ISSN 0003701X, Applied Solar Energy, 2015, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 245–252. © Allerton Press, Inc., 2015.

DIRECT CONVERSION OF SOLAR ENERGY

TO ELECTRIC ENERGY

Modeling and Performance Analysis of PV Module

with Maximum Power Point Tracking in Matlab/Simulink1
Rokeya Jahan Mukti and Ariful Islam*
Applied Physics, Electronics & Communication Engineering, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh
*email: ariful@cu.ac.bd
Received January 24, 2015

Abstract—This paper presents a detailed approach to develop and characterize generalized photovoltaic
(PV) module in Matlab/Simulink environment, which can be a standard for designing PV module. Per
formance of PV module with different irradiance, temperature and load conditions is briefly analyzed
here. Simulation result of the proposed model is verified and compared with an existing PV module
datasheet which shows a close similarity with the simulated model. To operate the total system at max
imum power point, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) following incremental conductance
method is employed with proposed PV module. Undesired output power variation with varying load is
eliminated with this tracking technique. Maximum power is delivered to the load via a DC/DC boost
converter. A circuit based simulation model is essential for a PV module for delivering the output power
to the load interfaced with the converter. Our proposed system shows that output voltage, current and
power level exactly matches with the maximum power point of a well designed PV module which is com
patible with various PV modules.
DOI: 10.3103/S0003701X15040155

1
INTRODUCTION
Energy is the main root for the economic support
in our populated world where population is increasing
in a drastic rate but the required energy is not increas
ing at the same rate. Maximum of our energy comes
from fossil fuel. But the reserve of fossil fuel is decreas
ing in an alarming rate. At this severe crisis of fossil
fuels, renewable energy can be a remarkable contribu
tion in energy sector. Amongst the all sources of
renewable energy, solar energy has received a consid
erable attention because of its continuous supply and
free from geographical restrictions. Solar energy can
be utilized in many ways as solar thermal energy (STE)
and solar cell energy. Solar photovoltaic energy is now
the authoritative alternative measure due to its ubiq
uity, abundance and clean processing without emis
sion of any greenhouse gas. PV cell can convert the
solar energy into direct current when the cell directly
exposed into solar radiation without any environmen
tal hazard. Produced energy can drive a dc load
directly or also can drive ac loads through an inverter.
However it has high fabrication cost, it is naturally
preferable because of its environment friendly charac
teristics. Now it is the main concern how to maximize
its efficiency to extinguish the crave for energy.
PV cells are made up of semiconductor materials
e.g., silicon. Different diode models are established for
easy analysis of this technique. Single diode model and
double diode models are suitable for simulation and
1 The article is published in the original.
analysis of PV characteristics. Single diode models
give better and fair characteristic [1]. For easy demon
stration and implementation of this technique, math
ematical PV models used in computer simulation have
been built over the past four decades [2–4]. In [5]
some notable features of PV system such as maximum
power point tracking technique, response to grid volt
age etc. are presented. The input solar irradiation is
maximized using sun tracking solar collectors [6–8].
Most of the time the output electrical energy can’t be
utilized due to nonlinear currentvoltage and power
voltage characteristic resulting from varying tempera
ture, irradiance and different loading conditions.
Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is employed
to overcome this problem. In [9] voltage based MPPT
(VMPPT) and current based MPPT (CMPPT) is
employed eliminating reference cells. The maximized
output electrical energy can drive directly coupled dc
loads or ac loads via an inverter [10].
This paper describes a detailed and less complex
process for modeling generalized PV module. For
operating the system in maximum power point, incre
mental conductance algorithm is developed in MAT
LAB/simulink environment. The output electrical
power is fed to the load via a boost converter and the
characteristics is analyzed for different insolation,
temperature and loading conditions.

245
246 ROKEYA JAHAN MUKTI, ARIFUL ISLAM

RS Icell

ISC B C
+ Ipv, MPP
Too low

Current, A
+ load
1
IL D RP Vcell resistance
R

– Too high load

resistance
A
Fig. 1. Simplified PV equivalent circuit.
0 Vpv, MPP VOC
CHARACTERISTICS OF GENERALIZED PV Voltage, V
MODULE
Fig. 2. Load characteristic and I–V characteristic showing
Photovoltaic cells are fabricated with semiconduc operating point.
tor materials and converts solar energy into electrical
energy through photovoltaic effect. To represent sim
plified PV module, one diode model is commonly where ISO is the cell’s reverse saturation current at ref
employed as given in Fig. 1. A current source is used to erence temperature and solar irradiation, Eg is the
represent the light generated current. The amount of band gap energy of the semiconductor used in the cell.
generated current solely depends on solar insolation Reverse saturation current can be expressed as fol
directed to the PV module. lows:
To represent the module mathematically, following
I SO = I S exp ⎛ 
equations are used [10]: qV OC ⎞
 –1 , (4)
⎝ nkN S T 0⎠
q ( V cell + R S I cell )
I = I L – I S exp 
–1 where, VOC is the open circuit voltage under standard
nk B T C
(1) condition, NS is the number of cells connected in
( V cell + R S I cell ) series. Generally a PV array is constructed with com
– 
.
RP bining individual PV cells. Its feature is determined by
multiplying the voltage with the number of individual
where q is the charge of electron, n is the ideality factor of cells connected in series and multiplying the current
the cell, kB is the Boltzman constant (1.3805 × 10–23 J/K), with cells connected in parallel. From Eq. (1) it is seen
Icell is the cell output current, IL is photocurrent which that resistor connected parallel, RP in Fig. 1 has no
depends on irradiation and cell operating tempera severe effect on the performance of PV, where small
ture, IS is the reverse saturation current of the diode, change in the series resistance RS can greatly affect the
RS is the series resistance of the cell, TC is the cell oper efficiency of the PV system.
ating temperature and Vcell is the cell output voltage. We can rearrange the Eq. (4) as bellow:
Light current or photocurrent mainly depends on I SO
solar insolation and cell temperature which can be I S = 
 . (5)
derived from the following equation: ⎛ qV OC ⎞
exp  – 1
⎝ nk B N S T 0⎠
I L = [ I SC + K 0 ( T C – T 0 ) ]G. (2)
Reverse saturation current can be expressed in
where ISC is the short circuit current at 25°C tempera terms of short circuit current while ignoring the shunt
ture and 1000 W/m2 irradiation, K0 is cell’s short cir leakage current:
cuit current temperature coefficient, G is the solar
I
insolation in W/m2, T0 is the cell’s reference tempera I SO = SC
. (6)
ture. ⎛ qV OC ⎞
exp  – 1
⎝ nk B N S T C⎠
Cell’s saturation current can be found as:
T 3 Operating characteristics of a fair PV module can
I S = I SO ⎛ C⎞ exp qE g ⎛ 1 – 
1⎞ kn , (3) be explained more precisely noticing at the Fig. 2 as
⎝ T 0⎠ ⎝ T 0 T C⎠
presented in [1]:

APPLIED SOLAR ENERGY Vol. 51 No. 4 2015

 MODELING AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF PV MODULE 247

Vin
Vpv PpvVout
Repeating
Sequence
PV
Irradiation
Product Output
Irradiation
Ipv
Temperature
IpvVout
Temperature
PV module

Fig. 3. Simulink model of generalized PV module.

Analyzing equations (1)–(6), it reveals that, there
are mainly three significant operating points: short cir
cuit current, open circuit voltage and maximum power
point (in Fig. 2 points B, A and C respectively).
From Fig. 2 it is seen that load curve intersects the
I–V curve so as the operating points move along the I–V
curve from point B to A. Load curve with constant gra
dient 1/R = Iload/Vload (where R represents the resis
tance) intersects the I–V curve at point C which is the
desired maximum power point. As the resistance value
increases operating point travels from left to right
direction on the I–V curve. Portion of the curve above
point C represents too low resistance and bellow C rep
resents too high resistance. Hence maximum power
point can be achieved by matching the load resistance
to the PV characteristics [14].
One of the main drawbacks of PV module is that its
efficiency decrease with the increase in cell tempera
ture. Generally the operating temperature of the mod
ule depends on some properties such as module
encapsulating material, its thermal dissipation and
absorption properties, the working point of the mod
ule, the atmospheric parameters and particular install
ing condition [13]. Nominal Operating Cell Tempera
ture (NOCT) is commonly used as an indicative of PV
module temperature; manufacturers usually include
this parameter in their data sheet. It is defined as the
temperature reached by open circuited cells in a mod
ule under the specified conditions: total irradiance of
800 W/m2; ambient temperature of 20°C; wind speed
of 1m/s and nil electrical loads. Module temperature is
calculated from ambient temperature, available solar
irradiance, NOCT following the equation [16]:
G ,
T cell = T air + ( NOCT – 20 )  (7)
800
where, Tcell and Tair are the module temperature and
ambient temperature respectively.
MODELING OF PV MODULE
AND SIMULATION RESULTS
To illustrate and verify the I–V and P–V character
istics of PV module a generalized PV model is con
structed in MATLAB/Simulink. This model is con
structed without Maximum Power Point Tracking
(MPPT) for analyzing the natural behavior of PV
module for varying atmospheric parameters such as:
different irradiation level and temperature. The model
is designed using the equations (1)–(6). The simulink
model is shown in Fig. 3.
With these parameters given in the table, we verified
our simulation results. Figures 4 and 5 show the I–V

Specifications of PV module from datasheet Mitsubishi PVAE125MF5N

Specifications Values Specifications Values
Number of cells 36 cells in series Maximum power current (Imp) 7.23 A
Maximum power rating (Pmax) 125 W Maximum system voltage DC 1000 V
Open circuit voltage (VOC) 21.8 V Temperature coefficient_ISC 0.001904
Short circuit current (ISC) 7.90 A Temperature coefficient_VOC –0.28
Maximum power voltage (Vmp) 17.3 V Normal operating cell temperature (NOCT) 75

APPLIED SOLAR ENERGY Vol. 51 No. 4 2015

248 ROKEYA JAHAN MUKTI, ARIFUL ISLAM

10 160
1100 W/m2 1100 W/m2
9 140
1000 W/m2 1000 W/m2
8 120
900 W/m2 900 W/m2
7 2 800 W/m2
800 W/m 100

Power, W
Current, A

6 700 W/m2 700 W/m2

600 W/m2 80 600 W/m2
5 500 W/m2
500 W/m2 60
4 400 W/m2
400 W/m2
3 300 W/m2
40 300 W/m2
200 W/m2
2 200 W/m2 20
1
0 5 10 15 20 25
0 5 10 15 20 25 Voltage, V
Voltage, V
Fig. 4. Output I–V characteristics for different irradiation Fig. 5. Output P–V characteristics for different irradiation
level at constant temperature. level at constant temperature.

160
–25°C
10
140 0°C
9 25°C
8 120
50°C
7 –25°C 100
Power, W

75°C
Current, A

6 0°C 80
5 25°C
4 60
50°C
3 40
75°C
2
20
1

0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
Voltage, V Voltage, V

Fig. 6. Output I–V characteristics for different tempera Fig. 7. Output P–V characteristics for different tempera
ture level at constant irradiance. ture level at constant irradiance.

and P–V characteristic for constant temperature 25°C
with different levels of irradiations.
From Figs. 4 and 5 it is seen that both current–
voltage and power–voltage curves adapts to the actual
behavior of a PV module. Both power and current level
increase with the increased level of irradiation at con
stant temperature. On the other hand voltage remains
relatively constant for different irradiances. Module’s
I–V curves and P–V curves obtained from simulation
for different temperature levels with constant irradi
ance (1000 W/m2) are plotted in Figs. 6 and 7, respec
tively. Figures 8 and 9 show I–V and P–V characteris
tics for various temperature and irradiation levels.
From Figs. 6 and 7 we found that, the short circuit
current of the module increases with the temperature
but the total power decreases because the rate at which
current increases is much less compared with the
decreasing rate of open circuit voltage. Figure 10
shows the electrical performance of Mitsubishi PV
AE125MF5N. I–V and P–V curves for various irradi
ance levels at constant temperature are plotted here.
Our simulation results plotted in Figs. 4 and 5 fitted
incisively with performance shown in Fig. 10.
PERFORMANCE OF PV MODULE
WITH MPPT
For any given environmental conditions, a PV cell
has a single operating point where the values of voltage
and current constitute maximum power output. At this
maximum power point, the cell delivers its maximum
output power. It is always desirable to operate the sys

APPLIED SOLAR ENERGY Vol. 51 No. 4 2015

 MODELING AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF PV MODULE 249

10 160
9 1000 W/m2, 75°C 140
8
800 W/m2, 50°C 120
7
1000 W/m2, 75°C
Current, A

6 100

Power, W
600 W/m2, 25°C 800 W/m2, 50°C
5 80
600 W/m2, 25°C
4 400 W/m2, 0°C
60
3 400 W/m2, 0°C

2 40
1 20

0 5 10 15 20 25
0 5 10 15 20 25
Voltage, V
Voltage, V
Fig. 8. Output I–V characteristics for different tempera Fig. 9. Output P–V characteristics for different tempera
ture and irradiance level. ture and irradiance level.

Electrical performance
cell temperature: 25°C Maximum power point
9 270
8
1000 W/m2
240 ∂P/∂V = 0
900 W/m2
7 800 W/m2 210
∂P/∂V < 0
6 700 W/m2 180
Current, A

Power, W
Power, W

5 150 ∂P/∂V > 0

4 120
3 90
2 60
1 Current–Voltage 30
Power–Voltage
0 Voltage, V
0 5 10 15 20 25
Voltage, V Case of PVAE125MF5

Fig. 10. Output I–V and P–V characteristics of PV

AE125MF5N (Source: Mitsubishi datasheet). Fig. 11. Typical power voltage characteristic of PV module.

tem at its maximum power point deriving maximum
efficiency. Several methods have been adopted for
MPPT i.e. to track the module that it remains perpen
dicular to the irradiation. Considering this solar track
ers are generally two types: passive or mechanical and
active or electrical [17]. In uncontrolled mode the
characteristic of PV module depends on load at spe
cific temperature and irradiation which is not desir
able. In electrical system MPPT technique is followed
to operate PV system in a controlled mode.
Nowadays different MPPT technique is adopted
which can be categorized as: Perturbation and obser
vation (P & O) methods, Lookup table methods,
Incremental conductance methods [18, 19] are nota
ble. In our paper we have simulated a PV module with
MPPT employing incremental conductance (INC)
method. Output of this triggers the duty cycle of a
DC/DC converter. Duty cycle of the converter is
changed to drive the system to its maximum power
point to deliver maximum power at the load. Incre

APPLIED SOLAR ENERGY Vol. 51 No. 4 2015

250 ROKEYA JAHAN MUKTI, ARIFUL ISLAM

C
g
PV
module C IGBT C Load

E
V, I Sensing V
D
I
MPPT

Fig. 12. Boost converter in circuit.

V Duty cycle
D
I R L
MPPT
D Current
Voltage measurement
Vin Controlled + measurement
current + ×
C

+
g

C C Load
source –V –V
–

IGBT R
g

Voltage
E

Irradiation Ipv measurement

Irradiation

Temperature
Temperature
PV module
× PV Load

PV

Fig. 13. PV module with employing INC MPPT technique.

mental conductance method is employed with the adjust the system voltage until it reaches to MPP. Con
concept that, the slope of the power at MPP is zero ditions applied in INC method can be expressed
mathematically considering Fig. 11 as follows:
⎛ ∂P  = 0⎞ .
PV

⎝ ∂V PV ⎠ ∂P PV
 = 0 , (8)
∂V PV
First of all using the power equation we can write
the derivative as: ∂P PV
 > 0, (9)
∂V PV
∂P ∂ ( IV ) ∂I ΔI
 =  = I + V  = I + V  . ∂P PV
∂V ∂V ∂V ΔV  < 0. (10)
∂V PV
In this approach incremental conductance (I/V)
Equation (8) represents the condition at optimal
ΔI
and instantaneous conductance ⎛ ⎞ is measured to operating point. Equation (9) represents the area at
⎝ ΔV⎠ the left side of MPP. When this condition occurs,

APPLIED SOLAR ENERGY Vol. 51 No. 4 2015

 MODELING AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF PV MODULE 251

(a) (b)
1.2 60
Irradlation, W/m2

Temperature, °C
0.9 45

0.6 30

0.3 15

0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0

Time, s Time, s

(c) (d)
8 80
PV current Load voltage
6 60

Voltage, V
Current, A

4 40

2 20
PV voltager
Load current
0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0
Time, s Time, s

(e)
120
PV power
90
Power, W

Load power
60

30

0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0

Time, s

Fig. 14. PV and load output for different irradiance and temperature level using MPPT technique.

tracker increases the voltage of the system to operate at
the MPP. Similarly Eq. (10) represents the area at the
right side of MPP and the tracker decreases the voltage
to reach MPP.
In our work a boost converter is used to verify the
PV power delivered to the load. Circuit representation
of a boost converter is shown in Fig. 12. In continuous
conduction mode the operating principle of the boost
converter with PV module is expressed considering the
Fig. 12.
V PV
V 0 = 
,
1–D
where, V0 is output voltage of the boost converter, VPV
is input voltage of the boost converter, D is the duty
cycle of the converter.
The entire PV system arrangement with boost con
verter employing incremental conductance method
for MPPT developed in MATLAB as shown in Fig. 13.
The simulation results obtained from this MPPT
system is illustrated in Fig. 14. Maximum output cur
rent, voltage and power at PV module and with load
for varying irradiance and temperature levels is plot
ted.
Figure 14a presents two irradiance levels at
1000 W/m2 and 800 W/m2. Figure 14b presents two

APPLIED SOLAR ENERGY Vol. 51 No. 4 2015

252 ROKEYA JAHAN MUKTI, ARIFUL ISLAM
temperature levels at 298 K and 323 K. Change in cur
rent, voltage and power with Figs. 14a and 14b at PV
and load output is plotted in Figs. 14c, 14d and 14e. It
is observed that MPP at Figs. 4 and 8 current values
are 7.3 A for 1000 W/m2 and 298 K, 5.8 A for
800 W/m2 and 298 K and 5.7 A for 800 W/m2 and
323 K which is obtained in Fig. 14c. Similarly at the
MPP of figs. 4, 8 and 9 voltage values are 17.2 V at
1000 W/m2 and 298 K, 17.2 V for 800 W/m2 and 298 K
and 15.6 V for 800 W/m2 and 323 K which is exactly
same as the value obtained in Fig. 14d.
Comparing with Fig. 5 and 10 in similar way, power
values are 125.7 W at 1000 W/m2 and 298 K, 99.5 W
for 800 W/m2 and 298 K and 88.79 W for 800 W/m2
and 273 K at the MPP, which is also obtained in
Fig. 14e.
CONCLUSIONS
An effective method of designing a PV module is
presented here which is comparatively easy to imple
ment. Natural characteristics of this PV module is
tested and verified with experimental data for different
irradiance and temperature levels. Maximum power
point tracking is done with incremental conductance
algorithm so that the PV output no longer changes
with load characteristic. Simulation results show that
the PV system can track to the maximum power point
effectively with the change in environmental condi
tions. This model is easy to implement and can be used
as a standard in photovoltaic applications. Our future
work is to construct and practical implementation of
active solar tracking system with easy and efficient
method.
REFERENCES
1. Krismadinata Chaniago, Nasrudin Abd Rahim, Wooi
Ping Hew, and Jeyraj Selvaraj, Photovoltaic module
modeling using Simulink/Matlab, Proc. Environ. Sci.,
2013, vol. 17, pp. 537–546.
2. Angrist, S.W., Direct Energy Conversion, Allyn and
Bacon, 1982, pp. 177–227.
3. Hughes, R.O., Optimum control of sun tracking solar
collectors, Proc. Annu. Meeting of Int. Solar Energy
Soc., Denver, CO, Aug, 1978, pp. 28–31.
4. Phang, J.C.H., Chan, D.S.H., and Philips, J.R., Accu
rate analytical method for the extraction of solar cell
model parameters, Electron. Lett., 1984, vol. 20, no. 10,
pp. 406–408.
5. Ropp, M.E. and Gonzalez, S., Development of a
MATLAB/Simulink model of a singlephase gridcon
nected photovoltaic system, IEEE Trans. Energy Con
vers., 2009, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 195–202.
6. Buresch, M., Photovoltaic Energy Systems Design and
Installation, New York: McGrawHill, 1983.
7. Masoum, M.A.S., Dehbonei, H., and Fuchs, E.F.,
Theoretical and experimental analyses of photovoltaic
systems with voltage and currentbased maximum
powerpoint tracking, IEEE Trans. Energy Convers.,
2002, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 514–522.
8. Islam, M.A., Mohammad, N., and Khan, P.K.S.,
Modeling and performance analysis of a generalized
photovoltaic array in Matlab, Proc. Conf. onPower Elec
tronics, Drives and Energy Systems (PEDES), Dehli,
Dec. 20–23, 2010, pp. 1–5.
9. Chin, C.S., Babu, A., and McBride, W., Design, mod
eling and testing of a standalone single axis active solar
tracker using MATLAB/Simulink, Renew. Energy,
2011, vol. 36, no. 11, pp. 3075–3090.
10. Sinha, A.K., Mekala, V., and Samantaray, S.K., Design
and testing of PV maximum power tracking system with
MATLAB simulation, Proc. IEEE Region 10th Conf.
TENCON, Fukuoka, Nov. 21–24, 2010, pp. 466–473.
11. Lasnier, F. and GangAng, T., Photovoltaic Engineering
Handbook, Bristol: Adam Hilger, 1990.
12. Tan, Y.T., Impact on the power system with a large pen
etration of photovoltaic generation, PhD Thesis, Elec
trical Engineering and Electronics, Umist, MA, 2004.
13. CiSiang Tu, HuanLiang Tsai, and YiJie Su, Devel
opment of generalized photovoltaic model using MAT
LAB/SIMULINK, Proc. World Congress on Engineer
ing and Computer Science, San Francisco, 2008,
pp. 846–851.
14. Ben Hamed Mouna and Sbita Lassaad, A maximum
power tracking algorithm based on photovoltaic current
control for matching loads to a photovolataic generator,
Appl. Solar Energy, 2012, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 238–244.
15. Mousazadeh, H., Keyhani, A., Javadi, A., et al., A
review of principle and suntracking methods for max
imizing solar systems output, Renew. Sust. Energy Rev.,
2009, vol. 13, no. 8, pp. 1800–1818.
16. Hiyama, T., Kouzuma, S., and Iimakudo, T., Identifi
cation of optimal operating point of PV modules using
neural network for real time maximum power tracking
control, IEEE Trans. Energy Convers., 1995, vol. 10,
no. 2, pp. 360–367.
17. Altas, I.H. and Sharaf, A.M., A novel online MPP
search algorithm for PV arrays, IEEE Trans. Energy
Convers., 1996, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 748–754.
18. Abdulkadir, M., Samosir, A.S., and Yatim, A.H.M.,
Modeling and simulation based approach of photovol
taic system in simulink model, ARPN J. Eng. Appl. Sci.,
2012, vol. 7, no. 5.
19. Veerachary, M., Power tracking for nonlinear PV
sources with coupled inductor SEPIC converter, IEEE
Trans. Aerospace Electron. Syst., 2005, vol. 41, no. 3,
pp. 1019–1029.
APPLIED SOLAR ENERGY Vol. 51 No. 4 2015