International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication ISSN: 2321-8169

Volume: 4 Issue: 10 07 - 12
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Modeling of PV Array to Study The Effects of Partial Shading on Its
Characteristics and MPPT

Ramprasad M. Thorat Prof.G.S.Chaudhari Prof.S.S.Sane

P.G.Scholar, Associate professor, Associate professor & HOD
Department of Electrical Engineering Department of Electrical Engineering Department of Electrical Engineering
SES GOI FE, Diksal (Karjat), GOI FE, Diksal (Karjat), SES GOI FE, Diksal (Karjat),
Maharashtra Maharashtra Maharashtra
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

AbstractMATLAB based modeling and simulation scheme suitable for studying the I-V and P-V characteristics of PV array under a non-
uniform insolation due to partial shading and finding maximum power point from the characteristic is presented in the paper. This involved the
Simulink and embedded MATLAB code for simulation. This is simple to use, accurate and economical computer aided design tool which can be
used to enhance the understanding and predict the I-V and P-V characteristics of large PV arrays. It can be used to study the effect of
temperature, insolation variation, varying shading patterns and the role of array configuration on the PV characteristics. Paper proposes standard
algorithm to track the power peak under partially shaded conditions. The modeling and simulation of the maximum power point tracking
algorithm is implemented in MATLAB / Simulink environment. The simulation results prove that with Perturb and Observe (P&O) algorithm,
MPPT reaches the intended maximum power point.

Keywords: Photovoltaic (PV), Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), Perturb and Observe (P&O), current-voltage (I-V) and power-voltage
characteristics.
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I. INTRODUCTION a DC application. The concept of MPPT is to be implemented

which results in appreciable increase in the efficiency of the
With the increasing attention and use of non-conventional
PV System.
energy sources, photovoltaic systems are gaining
popularityand large solar farms are getting installedat suitable It is not only the size (i.e., the total number of modules) of
sites in India.A major challenge in employing the use is that the PV array but also its configuration (i.e., the number of
photovoltaic (PV)array has nonlinear output characteristic modules in series and parallel, respectively) that significantly
which vary with the size (number of modules) and affects its power output, and therefore, the performance of the
configuration (number of modules in series in parallel).The system under partially shaded conditions. It is very important
output characteristic is complicated if the array does not to model, study and understand the effects of radiation on PV
receive uniform insolation (partially shaded condition) due to arrays. A simple-to-use, accurate and economical computer-
passing clouds, neighboring building and towers, trees, utility aided design (CAD) tool is generally not available for the
and telephone poles as multiple peaks are observed in output purpose. Therefore, it is felt that there is a need for a flexible,
characteristic. It is very important to understand and predict interactive, and comprehensive simulation model, which can
the PV characteristics in order to use a PV installation serve as the following.
effectively.
1) A basic tool for professionals and researchers to
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been accuratelypredict the PV characteristics
reined by humans since ancient times using a range of ever- (including multiple peaks) and output power
evolving technologies. Solar radiant energy accounts for most under different working conditions.
of the usable renewable energy on earth. Photovoltaic (PV) is
2) A design aid for users who want to build actual
a method of generating electrical power by converting solar
PV systems, study the stability and interfacing
radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors
that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. In this paper, the PV array aspects (e.g., distributed generation
is modelled and its I-V and P-V characteristics are simulated applications) without going into the intricate
and optimized. The main encumbrance for the reach of details (e.g., semiconductor physics).
photovoltaic systems is their low efficiency and high capital
cost. Here we intend to examine a schematic to draw out
maximum obtainable solar power from a PV module for use in
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IJRITCC | October 2016, Available @ http://www.ijritcc.org
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International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication ISSN: 2321-8169
Volume: 4 Issue: 10 07 - 12
______________________________________________________________________________________
3) A tool to study the effect of array configuration II. MODELING THE SOLAR CELL
on the output power for a likely/known Solar cells consist of a p-n junction fabricated in a
radiation pattern. thin wafer or layer of semiconductor. In the dark, the I-V
4) A planning tool that can help in the installation output characteristic of a solar cell has an exponential
of efficient and optimum PV arrays in a given characteristic similar to that of a diode. When exposed to light,
surrounding. photons with energy greater than the band-gap energy of the
5) A tool to develop and validate the effectiveness semiconductor are absorbed and create an electron-hole pair.
These carriers are swept apart under the influence of the
of existing and new MPPT schemes.
internal electric fields of the p-n junction and create a current
Software packages like PV-Spice, PV-DesignPro, proportional to the incident radiation. When the cell is short
SolarPro, PVcad, and PVsyst are available, but have one or circuited, this current flows in the external circuit; when open
more of the following limitations: circuited, this current is shunted internally by the intrinsic p-n
1) Commercial, proprietary in nature and junction diode. The characteristics of this diode therefore set
the open circuit voltage characteristics of the cell.
expensive.
2) Too complex to model the shading effects. Thus the simplest equivalent circuit of a solar cell is a
3) Do not support the interfacing of the PV arrays current source in parallel with a diode. The output of the
current source is directly proportional to the light falling on
with actual power electronic systems.
the cell. The diode determines the I-V characteristics of the
This paper presents a MATLAB-based simulator cum cell. Increasing sophistication, accuracy and complexity can be
learning tool, which can be used to enhance the understanding introduced to the model by adding in turn,
and predict the IV and PVcharacteristics of large PV arrays. Temperature dependence of the diode saturation current
It can be used to study the effect of temperature and solar Io.
radiation variations, and the role of array configuration on the Temperature dependence of the photo current IL.
PV characteristics. A notable advantage of the presented Series resistance RS, which gives a more accurate shape
model is that the PV array model can be interfaced with the between the MPP and the open circuit voltage.
models of actual systems (e.g., power electronic converters) Shunt resistance RP in parallel with the diode.
making it possible to simulate complete PV systems and their Either allowing the diode quality factor n to become a
interaction with other systems. The reason for using MATLAB variable parameter (instead of being fixed at either 1 or
is that it is available in most academic, research, and industrial 2) or introducing two parallel diodes (one with A = 1,
organizations and considered useful for several engineering one with A = 2) with independently set saturation
disciplines. It provides several features that can be used to currents.
simulate highly complex systems, electronic and power
electronic circuits and systems, and distributed generation
power systems. The usefulness of the proposed tool is
demonstrated with the help of results.
A major challenge in the use of PV is posed by its
nonlinear IV characteristics, which result in a unique
maximum power point (MPP) on its PV curve. The matter is
further complicated due to the dependence of these
Figure 1: Circuit diagram of the PV model.
characteristics on solar insolation and temperature. As these
parameters vary continuously, MPP also varies. Considering
For this work, a model of moderate complexity is used. The
the high initial capital cost of a PV source and its low energy
model included temperature dependence of the photo-current
conversion efficiency, it is imperative to operate the PV source
IL and the saturation current of the diode. A series resistance
at MPP so that maximum power can be extracted. In general, a
Rs is included, but not a shunt resistance. A single shunt diode
PV source is operated in conjunction with a dcdc power
is used with the diode quality factor set to achieve the best
converter, whose duty cycle is modulated in order to track the
curve match. This model is a simplified version of the two
instantaneous MPP of the PV source. Several tracking
diode model. The circuit diagram for the solar cell is shown in
schemes have been proposed. Among the popular tracking
Figure.
schemes are the perturb and observe (P&O) or hill climbing,
incremental conductance, short circuit current, open-circuit The equations which describe the I-V characteristics of the cell
voltage, and ripple correlation approaches. P &O algorithm is are,
used in thispaper work.
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IJRITCC | October 2016, Available @ http://www.ijritcc.org
_______________________________________________________________________________________
International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication ISSN: 2321-8169
Volume: 4 Issue: 10 07 - 12
______________________________________________________________________________________
I = IL - I0 (eq(V +I Rs) / nkT -1) (1) Table 1: Technical specifications for BP Solar 250/1 module.
IL = I L(T1) (1 + K0 (T - T1)) (2)
Parameter Value
I L(T1) = G * I SC (T1, nom) / G (nom) (3)
Typical Peak Power (Pmax) 50 W
K0 = (I SC(T2) I SC(T1)) =(T2 - T1) (4)
Voltage @ maximum power (V mp) 17.00 V
I0 = I 0(T1) * (T/T1)3/n * e-qVg/nk*((1/T)-(1/T1)) (5)
Current @ maximum power (I mp) 2.94 A
I 0(T1) = I SC(T1) / (e qVOC(T1)/nkT1 - 1) ...(6)
RS= -dV/dIVOC (1/XV) (7) Short-circuit current (Isc) 3.22 A
XV = I 0(T1) * q/nkT1 * e qVOC(T1)/nkT1 ...(8) Open-circuit Voltage (Voc) 21.2 V

Parameters are evaluated during execution using the

All of the constants in the above equations can be equations listed above using the above data points contained in
determined by examining the manufacturers ratings of the PV the script. The current I is then evaluated using these
array, and then the published or measured I-V curves of the parameters, and the variables Voltage, Irradiation, and
array. As a typical example, the BP Solar 250/1 module will Temperature. If one of the input variables is a vector, the
be used to illustrate and verify the model. output variable (current) is also a vector. The inclusion of a
The photo-current IL(A) is directly proportional to series resistance in the model makes the solution for current a
irradiance G(W/m2). When the cell is short circuited, recurrent equation (refer to eq 1). A simple iterative technique
negligible current flows in the diode. Hence the initially tried only converged for positive currents.
proportionality constant in equation (3) is set so the rated short The shading pattern for a large array is very complex to
circuit current ISC at is delivered under rated irradiation model. A special categorization and terminology is used to
(usually 1 Sun = 1000W/m2). describe the various components of a PV array.
For the BP Solar 250/1, ISC = 3.22A at 1 Sun at T 1 =
25oC(298K), so IL(T1) = 3.228 A/Sun. The relationship between
the photo-current and temperature is linear (eq. 2) and is
deduced by noting the change of photo-current with the
change of temperature (eq.4). For the BP 250/1, temperature
coefficient of Isc is-0.68 mA/module/C.When the cell is not
illuminated, the relationship between the cells terminal
voltage and current is given by the Shockley equation. When
the cell is open circuited and illuminated, the photo-current Figure 2: PV array terminologies. (a) PV module. (b) Series-
flows entirely in the diode. The I-V curve is offset from the assembly with two series-connected subassemblies S1 and S2.
origin by the photo generated current I L (eq. 1). The value of (c) Group. (d) PV array with groups G1 to G4.
the saturation current I0 at 250C is calculated using the open A subassembly is formed with several series-connected
circuit voltage and short circuit current at this temperature (eq. PV modules receiving the same level of insolation. Several
6). An estimate must be made of the unknown ideality such series-connected subassemblies, each with a different
factor. It takes a value between 1 and 2, being near one at level of insolation, form a series assembly. Series assemblies,
high currents, rising towards two at low currents. A value of having similar shading patterns, form a group. Various
1.771 is used in the model. groups (with ith group represented by Gi), having different
The relationship of IO to temperature is complex, but shading patterns and connected in parallel, form a PVarray, as
fortunately contains no variables requiring evaluation (eq 5). shown in figure.
The series resistance of the panel has a large impact on the III. V-I CHARACTERISTICS OF A PV CELL
slope of the I-V curve at V = VOC. Equations 7 and 8 are found
by differentiating equation 1, evaluating at V = V OC, and
rearranging in terms of RS. For the BP Solar 250/1, a value of
total panel series resistance is RS can be calculated from
equation 7.
The BP Solar 250/1, a typical 50W PV module, was chosen
for modeling. The module has 36 series connected
polycrystalline cells. The key specifications are shown in
table. The model was evaluated using MATLAB m-file
programming. The model parameters at 250C are, Figure 3. Typical V-I Characteristics of a PV cell

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IJRITCC | October 2016, Available @ http://www.ijritcc.org
_______________________________________________________________________________________
International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication ISSN: 2321-8169
Volume: 4 Issue: 10 07 - 12
______________________________________________________________________________________
In the above representation of I-V characteristic, a sign calculate the load that it must simulate based on these voltage
convention is used, which takes as positive the current and current levels R=V/I. The regulator, now receiving the
generated by the cell when the sun is shining and a positive maximum amount of power in, will then regulate the output
voltage is applied on the cells terminals. according to what it is designed for.
A real solar cell can be characterized by the following
fundamental parameters:
Short Circuit Current
It is the greatest value of the current generated by a cell. It is
produced under short circuit conditions, V = 0.
Open circuit voltage:
Corresponds to the voltage drop across the diode (p-n
junction), when it is traversed by the photocurrent I ph (namely
ID=Iph) when the generator current is I= 0. It reflects the
voltage of the cell in the night and it can be mathematically
expressed as: Figure 4.Pmax point

MPPT is a technique that grid-tie inverters, solar battery

chargers and similar devices use to get the maximum possible
Where, Vt - known as thermal voltage and Tcis absolute cell power from one or more photovoltaic devices, typically solar
temperature. panels, though optical power transmission systems can benefit
Maximum power point from similar technology. Solar cells have a complex
relationship between solar irradiation, temperature and total
Is the operating point A (Vmax, Imax) at which the power
resistance that produces a non-linear output efficiency which
dissipated in the resistive load is maximum,Pmax = Imax * Vmax.
can be analyzed based on the I-V curve. It is the purpose of the
Maximum efficiency MPPT system to sample the output of the cells and apply the
It is the ratio between the maximum power and the incident proper resistance (load) to obtain maximum power for any
light power. given environmental conditions. MPPT devices are typically
integrated into an electric power converter system that
IV. MAXIMUM POWER POINT TRACKING (MPPT)
provides voltage or current conversion, filtering, and
MPPT relates to the solar cell itself. Each solar cell has a regulation for driving various loads, including power grids,
point at which the current (I) and voltage (V) output from the batteries, or motors.
cell result in the maximum power output of the cell. In the
diagram below the curve is an example of the standard output MPPT Algorithm
expected from a solar cell, the maximum power point is at the Perturb and Observe(P&O)
position marked on the diagram. In this algorithm, a slight perturbation is introduced in the
The principle is that if the output from the cell can be system. Due to this perturbation, the power of the module
regulated to the voltage and current levels needed to achieve a alters. If the power enhances due to the perturbation, then the
power output at this point, then the power generated by the perturbation is carried on in that direction. After the maximum
solar cell will be used most efficiently. power is accomplished, the power at the next instant
MPPT ensures that you get the most power possible from decrements and hence the perturbation reverses.
your solar panels at any point in time. It is particularly Among different MPPT algorithms, P&O algorithm is
effective during low light level conditions. These calculations elementary and also gives desirable results. This algorithm is
result in an output that delivers maximum current at the chosen and certain changes are made in the current work. The
required voltage at any point in time. During low light level flow chart of the method is shown in the figure 5. The
situations it will compensate for the low light level and find algorithm takes the values of current and voltage from the
the new point at which the solar cell delivers its maximum solar photovoltaic module. Power is computed from the
power output. assessed voltage and current. The values of voltage and power
A MPPT solar regulator will simulate the load required by at kth instant are put in. Then next values at (k+1)th instant are
the solar panel to achieve the maximum power from the cell. measured again and power is calculated from the duty cycle
The regulator will work out at which point the cell will output (nearer to unity). Depending on the sign of dP(P(k+1) - P(k))
the maximum power and derive from this V and I outputs and dV(V(k+1) -V(k)) after subtraction the algorithm decide
required for maximum power to be achieved.It will then
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IJRITCC | October 2016, Available @ http://www.ijritcc.org
_______________________________________________________________________________________
International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication ISSN: 2321-8169
Volume: 4 Issue: 10 07 - 12
______________________________________________________________________________________
whether to increase the duty cycle or to reduce the duty cycle. VI. SIMULATION RESULTS
The algorithm is elementary and has only one loop.
The PV array model is simulated for above mentioned
inputs where solar radiation varies in steps every 0.2 s in the
way described in above figure, producing changes in the
maximum power drawn from the PV array. Figure 7and 8
shows simulated P-V and I-Vcharacteristic respectively of a
BP Solar 250/1 PV module with 10 strings of 50 modules each
(25 kW peak) with solar radiation of 0.6mW/m2 (600W/m2)
and working temperature of 25oC.PV array exhibits a highly
nonlinear radiation and temperature dependent P-V and I-V
characteristic curve. Such characteristics can be obtained for
different configurations under solar radiation and temperature
changes.
Simulated P-V characteristic of BP 250/1 PV module with 10 strings of 50 modules: 25 kW Peak
15000

10000

PV Array Power(W)

5000

Figure 5. Flow Chart of P&O Algorithm

V.SYSTEM MODEL 0
0 200 400 600
PV Array Voltage(V)
800 1000 1200

Figure 7: Simulated P-V characteristic of a BP Solar 250/1 PV

PV Array Model with 10 Strings of 50 Modules of BP module.
Solar 250/1 giving 25 kW Peak, a plotting function for graphs 20
Simulated I-V characteristic of BP 250/1 PV module with 10 strings of 50 modules: 25 kW Peak

and a function for P&O MPPT algorithm; forming a complete 18

16

model in MATLAB is shown in figure6. 14

PV Array Current(A)

12

10

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
PV Array Voltage(V)

Figure 8: Simulated I-V characteristic of a BP Solar 250/1 PV

module.
Actual and P&O estimated PV array voltage
870
Actual PV array voltage
P&O PV array voltage

860
Actual & Estimated PV Voltage in volts

850

840

830

Figure 6: PV array model block diagram (functions) with BP 820

Solar 250/1 (50 W max) of 10 strings of 50 modules each 810

(Total :10*50*10 W = 25 kW).

800
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Time (s)

Inputs (Variable parameters) allowed in the PV model: Figure 9: Simulated result for actual and P&O estimated PV
Simulation time: 1 sec. array voltage (V) versus time (s).
Number of assemblies in a group : 10
Number of sub-assemblies in a group: 1 Figure 9 and 10 showssimulated result of actual and P&O
Number of modules in a sub-assembly of a group: 50 estimated PV array voltage (V) and power in (kW) versus time
Temperature : 25oC and Solar radiation in mW/ m2 (s) respectively. P&O method proves to be accurate following

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IJRITCC | October 2016, Available @ http://www.ijritcc.org
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International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication ISSN: 2321-8169
Volume: 4 Issue: 10 07 - 12
______________________________________________________________________________________
the Maximum Power Point (MPP) and corresponding array [2] C. M. J.A. Gow. Development of a photovoltaic array
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[3] G. Walker. Evaluating MPPT converter topologies using
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Figure 10: Simulated result for actual and P&O estimated PV
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