 25C)

B. Simulation Results of PV Module & Array
Model
For a PV cell with an ideal I-V characteristic, its open
circuit voltage and short-circuit current are given as
V
OC
= 0.596 V and I
SC
= 2.0 A, respectively. In
addition, N
S
= N
P
= 1 for a PV cell. The electrical
characteristics of PV module are generally
represented by the current versus voltage and power
versus voltage curves. Both I-V and P-V output
characteristics of general PV model for a module at
various insolation are shown in Figs.8- 9.
The nonlinear nature of PV module is apparent as
shown in the figs. i.e., the output current and power
of PV module depend on solar insolation. Also, we
observe that with increase of solar insolation, the
short-circuit current of the PV module increases, and
the maximum power output increases as well. The
reason is the open-circuit voltage is logarithmically
dependent on the solar irradiance, yet the short-
circuit current is directly proportional to the radiant
intensity.

Fig. 8 I-V Output Characteristics of PV Module for
different insolation ()

Fig. 9 P-V Output Characteristics of PV Module for
different insolation ()
The peak value of the product of V and I represent
the maximum power point (MPP) Pmax of the solar
module. The current and voltage of PV module at the
MPP are denoted by Imp and Vmp, respectively. The
solar module should always be operated in this region
so as to extract the maximum power for given input
conditions. For this purpose various maximum power
point algorithms can be used. The PV Array typical I-
V & P-V Curves are shown in figs. 10 and 11.

Singla et al., International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945
Int J Adv Engg Tech/IV/III/July-Sept.,2013/05-09

Fig. 10 P-V Output Characteristics of PV Array for
insolation ( =1 kW/m
2
)
It is clear that as the modules are connected in series
in an array, the current remains the same whereas the
voltage adds up (I-V Curve). Similarly the output
power of an array is equal to sum of individual PV
module power (P-V Curve). Both the above curves
are drawn for typical value of Insolation, =1 kW/m
2
.
The effect of insolation variation is same as in the
case of PV Module.

Fig. 11 I-V Output Characteristics of PV Array for
insolation ( =1 kW/m
2
)
IV. CONCLUSION
The paper presents an improved Matlab/Simulink
simulation model. An accurate PV module electrical
model is presented for a typical 60W solar panel. The
proposed model takes sunlight irradiance & current
as input parameters and outputs the I-V and P-V
characteristics under various conditions. The results
from the model show excellent correspondence to
manufacturers published curves. A number of
discrete data points can be shown on the curves.
These are points taken directly from the
manufacturers published curves, and show excellent
correspondence to the model. Finally the developed
model is used to show the effect of insolation on
output characteristics. This paper is the first step to
develop a solar photovoltaic power system in
simulation. The final objective develops a general
model to simulate the electrical behavior of the PV
system. Future work will present results for using the
presented model in the simulation and design of a
complete solar PV renewable energy system.
V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This work is a part of the M.Tech thesis work of Mr.
Vineet Singla conducted during the time period July
2012-May 2013 under the able guidance of Mr. Vijay
Kumar Garg, Asst Prof., University Institute of
Engineering & Technology (U.I.E.T), Kurukshetra
University, Kurukshetra.
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