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Analysis of Electrical Characteristics of Solar Cell Employing Matlab/Simulink

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DOI: 10.23953/cloud.ijaee.426

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Cloud Publications
International Journal of Advanced Electrical Engineering
2019, Volume 2, Issue 1, pp. 11-18
Crossref: 10.23953/cloud.ijaee.426
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Research Article

Analysis of Electrical Characteristics of Solar Cell Employing

Matlab/Simulink

Ravi Kant Rajan, C. Bhuvaneswari, P. Natarajan, G. Venkatesan

Priyadarshini Engineering College, Vaniyambadi, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.

Correspondence should be addressed to G. Venkatesan, peccivilvenkat@gmail.com

Publication Date: 7 August 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23953/cloud.ijaee.426

Copyright © 2019. Ravi Kant Rajan, C. Bhuvaneswari, P. Natarajan, G. Venkatesan. This is an open access
article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract The main objective of this paper is to find out the various electrical characteristics of solar
cell. The main characteristics of solar cell are I-V and P-V characteristics, these two characteristics we
are going to find by employing Matlab/Simulink. The exact curve of I-V and P-V are quite difficult to
get manually; however, it is possible through the Matlab/Simulink. There are many approaches to find
out the electrical characteristics of solar cell in Matlab/Simulink. In that we followed one circuit which
is designed by us, shown and discussed below and the required curves are plotted with the help of
Matlab/Simulink.
Keywords Matlab/Simulink Software; Maximum power point; Mathematical model; Solar cell

1. Introduction

Solar energy technologies supply a renewable, pollution free, and domestic energy supply. The world
receives an implausible provide of solar power. The sun, a mean star, may be a nuclear reactor that
has been burning over 4 billion years. It provides enough energy in few minutes to provide the world’s
energy desires for a year. In one day, it provides additional energy than our current population would
consume in three decades. In fact, “The quantity of radiation hanging the world over a three-day
amount is akin to the energy keep all told fossil energy sources.

Solar energy might have had nice potential; however, it had been left on the backburner whenever
fossil fuels were more cost-effective and out there. “Only within the previous few decades once
growing energy demands, increasing environmental issues and declining fuel resources created North
American nation reminisce to energy choices have we tend to centered our attention on really
exploiting this tremendous resource”.

2. Working and Modeling of Solar Cell

The light incident on the semiconductor material might go or reflected through it. The PV cell is made
of the semiconductor material which is neither a total conductor nor an insulator. This property of
semiconductor material makes it progressively proficient for changing over the light energy into
electric energy. At the point when the semiconductor materials retain the light, the electrons of the
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semiconductor materials begin emanating. This happens on the grounds that the light comprises little
empower particles called photons.

At the point when the electrons ingest the photons, they progress toward becoming empowered and
begin moving into the material. In view of the impact of an electric field, the particles move just in the
one bearing and create flow. The semiconductor materials have the metallic cathodes through which
the current leaves it. Consider the Figure 1 underneath demonstrates the PV cell made of silicon and
the resistive load is connected across it. The PV cell comprises the P and N-type layer of
semiconductor material. These layers are combined to frame the PN junction. The junction is the
interface between the p-type and n-type material. At the point when the light falls on the junction, the
electrons begin moving from one region to another.

Figure 1: PN junction solar cell with resistive load

Equivalent Circuit of Solar Cell

The below equivalent circuit is a circuit of a solar cell, which helps us to find the electrical
characteristics of solar cell. This also helps us to find the various mathematical equations like voltage
and current for all parameters, which is directly or indirectly very helpful for modeling the solar system
and these equations may lead to find the better efficiency of solar cell. This equivalent circuit consists
diode, shunt resistor, series resistor and the supply source; the all parameters of this proportional
circuit will investigate and find out the important equations for various parameters in the next section
of mathematical model of solar cell.

Figure 2: Equivalent circuit of solar cell

Mathematical Model of Solar Cell

The mathematical model is done by the help of equivalent circuit, which is shown in Figure 2. In this
mathematical modeling, we are going to find different-different parameters like load current (I),
photocurrent (IL or Iph), diode current (ID), shunt current (Ish), shunt voltage (Vsh), short circuit current
(Isc), open circuit voltage (Voc) and output voltage (Vo).

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By applying KCL in above equivalent circuit, we get below equation of photocurrent (I ph):

Iph = ID + Ish + I (A)

Here, photocurrent is linearly relying upon solar radiation (G) and insolation of sun. From equivalent
circuit, it is very clear that the photocurrent is splitting in three directions and the equation of that is
given in equation (A). To examine the effect of temperature and solar radiation we have to developed
and implement some basic equations corresponding to solar PV cell which shows dependence of
these parameters. From the equivalent circuit we can see the direction of diode current. We know
very basic science about diode which varies with varying temperature. The diode current is given by
the below equation:

ID = Is[exp(VD/VT)-1] (B)

Where,

Is - reverse saturation current,

VD - voltage across the diode,
VT - the thermal voltage.

The thermal voltage causes here due to semiconductor properties which follow heat for the science
behind the PN junction interference to produce current and the equation is given by:

VT = nkTc/q (C)

Where,

n = diode ideality factor,

k = Boltzmann constant (1.3806503 × 10-23 J/K)
q = charge on electron (1.602× 10 -19 C)

By applying KVL in Figure 2 we can observe that:

VD = Vo + IRs (D)

Now, substituting the value of VD in equation (B) and we get the diode current as below:

ID = IS[exp(Vo + IRs)/VT-1] (E)

From Figure 2, Shunt current can be given by following equation:

Ish = Vsh/Rsh (F)

In equivalent circuit, shunt resistance and the diode of solar cell is parallel and the terminals of these
shunt resistance and diode are connected with the supply and ground respectively. Here ground is
used to feed leakage current through the diode. Due to parallel connection of shunt resistance and
diode the voltage will be same, so the VD=Vsh.

So now we can rewrite the equation (D) as following:

Vsh = Vo + IRs (G)

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By substituting the value of Vsh in equation (F), we get:

Ish = (Vo + IRs)/Rsh (H)

If we operate the diode in reverse bias region then reverse saturation current will be ISO. This current
mainly depends on open circuit voltage, short circuit current and thermal voltage.

ISO = Isc/[exp(Voc/(NsVT))-1] (I)

Where,

Ns represent the number of photovoltaic cells connected in series.

As we know that, diode reverse bias saturation current can be changed by the variation of
temperature. Hence the saturation current is:

Is = Iso(To/Tc)^3*exp[(qEg/nk) ((1/To)-(1/Tc))] (J)

Where,

Eg is band gap energy.

Photocurrent is basically relying upon sunlight and its radiation, which is denoted by ‘G’. The output of
the photocurrent is directly proportional to the solar radiation and insolation of sun. The equation of
photocurrent based on insolation and solar radiation is given by the equation (K):

Iph = [Isc + Ksc(Tc – To)]*(G/Gs) (K)

Where,

Ksc is short circuit current temperature coefficient,

2
Gs is solar radiation at nominal temperature in w/m ,
2
G is solar radiation at operating temperature in w/m .
By substituting the value of ID, Iph and Ish in equation (A), we get:

I = Iph- Is[exp{(Vo+IRs)/VT}-1]-{(Vo+IRs)/Rsh} (L)

I = NpIph- Is[exp{(q/nkTo) (Vo/Ns)}-1]-(Vo/Rsh) (M)

Where,

Tc is nominal temperature;
To is operating solar cell temperature.

3. Experimental Analysis of Solar Cell

In this segment we will dissect the trial physically. We have made a circuit diagram which is appeared
in Figure 3. We have given connection according to the circuit diagram and observe the perusing by
shifting the rheostat from max to min/min to max position. Alongside this, some readings are taken for
different loads which were noted down in tabulation.

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Figure 3: Circuit diagram of solar cell with resistive load

Table 1: Solar cell in light@11:30 am on 5th Nov, 2018 (Rheostat at max-min)

S. No. Voltage (V) Current (mA) Power (V*mA)

1 5.56 12.7 70.612
2 5.55 19.8 109.89
3 5.53 23.7 131.061
4 5.52 28.6 157.872
5 5.47 40.2 219.894
6 5.33 57.8 308.074
7 2.58 76.4 197.112
8 0.17 79.5 13.515
9 0 80 0

The electrical characteristics of solar cell are drawn with the help of above table. The I-V curve is
plotted between voltage and current. The I-V curve based on the above circuit diagram is shown
below in Figure 4.

90
80
70
Current (mA)

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
-2 0 2 4 6
Voltage (V)

Figure 4: I-V curve of solar cell

Here the P-V curve is plotted between power and voltage. The unit of power is watts and the unit of
voltage is volts. The P-V curve based on the above circuit diagram (Figure 3) is shown below in
Figure 5.

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350
300
250

Power (V*mA)
200
150
100
50
0
-2 -50 0 2 4 6
Voltage (V)

Figure 5: P-V curve of solar cell

4. Analysis of PV Model using Matlab

MATLAB is an incredible language for some applications as it has abnormal state usefulness for
science and building applications combined with the adaptability of a comprehensively valuable
programming condition. All through this investigation, we principally use MATLAB for simulating solar
cell and its model and the examination and perception of experimental information.

Figure 6: PV model using Matlab/Simulink

The above model of solar cell is simulated with the help of Matlab and the required electrical
characteristics are obtained and compared with the manually characteristics of the solar cell. The I-V
2
and P-V curves are obtained with the solar radiation, G=1000 w/m . We can change the different -
different solar radiation and can get various curves of solar cell.

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Figure 7: I-V curve of solar cell using Matlab

PV cell current is immovably subject to solar radiation. That impact can be appreciated from the
Figure 7 of I-V attributes with the variety of radiation. The I-V characteristics of solar cell thinking
about the impact of saturated current. It will in general be seen from the below characteristics that
saturated current shows reverse association with the open circuit voltage.

The power of PV cell is also unequivocally subject to solar radiation. The impact can be
2
comprehended from the Figure 8 of P-V curve with the fixed solar radiation, G = 1000 w/m .

Figure 8: P-V curve of solar cell using Matlab

5. Conclusion

This paper describes with detailed study of the photovoltaic system which includes model description
of solar cell, simulation diagram, different characteristics equation depending upon which, I-V and P-V
curves were obtained.

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