Analysis and Emulation of a Photovoltaic Solar

System Using a MATLAB/Simulink Model and

the DS1104 Unit
Maria A. Mazuera #1, Johnny Posada #2, Paul Manrique *3
#

Department of Automatic and Electronics, Autonoma de Occidente University

Calle 25 No 115-85 Cali - Colombia
1

marialejandra_c91@hotmail.com
2
jposada@uao.edu.co

Department of Energy and Mechanics, Autnoma de Occidente University

Calle 25 No 115-85 Cali - Colombia
3

pmanrique@uao.edu.co

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to show the

emulation and analysis of a photovoltaic solar system by
modelling its behavior in Matlab/Simulink. The emulation
process is done by using the DS1104 dspace real-time platform.
The PV system is made up of a PV solar array, a DC-DC
power converter working on a buck-boost topology, and a
perturb and observe MPPT algorithm. The PV array model is
based on the characteristics of a real PV panel, Yingli 265c30b, and it is capable of delivering around 7 kW under optimal
ambient conditions and operating at its maximum power point.
The power curves of the system are shown to illustrate the
behavior of the MPPT algorithm as it works along with the
buck-boost converter to force the PV array voltage and
current to be at its highest value.
Resumen El propsito de este artculo es mostrar la
emulacin y el anlisis de un sistema solar fotovoltaico
modelando su comportamiento en Matlab/Simulink. El
proceso de emulacin del sistema se realiza en tiempo real
mediante la plataforma dSPACE DS1104. El sistema
fotovoltaico est conformado por un arreglo de paneles solares,
un convertidor DC-DC con topologa buck-boost y un
algoritmo de rastreo de mximo punto de potencia, perturbar
y observar. El arreglo fotovoltaico est basado en las
caractersticas de operacin de un panel real de referencia
Yingli 265c-30b. Este arreglo es capaz de entregar una
potencia mxima de aproximadamente 7 kW cuando est
trabajando bajo condiciones ambientales ptimas y su punto
de operacin coincide con en el mximo punto de potencia. Las
curvas de potencia del sistema se muestran para ilustrar el
comportamiento del algoritmo MPPT trabajando en conjunto
con el convertidor buck-boost para llevar al arreglo a entregar
su mximo nivel de tensin y de corriente.

I. INTRODUCTION
The increasing concern about the global warming, the
exponential growth of the population of the world and the
fact that it is getting harder and more expensive to extract
oil from fossil fuels is making people more aware of the use
of renewable energy sources. Solar energy is one of the
most important sources of energy in the world since it can
be converted into other sources of energy such as chemical
(fuel cells), thermal (heat collectors) and electricity
(photovoltaic). Photovoltaic solar panels use the
photovoltaic effect in order to transform solar energy into
electricity. During this process, no pollutant emissions are

generated. Thus, PV systems are considered to provide

clean power and help cut global carbon emissions.
Many models of PV solar panels have been designed and
tested, [1] - [3] are only some works in this topic. However,
creating tools to study the performance of different PV
arrays allow a wide study of the different components in the
PV generation process. Several PV emulators in the market
are capable of reproducing the I-V and P-V characteristics
of a real solar panel under static environmental conditions.
However, not too many testing schemes are able to emulate
a PV energy generation system under dynamic atmospheric
conditions. The focus of this paper is to emulate, in real
time, the behavior of the components of a PV system as it
tracks the maximum power point under uniform
atmospheric conditions.
The PV model designed in this work would be able to
predict a c-Si PV cell behavior under varying atmospheric
conditions (irradiance and temperature) and for different
values of loads. The analysis includes the variation of
ambient temperature and irradiance conditions as well as the
MPPT controller performance for these conditions,
all these in an emulation process. The emulation process is
dedicated to reply the characteristic features of a PV system.
Nevertheless, the emulator does not count with a powerelectronics stage. The voltage, current, and power
parameters represent real-life values.
II. PV SOLAR CELL MODEL
The PV model of the panels was obtained by taking into
account the characteristics of the Yingli 265c-30b PV panel.
Table I lists the electric specifications of the Yinglis PV
module at STC.
TABLE I
ELECTRIC CHARACTERISTICS FOR THE YINGLI 265C-30B SOLAR PANEL

C-Maximum power
Maximum Power Voltage
Maximum Power Current
Short circuit Current
Open circuit Voltage
Module efficiency

265 W
30.1 V
8.79 A
9.37 A
38.3 V
16.3%

An equivalent electronic circuit was used to model the

PV cell behavior; Fig. 1 shows the circuit model.

Fig. 1. PV solar cell Equivalent model.

The electronic circuit from Fig. 1 corresponds to the fiveparameter equivalent circuit. The current source represents
the current generated by the sunlight absorption
(photocurrent). The diode represents the p-n junction of the
solar cell, the series resistance represents the voltage loss in
the metal contacts of the PV panel, and the parallel or shunt
resistance represents a crack through the semiconductor
layer or a current path at the edge of the solar cell, Eq. (1)
describes the diode behavior.
=

1 ,

(1)

Where:
- represents the current at a certain voltage value
- is the extreme small current under reverse bias
conditions or leakage current of a p-n junction (diode)
V- Diode voltage
- Electron charge = 1.6e-19 C
- Boltzmanns constant = 1.38e-23 J/K
- Temperature in Kelvin
When the p-n junction is illuminated with light, a large
current is generated. This current generated by the light
absorption is represented with the current source of Fig. 1.
The equation (2) describes the solar cell behavior, where
is the photocurrent generated by light excited charge
carriers.

1,

(2)

There are two important conditions in a solar cell. The

open-circuit voltage and the short-circuit current. The opencircuit voltage occurs when there is no load at the cells
terminals and no current is produced, this condition can be
expressed by Eq. (3), where n is the ideality factor of the
diode, in general equal to 0.98117.
=

ln

+1 ,

(3)

The short-circuit current occurs when the solar cell

= 0, in this case I is
produces no voltage, this means
equal to IL, the short-circuit current depends on many
factors, but mainly on the irradiance. The PV solar Cell can
be seen as a current source controlled by irradiance,
temperature, and strongly dependent on the loads current
since it determines the cells voltage evolution. Returning to
Fig. 1, the equation that best describes the PV Cell
operation is Eq. (4).

(4)

Based on Eq. (4), a Matlab/Simulink model was

constructed and properly analyzed for different atmospheric
and physic conditions of the equivalent model of the solar
cell. This model is divided into two main parts; the first one
is a script that calculates the current by Rsh, and the current
of the load I. The script considers equations (1)-(6) in order
to model the performance of a real solar cell by considering
the effects of the irradiance, the temperature, and the p-n
junction characteristics. The data obtained from the script is
then coupled to a controlled current source. The second part
contains the power losses, and the combined effect of Rsh
and Rs. A complete figure of the described PV Cell model is
shown in Fig. 2.
A. Operation of a PV Cell under Different Environmental
Conditions
Solar irradiance is one of the most important atmospheric
conditions since a photocurrent is obtained from the
absorption of photons coming from the sunlight. The
irradiance is the power per unit area and is usually
expressed in
unit. The STC to prove a solar cell
indicate an irradiance of 1000
. Eq. (5), shows a
linear behavior of the photocurrent in relation to the
irradiance and the temperature.
=

298.15

(5)

Where:
is the solar cells short circuit current at 1000
=
when the cell is operating under STC.
is the solar cells short circuit current temperature, and is
equal to 0.0017
is temperature in Kelvin
Based on Eq. (4) and modifying the irradiance value
in Eq. (5), the I-V and P-V curves of Fig. 3 were
obtained. Figure 3 shows that the higher the irradiance, the
larger the current gets. Since the current and the voltage
increase when the irradiance is greater, it is expected that
the power also increases, dotted line on the Fig. 3. In the
same way, Eq. (3) shows the direct relation between the
temperature and the voltage of the PV solar cell. The
characteristic I-V and P-V curves from Fig. 4. were
obtained by varying the temperature value from 25 to 70 C.
Equation (6) describes how the modules saturation current
varies with the cell temperature.

exp

Where:
is the temperature reference in Kelvin
is the band gap energy = 1.21 eV for silicon

(6)

Fig. 2. Full PV Cell model for simulation.

In order to make the extension of the PV cells model

into a complete PV solar array, Equation 4 needs to be
modified by multiplying the photocurrent and the leakage
current by a variable
that represents the number of cells
connected in parallel. Besides, the exponential expression
represents the amount
should be multiplied by where
of cells connected in series.
=

Fig. 3. IV and PV curves, the lower curve in booth Y axis represents the
lower irradiance value.

Fig. 4. IV and PV curves, the lower curve in booth Y axis answer to the
lower temperature value

B. Model Extension to a PV Array and a PV System

A PV solar cell is able to generate by itself a voltage of
about 0.5 to 0.7 volts depending on the technology and the
materials. Therefore, most of the PV solar modules in the
market are made up of many cells connected in series,
usually 36, 60 or 72. These modules are then connected in
series or parallel in order to form an array. In this case, a
total of 60 PV cells are connected in series to make a PV
solar panel, this panel has the capacity to supply a total Voc
of 38.3V, and a short circuit current Isc of 9.37A. Two
strings connected in parallel of 13 series PV solar panels
each make a complete PV solar system, reaching up a
voltage of 497.9 V in open circuit, and a short current of
18.74A under STC.

(7)

III. THE BUCK-BOOST CONVERTER AND MPPT ALGORITHM

As it is commonly known, the PV panels by themselves
do not have an efficiency greater than 22%. Besides the
irradiance and temperature conditions as well as variations
of the load also affect the efficiency of the PV modules. It
means that the operating point does not always work on the
maximum power point. The maximum power point
corresponds to a particular I-V pair that corresponds to the
highest values on the P-V curve. MPPT algorithms modify
either the operating voltage or current of the PV system.
MPPT methods work along with a DC-DC converter by
modifying its duty cycle trough a pulse width modulation
technique. This converter modifies the panels voltage by
either making it higher or lower. There are many different
methods to find the MPP. However, the Perturb and
Observe algorithm will be used for purpose of this work.
This paper does not intend to prove the efficiency of
different MPPT techniques or propose a new method to
track the maximum power point. The main purpose is to
observe and analyze the behavior of the PV system and its
components under emulation conditions. Therefore, the
P&O algorithm was chosen due to its simplicity, its reliable
performance, and because it is broadly used in literature.
Figure 5 shows the flowchart for the P&O algorithm.
A. Buck Boost Topology and the Perturb and Observe
Algorithm
The P&O algorithm acts directly on the duty cycle of the
buck-boost converter, which modifies the panels voltage
and therefore the operating point of the PV system. Despite
the boost converter is less complex and cheaper, the buckboost converter was selected to work along with the MPPT
algorithm in the PV system. According to [4] and [5], one of
the most convenient topologies to use along with the MPPT
algorithms is the Buck-Boost converter because of its ability

to track the MPP under low irradiance conditions and

variations of temperature and loading effects. Moreover,
among non-isolated converters (buck and boost) it presents
the most efficient topology. In [4] a simplified analysis of
buck, boost, and buck-boost converters is developed and it
indicates that the buck and boost topologies have a nonoperating region in the I-V characteristic curve, while the
buck-boost converter operates in the entire region of the I-V
curve. [6] to [8] implement different MPPT algorithms
using a buck-boost converter as the power device interface
with the PV panel design. The dynamic equations that
describe the behavior of the DC-DC converter are shown in
(8), and the resulting steady-state equation for the buckboost regulator is shown in (9).

analog inputs. The output signals were processed through

the isolation amplifiers AD202. The isolated signals were
used as inputs to the second DS1104 platform where the PV
panel is emulated. A graphic interface was designed using
ControlDesk 5.2 software. The output signals are visualized
in ControlDesk. It is also possible to change the irradiance
and temperature values from the graphic interface in
ControlDesk.

(8)

(9)

Figure 6 shows the PV system modeled in

MatLab/Simulink and the step-time used for each subsystem.
This model contains the vectors that represent the real
atmospheric changing conditions, the PV array model, the
buck-boost converter and the P&O algorithm. From Fig. 6.
it is possible to observe that the simulation of the PV system
is made up of different subsystems. Each subsystem work
under the same clock frequency of 1 kHz. However, all of
them have different characteristics and dynamics and thus
they need to update their outputs at different rates in order
to obtain the needed values that represent their features in
an optimum way. Therefore, each subsystem has its own
trigger signal. The vectors and the MPPT algorithm have to
work at a slower rate than the buck-boost converter and the
PV model.
IV. EMULATION RESULTS
As the main objective of this work is to develop a realtime emulation process, two DS1104 platforms were used in
order to reply the PV model, the ambient conditions and the
DC-DC converter stage with the MPPT algorithm. Fig. 7
shows the schematic diagram of the emulation process. The
emulation process applied in this work is a signal level
emulation system, which involves low-power signals (0-5
V), rather than high-power level signals. Therefore, it does
not include a power stage that connects the real-time
simulation environment to a real hardware under test.
However, two different RTI1104 dSPACE platforms
were used to emulate the complete process of the PV system.
The irradiance and temperature vectors that contain the real
atmospheric settings were deployed in one of the computers
using the DS1104 platform in order to properly reproduce
the physical environment of the PV array. These test vectors
repeatedly reproduce a daily profile of ambient conditions.
Signal conditioner elements were used in order to isolate the
input/output signals. Moreover, these elements adjust the
voltage levels to be properly interpreted by the DS1104

Fig. 5. P&O Flowchart.

The emulation process was designed to realize a smooth

transition between the interconnection of each of the
elements. The PV panel is enabled when the irradiance
value is greater than zero. When the irradiance value is
above 300
the P&O algorithm and the buck-boost
converter are activated. Finally, when the irradiance value
, both the PV panel and the
decreases below 320
converter are disabled. To achieve the goal of an optimum
stable operation of a PV system, the coordination between
all active components is imperative. The Simulink/DSP
signal exchange is accomplished as follows: The real-time
simulation of the PV panel is deployed in one of the
DS1104 platforms, the outcoming analog signals are
conditioned as mentioned above and feedback to the second
DS1104, which besides implementing I/O functions, also
executes the test vectors and buck-boost converter with the
P&O control algorithm. The outcoming signals are
proportional to the simulated magnitudes. In order to
validate the behavior of the PV system, the actual plant
models and control algorithms were tested under real-time
conditions. The PV system was proved under real irradiance
and temperature conditions. These atmospheric conditions
were obtained from a PV facility database that collects real
environmental data for different days of the year.
Fig. 8. shows different IV curves that were obtained by
varying the irradiance value while keeping the temperature
constant. The emulation process was done by using the D/A
and A/D multiplexed channels (16-bit) of the DS1104
dSPACE platform. Using the two different DS1104
platforms, the irradiance and temperature vectors are
connected to the panel using the multiplexed A/D
converters because they allow to read each signal separately
at different times.

Fig. 6. PV solar system modeled in Matlab/Simulink and DS1104 system with the step-times used for each subsystem.

The PV array model sends the output voltage to a

conditioning circuit that allows the connection between the
PV model and the buck-boost converter. At the same time,
the current demanded by the DC-DC converter is feedback
to the PV array in order for the current that is being
produced to match the current extracted by the power
converter.
The characteristic curves were extracted from the
ControlDesk graphic interface. It can be observed that the
lower the irradiance the less amount of current the PV array
can produce. This is because the PV current is mainly
related to this ambient condition. The simulation curves
described above verified this behavior. When the shortcircuit current exceeds the nominal value for the
corresponding irradiance level, the PV voltage drops and the
PV model stops working. This behavior makes it evident
why it is important for the operating point to be at its
highest level. If the PV array was to be connected to a gridtied inverter, the voltage level in the dc-link should be at all
times greater than the line-voltage from the utility grid so an
appropriate power transfer can occur.
The behavior of the P&O MPPT algorithm working
along with the buck-boost converter is validated in Fig. 9.
This figure shows how the P&O algorithm forces the PV
system to reach the maximum power point under a constant
irradiance value of 1
and a constant temperature level
of 25 C . The graphic shows that the MPPT algorithm takes
approximately 5 seconds to track the maximum power point
of the PV array and keeps the value stable at 6850 W,
approximately. This time is significantly fast taking into
account the slow variation of the atmospheric conditions.
Figure 10 shows the variation of the PV array power for a
real daily irradiance and temperature profile (October 5th,
2014, near to Cali city - Colombia). As the atmospheric
values change during the day, the P&O MPPT algorithm

acts along with the buck-boost converter to adjust the

operating point of the PV array to be as close as possible to
the MPP for the entire day.

Fig. 7. Schematic diagram of the emulation process

The initial voltage of this system is approximately 400

volts. However, the PV array model and the P&O algorithm
are enabled only when the irradiance value is greater than
300
; the power produced by the system for lower
irradiance values is not significant and can cause
convergence problems in the algorithm. The PV system is
disabled for lower values. The MPPT technique has an
initial duty cycle of 0.5 in order for the output and input
power to be the same. Therefore, at the beginning of the
simulation the output power value is close to 2000 W. After
a positive voltage perturbation, the algorithm starts tracking
the MPP. As the real irradiance highest value is
approximately 900 , the corresponding maximum power
point is around 6 kW. The output power of the PV model is
similar to the shape of the irradiance vector when it is

connected to the MPP algorithm and the buck-boost

converter. This is because the performance of the PV model
is mainly affected by the solar irradiance.

As a result of the work, the models of all the components

present a satisfactory accurate performance and simple realtime control. The emulation process developed in this work
allows the testing of different MPPT algorithms and power
electronic devices. The constructed PV system emulator
presents moderate complexity and slew rates.
This work represents the initial stage of a hardware in the
loop emulation process. Therefore, it is a signal level
emulator. At first instance, the simulator/emulator system
was developed using two RTI 1104 dSPACE platforms and
two host computers in order to simulate the real world
conditions and signals that trigger the control systems and
other components.

Fig. 8. IV characteristic curves of the PV array for different irradiance

conditions

The emulation process of this PV system is being

completed by connecting a grid-tied inverter and analyzing
the behavior and performance of each of the components as
the inverter takes energy from the PV array and delivers AC
energy to the grid. The implementation of the power stage
and the real hardware under test is part of a future work that
is in the initial phase of development.
REFERENCES
[1]
[2]

[3]
[4]

Fig. 9. PV system power curve at 1000W/m2 of irradiance and 25C.

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

Fig. 10. MPPT under changing atmospheric conditions using the P&O
agorithm.

V. CONCLUSIONS
This paper presents an emulation tool and process to
predict and analyze the behavior of a complete PV system.
The emulator is implemented using dSPACE RTI1104
controller board, and MATLAB/SIMULINK for modeling
solar PV characteristics.

[9]

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