2019 1st Global Power, Energy and Communication Conference (IEEE GPECOM2019), June 12-15, 2019, Cappadocia, Turkey

Photovoltaic model based on data sheet values using

Matlab simulation tool
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rajesh Saiju Alexander Kroggel (PhD student) Nils Wiese (master's degree candidate)
Hochschule Flensburg Hochschule Flensburg Hochschule Flensburg
University of Applied Sciences University of Applied Sciences University of Applied Sciences
Fachbereich 2: Fachbereich 2: Fachbereich 2:
Energie und Biotechnologie Energie und Biotechnologie Energie und Biotechnologie
24943 Flensburg, Germany 24943 Flensburg, Germany 24943 Flensburg, Germany
Email: rajesh.saiju@hs-flensburg.de Email: alexander.kroggel@hs-flensburg.de Email: nils.wiese2@stud.hs-flensburg.de

Abstract—We develop an energy management system,
which also takes into account regenerative generation plants
such as photovoltaic or hydroelectric power plants. This paper
discusses and describes a single-diode photovoltaic module,
which isneeded for the development of a hybrid power system
and its energy management system. The photovoltaic model is
based on five parameters from the datasheet. The equivalent
circuit diagram, the equations used and the necessary
parameters from the datasheet of the photovoltaic modules to
be simulated are shown. In addition, we present a Matlab
script, which uses the previously described Matlab simulation
model of the photovoltaic module to output a table (.xls file)
containing the maximum power point (MPP) as a function of
irradiance and temperature. The generated .xls-file can be
used for long-term simulations since more complicated
algorithms like the maximum power point tracker are not
considered in this type of simulation.
The value of is generally high and is therefore often
neglected [3], [4], [5]. Some authors neglect the series due
to its small value [6], [7] and sometimes both resistors are
neglected [8]. In this paper, the possibility of Matlab
providing robust solvers for systems of non linear equations
is used. Only three equations are needed which leads to very
low computational load. The proposed model is able to
match the MPP given in the datasheet with low error.
II. MATHEMATICAL EQUATIONS OF PHOTOVOLTAIC MODEL
The output current of the photovoltaic module mainly
depends on the illumination-dependent photocurrent and
is calculated as:
 = − −  

Keywords—photovoltaic module, modelling, Matlab, Where the current through the diode and through the parallel
maximum power point, hybrid power system, energy management resistor is calculated as [9]:
system.

I. INTRODUCTION  = −1  
In 2017, the world’s primary energy demand was about
585 TJ and will increase to about 742 TJ in 2040 [1]. In
order to supply this energy demand, regenerative energies are  =  
also used. The influence of regenerative energies on an
existing electrical grid can be investigated by modeling. There are three key points in the V-I characteristic: short
Furthermore, renewable energy models, such as circuit point, open circuit point and maximum power point.
photovoltaic, can be used to study the structure and stability For each of these three points, one equation describes the
(frequency and voltage) of a hybrid power system [2]. In output current of the photovoltaic module [9]:
such a grid, an energy management system can be connected
to a wide variety of electrical generation systems, so that a
modular structure of the management system is sought. The  = − −1 −  
task of such a management system is to maintain the
frequency and voltage stability as well as to find an
economically optimal operation point. Fig. 1 shows a single-  =0 = − −1 −  
diode model for a photovoltaic module, which consists of an
illumination-dependent current source, which is connected in
parallel to a diode and the resistor Rsh. Furthermore, the  = − −1 −  
model takes into account the series resistance Rs.

Rs IPV Where, – short circuit current in STC

Iph Rsh VPV – maximum power point current in STC

ID Ish – open circuit voltage in STC

– maximum power point voltage in STC
Fig. 1. Equivalent circuit of solar cell with Rs and Rsh
– number of cells in series per module
The corresponding values can be taken from the data sheet.
Table I shows an example of these values for the
photovoltaic module SOL3N from velleman [10].

978-1-5386-8086-5/19/$31.00 ©2019 European Union

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 2019 1st Global Power, Energy and Communication Conference (IEEE GPECOM2019), June 12-15, 2019, Cappadocia, Turkey

TABLE I. ELECTRICAL PARAMETERS OF SOL3N After differentiating equation (13) and solving to the
Electrical parameters of SOL3N derivative of the current with voltage, the following equation
results [9]:
– Short circuit current 0.22 A
( , )
– Maximum power point current 0.20 A  =  
( , )
– Open circuit voltage 1.2 V
– Maximum power point voltage 1.0 V Inserting equation (14) in equation (12) results in:

– Number of cells in series 2 ( , )

0= +  
(, )

Equation (5) converted to ,results in:

( )
0= +  
  
( )
= −1 +
Converting equation (11) to :

Inserting equation (7) in equation (4), results in:  =  

 = − +  

The fact that the second term in parenthesis is significantly Converting equation (8) to , results in:
smaller than the first term results in the following
simplification [9]:  =  

 = +  
III. MATLAB SCRIPT FOR CALCULATING OF DIODE FACTOR,
THE SERIES AND PARALLEL RESISTANCE
Fig. 2 shows the first part of the Matlab script, which is
Converting equation (9) to : used to enter the necessary data from the data sheet. These
data are used in the following Matlab/Simulink model of the
 = −   photovoltaic module and to calculate the diode factor ,
series resistance and parallel resistance . The
temperature coefficients for poly-Si are between -0.29 %/°C
Inserting equation (7) and equation (10) in equation (6), and -0.48 %/°C for voltage and between 0.03 %/°C and
results in: 0.07 %/°C for current [11].

 = − 

 − −  

The P-V characteristic of a photovoltaic module contains a

power maximum, which can be expressed as follows [9]:
( ) Fig. 2. Matlab script for entering the values from the data sheet
 = = + = 0 
Fig. 3 shows the Matlab script for calculating the diode
factor and the required resistances and .
Equation (11) can be written as, where ( , ) is the right
part of equation (11):

  ( , ) 

Fig. 3. Matlab script for calculating , and

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 2019 1st Global Power, Energy and Communication Conference (IEEE GPECOM2019), June 12-15, 2019, Cappadocia, Turkey

Fig. 4 shows the function named fcndPdU1(x, PV_par) contains the equations of the photovoltaic module. After each
for determining the solution vector of the resistance and simulation, the maximum value of power, which comes back
. The equation system used is based on equations (16), as "max(simout)" from the simulation, is stored in the array.
(17) and (18). The last equation for calculating F(2) is based
on the assumption that the saturation current of the diode is
on the order of 10-10 A [11].

Fig. 7. Matlab script for creating an array, which contains the maximum
power data depending on the irradiance and the temperature
Fig. 4. Matlab function for calculating ,
Fig. 8 shows the Matlab script for creating an
Fig. 5 shows the Matlab function named diode_factor(x, Array_PV.xls-file, which contains a spreadsheet for the
PV_par) for determining the diode factor . The equation entire simulation data, one for the temperature axis data, one
system used is based on equation (17). for the irradiation intensity axis data, and one for the
maximum power values.

Fig. 8. Matlab function saving the simulation data in a .xls-file

Fig. 5. Matlab function for calculating
IV. MATLAB SCRIPT FOR CREATING A . XLS-FILE CONTAINING
THE MPP POWER OF A PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE
Fig. 6 shows an example of the creation of an array
containing the values of the temperature axis. The structure
of the script for creating the array, which contains the values
for the irradiance, is corresponding.
Table II shows the spreadsheet named data of the .xls-
file. The table shows the simulation results for the MPP of
the exemplarily selected photovoltaic module SOL3N [10]. It
contains the information about the power in the maximum
power point (in W) at the corresponding module temperature
(in °C) and irradiance (in W/m²).
TABLE II. SAVING THE SIMULATION DATA IN A .XLS -FILE

Fig. 6. Matlab script for creating an array containing the temperature axis
data

Fig. 7 shows the Matlab script for creating an array

containing the MPP as a function of temperature and
irradiance. With the help of the variables within the for loop,
the start and end values, as well as the increment of the
temperature and irradiance, can be set. The for loop is used
to determine the MPP at the desired temperatures and
irradiance levels. For this purpose, the desired temperature
and irradiance are transferred to a previously constructed
Matlab/Simulink model named photovoltaic_model, which

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 2019 1st Global Power, Energy and Communication Conference (IEEE GPECOM2019), June 12-15, 2019, Cappadocia, Turkey

V. MATLAB/SIMULINK MODEL OF THE PHOTOVOLTAIC The shown subsystem called I_sc_new and V_oc_new
MODULE are used to calculate the temperature dependent short circuit
Fig. 9 shows the entire simulation model of the _ and the temperature dependent open circuit voltage
photovoltaic module. The subsystem named photovoltaic _ and are based on equations (20) and (21) [12]:
module contains the equation system of a photovoltaic
module and outputs the current , which is described in  _ = + ( − )  
equation (1). Using a controllable voltage source, the P-V
characteristic of the photovoltaic module can be simulated at  _ = − ( − )  
different temperatures and irradiations. The voltage at the
photovoltaic module is changed by using the ramp on the
controllable voltage source. The multiplication of the current
(I_act) with the voltage (V_act) gives the generated
power of the photovoltaic module, which is returned as a
variable named simout to the workspace of Matlab.

Fig. 12. Inside view of subsystem named I_sc_new and V_oc_new

Fig. 13 shows the inside view of the subsystem named

n_s_V_t and contains the calculation for the product of the
Fig. 9. Matlab/Simulink model of the photovoltaic module thermal voltage of the semiconductor junction and the
number of cells connected in series. The calculation is based
Fig. 10 shows the inside view of the subsystem named on the following equation [12]:
photovoltaic module. Inputs to this model are the
temperature, irradiance and output voltage of the  =  
photovoltaic module . The output current is
connected to the previously described controllable current
source.

Fig. 13. Inside view of subsystem named n_s_V_t

Fig. 14 shows the inside view of the subsystem named I_0

and contains the calculation for the diode saturation current
and based on equation (18).

Fig. 10. Inside view of subsystem named photovoltaic module

The shown subsystem called I_ph is used to calculate the

photocurrent and is based on equation (19) [12]:

 = + ( − )  

Fig. 14. Inside view of subsystem named I_0

Fig. 11. Inside view of subsystem named I_ph

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The shown subsystem called I_D is used to calculate the
diode current and is based on equation (2):
Fig. 15. Inside view of subsystem named I_D
Fig. 16 shows the last subsystem named I_sh, which is
used to calculate the current through the resistor and
based on equation (3).
described above is used. There is also a comparison between
this model and the one from Matlab in this chapter for the
photovoltaic module ASEC-265G6S6A.
A. Comparison between measurement and simulation
results
Fig. 18 shows the comparison between the simulated and
measured power of the SOL3N photovoltaic module with a
constant module temperature of 25 °C and different
irradiance levels. The deviation between the measured and
the simulated values is small, as shown in the figure below.
This figure also shows that under standard test conditions
(STC) the values given in the datasheet are equal to the
values shown in the figure. The MPP of 0.2 W specified in
the datasheet is achieved in the same way as the MPP
voltage of 1.0 V. The open circuit voltage is also in the
figure at 1.2 V as described in the data sheet.

Fig. 16. Inside view of subsystem named I_sh

Fig. 17 shows the integration of the lookup table

described before. It has an input for the current irradiance
in W/m² and an input for the current module temperature
in °C. The output of the lookup table supplies the electrical
power determined as a function of the irradiance and module
temperature.

Fig. 18. comparison between measurement and simulation results for the
P-V characteristic of photovoltaic module SOL3N for different
irradiance levels and constant temperature

B. Comparison between our and the model of Matlab

Fig. 19 shows the comparison between our and the model
of Matlab for the PV-module ASEC-265G6S6A at an
irradiance level of 1000 W/m² and a constant module
temperature of 25 °C. The dashed line in orange shows the
Fig. 17. Integration of lookup table in Simulink maximum power of the PV-module. This figure shows that
our model is closer to the MPP indicated in the datasheet.
VI. SIMULATION OF PARALLEL STRINGS The most important parameters of the PV-module ASEC-
In this section, we describe how the model can be used to 265G6S6A are shown in the table below.
consider parallel strings in addition to series connected cells.
The source code described above considers only cells
connected in series. However, parallel strings can also be
taken into account in the simulation by dividing the currents
given in the data sheet by the number of parallel strings.
Then the determined currents are to be entered to the source
code described abovefor the creation of the lookup table for a
series string of the PV module. Multiplying the output power
of a string by the number of parallel strings provides the
power of the entire module. The multiplication of the output
power of a string, which comes from the lookup table, with
the number of parallel strings provides the power of the
entire module.
VII. RESULTS
In this section, we present the measurement and Fig. 19. comparison between our and the model of Matlab for the
simulation results of the photovoltaic module named SOL3N PV-module ASEC-265G6S6A at an irradiance level of 1000 W/m²
and compare them to each other. For this purpose, the model and a constant module temperature of 25 °C

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 2019 1st Global Power, Energy and Communication Conference (IEEE GPECOM2019), June 12-15, 2019, Cappadocia, Turkey
TABLE III. ELECTRICAL PARAMETERS OF ASEC-265G6S6A
Electrical parameters of SOL3N
– Short circuit current 9.24 A
– Maximum power point current 8.82 A
– Open circuit voltage 37.49 V
– Maximum power point voltage 30.05 V
– Number of cells in series 60
VIII. CONCLUSION
A Matlab/Simulink model for an exemplary selected
photovoltaic module has been created based on a few data
from the data sheet. Other important parameters such as the
diode factor m and the resistors R_s and R_sh are calculated
using the previously described Matlab script. We show that
under standard test conditions the values for MPP power,
MPP voltage and open circuit voltage from the data sheet
exactly match the simulations results. For further
calculations or other simulation tools, the .xls file can be
used, which contains the maximum power of the
photovoltaic modules.Since the photovoltaic module only
consists of a lookup table, long-term simulations can be
carried out faster with the help of the .xls-file.Because the
photovoltaic inverter reaches the maximum power point in a
short time (in a relation of the total simulation time of, for
example, one year), it is possible to neglect complex
algorithms like the maximum power point tracker.This
results in shorter simulation time.To include the look-up
table, which contains the values for the maximum possible
power as a function of temperature and irradiance, in
simulation tools such as, e.g., Matlab is to save the .xls-file
as a lookup-table.For example, to simulate the inverter's
dynamic operations, consider the algorithm of the maximum
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power point tracker.For this purpose, the previously
described Matlab model can be used.
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