International Journal of Power Electronics and Drive System (IJPEDS)

Vol. 3, No. 2, June 2013, pp. 185~192

ISSN: 2088-8694  185

Modeling and Simulation of a Solar Photovoltaic System, Its

Dynamics and Transient Characteristics in LABVIEW
M. Abdulkadir, A. S. Samosir, A. H. M. Yatim
Department of Energy Conversion, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
81310 Skudai, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Article Info ABSTRACT

Article history: This paper proposes a LABVIEW simulator for photovoltaic (PV) systems.
The effect of irradiance and temperature on PV module is very crucial when
Received Feb 9, 2013 computing the model PV parameters. Many modeling techniques were used
Revised May 5 20, 2013 but this approach enables the computation of model parameters at any
Accepted May 16, 2013 irradiance and temperature point. It has the ability to simultaneously compute
all the PV model parameters. The accuracy of the simulator is verified by
applying the model to 36 W PV modules. The performance of the model is
Keyword: tested using a single diode model, a shunt resistance Rp and series resistance
Rs. The proposed model was found to be better and accurate for any
LABVIEW irradiance and temperature variations. The proposed model can be very
Photovoltaic useful for PV Engineers and expert who require a simple, fast and accurate
PV simulator to design their systems.

Copyright © 2013 Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science.

All rights reserved.

Corresponding Author:
M. Abdulkadir
Department of Energy Conversion, Faculty of Electrical Engineering,
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
Email: amusa2@live.utm.my

1. INTRODUCTION
With the world economic development and growing demand for energy, the conventional energy
sources have become increasingly unable to meet the world demand for the energy. Thus, it is important to
explore more and better means of alternative energy sources like sunlight, wind and biomass. Photovoltaic
energy is a source of interesting energy; it is renewable, inexhaustible and non-polluting, and it is more and
more intensively used as energy sources in various applications [1]. In regard to endless importance of solar
energy, it is worth saying that solar energy is a unique perspective solution for energy crisis. Meanwhile,
despite all these advantages of solar energy, they do not present desirable efficiency [2], [3]. Renewable
energy is gaining tremendous attention in both academia and industry in an effort to reduce greenhouse
emissions. The main renewable sources are biomass, geothermal, hydro, photovoltaic, and wind. Photovoltaic
(PV) power is expected to have the fastest annual growth rate having already shown a top growth rate of
more than 50% in 2006 and 2007 [4]. PV power systems have the advantage that their installation is static
(i.e. no moving parts), simple and quickly compared to other renewable sources. Thus, they have a longer
lifetime span, (typically more than 20 years) [5]. Moreover, due to their low operational cost and
maintenance, they provide a significant solution for powering remote areas. The general descriptions of the
photovoltaic system were discussed in the next section.

2. General Description of a Photovoltaic Cell

Photovoltaic cells convert solar radiation directly into DC electrical energy. The basic material for
almost all the photovoltaic cells existing in the market, which is high purified silicon (Si), is obtained from
sand or quartz. Basically, three types of technology are used in the production of photovoltaic cells:
monocrystalline; polycrystalline; and amorphous silicon [6]. The crystalline-Si technology is commonly used

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186  ISSN: 2088-8694

as a reference, or baseline, for the solar power generation technology. In general, the status of a photovoltaic
cell technology depends on the cell efficiency, and manufacturing cost. The focus of R&D all over the world
is on improving its efficiency and cost, where the optimal solution is based on a trade-off between the two.
The efficiency of a photovoltaic cell is determined by the material’s ability to absorb photon energy over a
wide range, and on the band gap of the material.
Photovoltaic cells are semiconductors that have weakly bonded electrons at a level of energy called
valence band [7, 8]. When energy strikes this valence band, it frees those bonded electrons and moves them
to another energy level called conduction band. At the conduction band, the electrons are able to conduct
electricity through an electrical load. PV cells use the energy of photons from sunlight to break their band
gap energy thereby producing DC current. Typically, PV cells produce low power (approximately 2-3Watts);
[9] hence several cells are connected together to form modules and panels for higher power applications.
Power regulation elements (e.g. battery, charge controller, converter, etc....) mare also incorporated to match
the output power form to the demanded application. Figure 1 shows the simple concept of photovoltaic
system.

Figure 1. Concept of photovoltaic [10]

Crystalline and polycrystalline silicons are the materials most commonly used in photovoltaic cells.
The advantage of silicon cells is primarily the abundance of silicon on earth. The photovoltaic cell consists of
several layers of semiconductor materials with different electronic properties [11] – [14]. In a typical
polycrystalline cell, the bulk of the material is silicon, doped with a small quantity of boron to give it a
positive or p-type character. A thin layer on the front of the cell is doped with phosphorous to give it a
negative or n-type character. The interface between these two layers produces an electric field and forms the
so-called a “cell junction” [15]. When the cell is exposed to sunlight, a certain percentage of the incoming
photons are absorbed in the region of the junction, freeing electrons in the silicon crystal. If the photons have
enough energy, the electrons will be able to overcome the electric field at the junction and are free to move
through the silicon and into an external circuit. The direction of the electric current is opposite to its direction
if the device operates as a diode. The next section dwelled on the modeling of photovoltaic system.

3. Modeling of a Photovoltaic System

Modeling is the basis for computer simulation of a real system. It is usually based on a theoretical
analysis of the various physical processes occurring in the system and of all factors influencing these
processes. Mathematical models describing the system characteristics are formulated and translated into
computer codes to be used in the simulation process. Photovoltaic cell models have long been a source for
the description of photovoltaic cell behavior for researchers and professionals. The most common model used
to predict energy production in photovoltaic cell modelling is the single diode circuit model that represents
the electrical behaviour of the pn-junction is given in [5] - [18]. Figure 2 shows how photovoltaic system
works.

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IJPEDS ISSN: 2088-8694  187

Figure 2. How Photovoltaic work.

The ideal photovoltaic module consists of a single diode connected in parallel with a light generated
current source ( ) as shown in Figure 3, the equation for the output current is given by:

Figure 3. solar cell model

Where

The light current depends on both irradiance and temperature. It is measured at some reference
conditions. Thus,

Where is the photocurrent in (A) which is the light-generated current at the nominal condition (25oC and
1000W/m2), Ki is the short-circuit current/temperature co-efficient at. (0.0017A/K), and are the
actual and reference temperature in Kelvin (K), is the irradiation on the device surface, and 1000W/m2 is
the nominal irradiation [20]. Equation (2) does not adequately represent the behaviour of the cell when
subjected to environmental variations, especially at low voltage [18], [21], and [23]. A more practical model
is shown in Figure 3, where and represents the equivalent series and parallel resistance, respectively.
In this model, a current source which depends on solar radiation and cell temperature; a diode in which
the inverse saturation current depends mainly on the operating temperature; a series resistance and a
shunt resistance which takes into account the resistive losses was considered [24].

Modeling and Simulation of a Solar Photovoltaic System, Its Dynamics and Transient… (M. Abdulkadir)
188  ISSN: 2088-8694

Figure 4. Single diode solar cell model

The equations that describe the, I-V and P-V characteristic of the circuit in Figure 4 is given by;

Thus,

And the reverse saturation current is given as

The module saturation current varies with the cell temperature which is given by;

The basic equation that describes the current output of the photovoltaic (PV) module of the
single-diode model is as given in equation (8).

The shunt resistance is inversely related with shunt leakage current to the ground. In general, the
photovoltaic efficiency is insensitive to variation in and the shunt-leakage resistance can be assumed to
approach infinity without leakage current to ground. For an ideal photovoltaic cell, there is no series loss and
no leakage to ground, i.e. = 0 and = ∞ [26].
Thus,

Where k is the Boltzmann constant (1.38 x 10-23 J K-1), [9] q is the electronic charge (1.602 x 10-19
C), T is the cell temperature (K); A is the diode ideality factor, the series resistance (Ω) and is the
shunt resistance (Ω). is the number of cells connected in series, is the number of cells connected in
parallel, The nonlinear and implicit equation given by Eq. (4) depends on the incident
solar irradiance, the cell temperature, and on their reference values [1]-[9]. These reference values are
generally provided by manufacturers of PV modules for specified operating condition such as STC (Standard

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IJPEDS ISSN: 2088-8694  189

Test Conditions) for which the irradiance is 1000 W/m2 and the cell temperature is 25oC. Real operating
conditions are always different from the standard conditions, and mismatch effects can also affect the real
values of these mean parameters [20], [24]. The use of a simplified circuit model in this work makes it
suitable for power electronics designers to have an easy and effective model for the simulation of
photovoltaic devices with power converters. Based on the above equations and using the electrical
specifications presented in Table 1.1, the PV system model has been developed using LABVIEW as shown
in Figure 5. The next section presents the LABVIEW modeling validation.

4. Labview Modeling Validation for Photovoltaic System

in Table 1.1. A block diagram of the stage by stage model based on the equations of PV model is
represented in LABVIEW environment as given in Figure 5. These models is developed in moderate
complexity to includes the temperature dependence of the photocurrent source, the saturation current of the
diode, and a series resistance is considered based on the shackle diode equation as in (1)-(8) [3] - [19]. Since
the main objective is to develop a functional PV model for the LABVIEW environment, the system is
modelled to supply power to the load.

Table 1.1. Parameter specification of ICO-SPC 100w PV Module [9]

Parameter Variable Value
Maximum Power Pm 100W
Maximum Voltage Vm 17. 3V
Current at Max Power Im 5. 79A
Open Circuit Voltage VD 20. 76V
Short Circuit Current Isc 6.87
Total No. of cells in series Ns 36
Total No. of cells in parallel Np 1

Figure 5. LABVIEW Model of Photovoltaic System

5. I-V and P-V Characteristics of a Photovoltaic

The performance characteristics of a photovoltaic module depend on its basic materials,
manufacturing technology and operating conditions. Figure 6 (a) – (d) shows typical current-voltage I-V and
power-voltage P-V curves of an ICO-SPC 100W High-Efficiency Polycrystalline Photovoltaic Module
according to the variation of solar radiation level and cell temperature. Three points in these curves are of
particular interest:
I. Short circuit point, where the voltage over the module is zero and the current is at its maximum (short
circuit current Isc).
Modeling and Simulation of a Solar Photovoltaic System, Its Dynamics and Transient… (M. Abdulkadir)
190  ISSN: 2088-8694

II. Maximum power point or MPP, where the product of current and voltage has its maximum (defined by
Impp X Vmpp).
III. Open circuit point, where the current is zero and the voltage has its maximum (open circuit voltage VD).
The measurements taken for obtaining an I-V curve depend on controlling the load current. At open
circuit, when no load current is generated, a first characteristic value can be measured; the open circuit
voltage VD. Decreasing the load fed by the photovoltaic module leads to a decreasing voltage V with an
increasing current I [12]. In other words, by increasing the load current from zero to its maximum value, the
operating point moves from the open circuit voltage at zero current to the short circuit current Isc at zero
voltage. The series of all measured pairs (V, I) yields the characteristic I-V curve of the module. From the
characteristic curves of the module, it is clear that the open circuit voltage of the photovoltaic module, the
point of intersection of the curve with the horizontal axis, varies little with solar radiation changes. It is
inversely proportional to temperature, i.e., a rise in temperature produces a decrease in voltage. Short circuit
current, the point of intersection of the curve with the vertical axis, is directly proportional to solar radiation
and is relatively steady with temperature variations.
Actually, the photovoltaic module acts like a constant current source for most parts of its I-V curve
[11] – [14]. As demonstrated in Figure 6b, an increase in solar radiation causes the output current to increase
and the horizontal part of the curve moves upward. An increase in cell temperature causes the voltage to
move leftward, while decreasing temperature produces the opposite effect. Thus, the I-V curves display how
a photovoltaic module responds to all possible loads under different solar radiation and cell temperature
conditions. An operating point of a photovoltaic module will move by varying solar radiation, cell
temperature, and load values. For a given solar radiation and operating temperature, the output power
depends on the value of the load [25]. As the load increases, the operating point moves along the curve
towards the right. So, only one load value produces a PV maximum power. The maximum power points line,
which is positioned at the knees of the I-V curves, has a nearly constant output voltage at varying solar
radiation conditions. When the temperature varies, the maximum power points are generated in such a
manner that the output current stays approximately constant.

8 110
MPP
7
100

90
6

80
5
25 oC
70
Current (A)

25 oC
4
Power (w)

60
50 oC
3 50 oC
50
75 oC
2
40
75 oC

1 30

0 20
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
Voltage (V)

(a)
10

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
Voltage (V)

(b)
110 8
Isc

100 1000W/m2
7

90

6
80 800W/m2

70 5
600W/m2
Current (A)
Power (w)

60
4

50

3 400W/m2
40

30 2
200W/m2

20 VD
1

10

0
0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 Voltage (V)
Voltage (V)
(c) (d)

Figure 6. (a) I-V Characteristic for varying temperature (b) P-V Characteristic for varying temperature (c) P-
V Characteristic for varying irradiance (d) I-V Characteristic for varying irradiance.

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IJPEDS ISSN: 2088-8694  191

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Higher Education, MOHE Malaysia for the financial
support and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM JB for providing the facilities to conduct the research.

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BIOGRAPHIES OF AUTHORS

Musa Abdulkadir Born 1974 at Borno State Nigeria. He obtained his Bachelor degree in Electrical and
Electronics Engineering at University of Maiduguri, Nigeria in 2004, Master degree in Electronics
Engineering from Electrical and Electronics Engineering at University of Maiduguri, Nigeria in 2011, and
currently pursuit PhD degree from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia. His areas of interest research
include renewable energy, control technique and application of power converters.

Modeling and Simulation of a Solar Photovoltaic System, Its Dynamics and Transient… (M. Abdulkadir)
192  ISSN: 2088-8694

Ahmad Saudi Samosir was born in Belawan, Indonesia in 1971. He obtained his Bachelor degree in
electrical engineering from University of North Sumatera, Indonesia, in 1995, Master degree in electrical
power engineering from Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia, in 1999, and PhD degree from
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia, in 2010. His areas of interest research include renewable energy,
control technique and application of power converters.

Abdul Halim Mohd Yatim received the B.Sc. degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from
Portsmouth Polytechnic, Portsmouth, U.K., in 1981, the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in power electronics
from Bradford University, Bradford, U.K., in 1984 and 1990, respectively. Since 1982, he has been a
member of the faculty at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia, where he currently is a
Professor and Dean of the Faculty. His areas of interest research include power quality,
renewable/alternate energy, power electronics application and drives. He was a Commonwealth Fellow
during 1994–1995 at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, U.K., and a Visiting Scholar at the Virginia
Power Electronics Centre, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, in 1993. Dr.
Yatim is a Corporate Member of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia. He is a Registered Professional
Engineer with the Malaysian Board of Engineers.

IJPEDS Vol. 3, No. 2, June 2013 : 185– 192