A

Project Report
On
Design and construction of the Solar Photovoltaic simulation
system with the implementation of MPPT and Boost converter
using MATLAB/Simulink

A project report
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
B.Sc.(Engg.) of Engineering in Electronic & Telecommunication Engineering
Submitted by
B Sc. Engineering 4th Year Examinee-2015
Examination Roll No: 1116020
Registration No: 000002853
Session: 2011-2012

Department of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering

Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur-5400, Bangladesh
Date: 10th October, 2017

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 Acknowledgements
I am highly indebted to Md. Ahsan Habib, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics
& Telecommunication Engineering, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur for his guidance and
constant supervision as well as for providing necessary information regarding the project &
also for support in completing the project.

I am also very much thankful to Mr. Ferdous Rahman, Assistant Professor and Chairman,
Department of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering, Engineering, Begum Rokeya
University, Rangpur for his kind permission to provide lab facilities.

My heartiest thanks are also due to all of my respected teachers of the Department of
Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering for their valuable suggestions and academic
helps during the period of the work. My sincere appreciation is due to all of my departmental
staffs for their kind-hearted supports that inspired to complete my project work.

I am very much happy to express my profound gratitude to almighty Allah for the
blessings without which nothing of my project work would have been done.

Last but not the least, I would like to convey my indebtness and gratefulness to my
parents for their continued financial support, enthusiastic encouragement and motivation to
nurture my dreams to complete this work.

_____________ ____________

Date: 10th October, 2017 The author

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 Certificate of Supervisor

This is to certify that a project work Design and construction of the Solar
Photovoltaic simulation system with the implementation of MPPT and Boost
converter using MATLAB/Simulink has been successfully completed by one of my
project students bearing ID No. 1116020 and Reg. No. 000002853 under session
2011-2012. The concerned student has done this project independently under my direct
supervision and spent much time.

(Md. Ahsan Habib)

Date Assistant Professor
Department of Electronics &
Telecommunication Engineering
Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur
Bangladesh.

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 Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: Introduction Page

1.1 Energy 07
1.2 Renewable Energy

1.2.1 Different Sources of Renewable Energy 08

1.2.2 Renewable Energy in Bangladesh 09

1.3 Availability of Solar Energy in Bangladesh 09

CHAPTER 2: Literature Review

2.1 Literature 10

2.2 Statistics of Solar Photovoltaics 10

CHAPTER 3: Theoretical Aspect

3.1 General Description of Photovoltaic Cell, Module/Array 15

3.2 Mathematical Modelling of PV Cell 18

3.3 Mathematical Modeling of PV Array 20

3.4 Maximum Power Point Tracking 21

3.5 DC-DC Boost Converter 22

3.6 Matlab/Simulink 24

CHAPTER 4: Experiment & Analytical Study

4.1 Simulation Model of PV Array 25

4.2 Simulink Model of MPPT Algorithm 29

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4.3 Simulink Model of Boost Converter 30
4.4 Simulink Model of PV Array with Boost Converter 32

CHAPTER 5: RESULT & DISCUSSION

5.1 Result & Discussion 33

5.2 Future Plan 33

References 34

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 Abstract
The recent ascendancy in the demand of photovoltaic power generation has become more
important due to its many benefits. PV panel directly convert sunlight into electrical energy
and are considered to be one of the major ways of producing clean and inexhaustible renewable
energy. In this paper the utilization of boost converter for control of photovoltaic power using
P&O Maximum Power Point Tracking control mechanism is presented. The MPPT extracts
maximum possible power from the photovoltaic and feed it to the load via boost converter
which steps up the voltage to the required magnitude. Use of MPPT gives PV system maximum
efficiency. The proposed PV system has been evaluated using SIMULINK library of MATLAB.
The advantages of using Simulink library is that it models the system physically and the results
obtained from it will be considering all the physical effect. In this paper the PV system gives
21.26 volt as output which in turn act as input to the boost converter. The boost converter gives
36.99 volt as output.

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 CHAPTER 1: Introduction

1.1 Energy

Energy is the property that must be transferred to an object in order to perform work on – or
to heat – the object, and can be converted in form, but not created or destroyed. The SI unit of
energy is the joule, which is the energy transferred to an object by the mechanical work of
moving it a distance of 1 meter against a force of 1 newton. [1]

Common energy forms include the kinetic energy of a moving object, the potential energy
stored by an object's position in a force field (gravitational, electric or magnetic), the elastic
energy stored by stretching solid objects, the chemical energy released when a fuel burns, the
radiant energy carried by light, and the thermal energy due to an object's temperature.

Energy, the environment, and economic development of a country are closely

related. The proper use of energy requires consideration of social impacts as well as
technological ones. Indeed, the sustainable economic growth of a country may be possible only
by the well-planned and efficient use of fossil fuel and locally available natural resources such
as solar energy, wind, hydro, and biomass. This improves the quality of everyone’s lives on
planet Earth

1.2 Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally
replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal
heat. Renewable energy often provides energy in four important areas: electricity generation,
air and water heating/cooling, transportation, and rural (off-grid) energy services.

Based on REN21's(Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century) 2016 report,
renewables contributed 19.2% to humans' global energy consumption and 23.7% to their
generation of electricity in 2014 and 2015, respectively. This energy consumption is divided
as 8.9% coming from traditional biomass, 4.2% as heat energy (modern biomass, geothermal
and solar heat), 3.9% hydroelectricity and 2.2% is electricity from wind, solar, geothermal, and
biomass. Worldwide investments in renewable technologies amounted to more than US$286
billion in 2015, with countries like China and the United States heavily investing in wind,
hydro, solar and biofuels. Globally, there are an estimated 7.7 million jobs associated with the

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renewable energy industries, with solar photovoltaic being the largest renewable employer. As
of 2015 worldwide, more than half of all new electricity capacity installed was renewable. [2]

1.2.1 Different Sources of Renewable Energy

I. Wind Power: Worldwide there are now many thousands of wind turbines functioning, with
a total nameplate capability of 194,400MW.The wind turbines range from around 600 kW to
5 MW of rated power. The power output increases rapidly with an increase in available wind
velocity as the former.

II. Solar power: This can be employed in two major ways. The captured heat can be used as
solar thermal energy with important applications in space heating. On the other hand it can also
be converted into the most useful form of energy, the electrical energy. The latter can be
achieved with the use of solar photovoltaic cell.

III. Biomass: Biomass works as a natural battery to store the sun’s energy and yield it on
requirement. Biomass energy is derived from five distinct energy sources; garbage, wood,
landfill gases, waste, and alcohol fuels. This way, biomass works as a natural battery to store
the sun’s energy and yield it on requirement.

IV. Geothermal: Geothermal energy is the thermal energy which is generated and stored
within the layers of the Earth. The gradient thus developed brings about an uninterrupted
conduction of heat from the core to the surface of the earth. This gradient can be applied to
heat water to produce superheated steam and use it to run steam turbines to generate electricity.
The primary failing of geothermal energy is that it is usually limited to regions near tectonic
plate boundaries, though recent progresses have led to the multiplication of this technology.

In tropic countries like Bangladesh and other places where solar energy is available in plenty,
photovoltaic has emerged as a major candidate for meeting the energy demand. It extends an
alternative for clean (pollution free) energy source, with about no running and sustainment cost.

1.2.2 Renewable Energy in Bangladesh

Renewable energy policy of Bangladesh mandates 10% of electricity to come from renewables
by 2020. To date, capacity of renewable energy installations is reaching close to 430MW
including 230MW hydropower. Most of the capacity addition is from SHSs implemented by

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IDCOL. Besides SHSs, 8 mini-grids of more than 1 MW capacity are now in operation at
different remote areas of Bangladesh and IDCOL has set a target to install 50 solar mini grids.
Total capacity of solar rooftop installations stands at 18 MW. So far, more than 350 solar
irrigation pumps of 3 MW capacity have been installed and IDCOL tends to install 1500 solar
irrigation pumps by 2018.Generation of electricity from other renewables like wind, biomass
and biogas is about 7MW.[3]

1.3 Availability of Solar Energy in Bangladesh

The geographical location of Bangladesh lies between 20˚34' and 26˚38' North latitude and
88˚01' to 92˚41' East longitude, and is endowed with abundant sunshine for at least eight
months of the year. It has a total land area of 147,570 square km. On an average 5 KW/m2 per
day solar energy falling on this land over the year, in certain regions the bright sunny days may
be more. Even if one percent of this land is used to harness solar energy for electricity
generation at an overall efficiency of 12%, 7200 MWh/year electricity is generated .This is a
redundant amount of electricity.

The availability of solar energy in a particular location depends basically on the astronomical,
geographic and climatic factors, with greatest influences on atmospheric transmissivity given
water vapor concentrations, aerosols and clouds. Bangladesh lies between 15˚N and 35˚N
known as the most favorable belt embracing the regions endowed with the most suitable
conditions for solar energy applications. In this respect, Bangladesh is fairly rich as far as solar
radiation is concerned.

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 CHAPTER 2: Literature Review

2.1 Literature

The development of solar technology began in 1839 with the research of French physicist
Alexander Edmond Becquerel (1820-1891). Becquerel discovered the "photovoltaic (PV)
effect" while experimenting with a solid electrode in an electrolyte solution. The photovoltaic
effect is sometimes called the Becquerel Effect.

The first "real" working solar module was built in 1883 by Charles Edgar Fritts, an American
inventor, who constructed modules by coating a wide plate of copper with selenium and then
topped it with an extremely thin semitransparent layer of gold leaf.

In April, 1954 a slightly modified wafer of silicon, called a "solar cell",that converted sunlight
directly into electrical energy was unveiled by Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ.
The solar cell was an outgrowth of transistor research. It worked at an efficiency of just 6
percent, which was comparable to the performance of a typical gasoline engine at the time. The
inventors were: Gerald L. Pearson, Daryl M. Chapin, and Calvin S. Fuller

In the year 1956, the first solar modules were available commercially. The cost, however, was
far from the reach of everyday people. At $300 for a one watt solar module, the expense was
far beyond anyone's means. However, tiny solar cells began to be used in toys and radios. These
novelties were the first items using solar cells that were available to consumers.[4]

2.2 Statistics of Photovoltaics

Photovoltaic (PV) is a term which covers the conversion of light into electricity using
semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics,
photochemistry, and electrochemistry.

A typical photovoltaic system employs solar panels, each comprising a number of solar cells,
which generate electrical power. PV installations may be ground-mounted, rooftop mounted or
wall mounted. The mount may be fixed, or use a solar tracker to follow the sun across the sky.
[5]

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Fig 2: Worldwide growth of Photovoltaic [6]

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 Fig 3: Exponential growth on semi-log chart [6]

Fig 4: Projected global growth [5] Fig 5: Worldwide solar electric

capacity[7]

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Fig 6: Top 10 Countries Based on PV Capacity [7]

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Fig 7: Top 10 PV countries based on solar power capacity [5]

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 CHAPTER 3: Theoretical Aspect

3.1 General Description of Photovoltaic Cell, Module & Array

The physics of the PV cell is very similar to that of the classical diode with a pn junction. When
the junction absorbs light, the energy of absorbed photons is transferred to the electron-proton
system of the material, creating charge carriers that are separated at the junction. The charge
carriers may be electron-ion pairs in a liquid electrolyte or electron-hole pairs in a solid
semiconducting material. The charge carriers in the junction region create a potential gradient,
get accelerated under the electric field, and circulates as current through an external circuit.
The square of the current multiplied by the resistance of the circuit is the power converted into
electricity. The remaining power of the photon elevates the temperature of the cell and
dissipates into the surroundings.

The origin of the PV potential is the difference in the chemical potential, called the Fermi level,
of the electrons in the two isolated materials. When they are joined, the junction approached a
new thermodynamic equilibrium. Such equilibrium can be achieved only when the Fermi level
is equal in the two materials. This occurs by the flow of electrons from one material to the other
until a voltage difference is established between them, which has a potential just equal to the
initial difference of the Fermi level. This potential drives the photocurrent in the PV circuit

Fig 8 shows the basic cell construction. Metallic contacts are provide on both sides of the
junction to collect electrical current induced by the impinging photons. A thin conducting mesh
of silver fibers on the top (illuminate) surface collects the current and lets the light through.
The spacing of the conducting fibers in the mesh is a matter of compromise between
maximizing the electrical conductance and minimizing the blockage of the light. Conducting-
foil (solder) contact is provided over the bottom (dark) surface an on one edge of the top
surface. In addition to the basic elements, several enhancement features are also included in
the construction. For example, the front face of the cell has an antireflective coating to absorb
as much light as possible by minimizing the reflection. The mechanical protection is provided
by a cover glass applied with a transparent adhesive.

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 Fig 8: Diagram of a typical crystalline silicon solar cell

Solar cell is the basic building block of the PV power system. Typically, it is a few square
inches in size and produces about 1W of power. To obtain high power, numerous such cells
are connected in series and parallel circuits on a panel (module) area of several square feet. The
solar array or panel is defined as a group of several modules electrically connected in a series–
parallel combination to generate the required current and voltage. Fig 9 shows the actual
construction of a module in a frame that can be mounted on a structure. [8]

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Fig 9: PV system & solar module. (1) frame, (2) weatherproof junction box, (3) rating plate,
(4) weather protection for 30-yr life, (5) PV cell, (6) tempered high-transmittivity cover glass,
(7) outside electrical bus, (8) frame clearance.

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3.2 Mathematical Modelling of PV Cell

The complex physics of PV cell can be represented by the electrical circuit shown in Fig 10 .

Fig 10: Equivalent electrical circuit of a PV cell

The circuit parameters are as follows:

 The output-terminal current I is equal to the light generated current (photo current) IL
, less the diode current Id and shunt leakage current Ish.
 The internal resistance to current flow is represented by the series resistance Rs, and
depends on the pn junction depth, impurities and contact resistance.
 The shunt resistance Rsh is inversely related with leakage current to ground

In an ideal PV cell, no series loss (Rs=0) and no leakage to ground (Rsh=∞). In a typical one
square inch silicon cell Rs=0.05 to 0.10 ohm and Rsh=200 to 300 ohm. The PV conversion
efficiency is sensitive to small variation in Rs but is insensitive to variations in Rsh . Hence,
Rsh can be ignored from the equivalent electrical circuit for our modelling.

In the equivalent electrical circuit, the current delivered to the external load can be expressed
by:

𝑞(𝑉+𝐼𝑅𝑠)
I=IL-ID (𝑒 nKTr − 1) ................................................................................................(1)

Where

 IL is the current generated by solar cell (A)

 ID is the diode saturation current (A)
 q is the electron charge = 1.6×10-19 Coulomb

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  n is the ideality factor of the diode
 K is the Boltzman constant = 1.3805×10-23 Joule/Kelvin
 Tr is the rated cell temperature (K)

The cell could be represented by a voltage-current equation:

V= Vsh-IRs ............................................................................. (2)

Where

 V is the cell output voltage (V)

 I is the load output current (A)
 Vsh is the voltage across shunt resistance (Rs)

The photo current depends on the radiation and cell temperature according to equation:

IL=[ Isc +{Ki(T-Tr)} ]×(S÷1000) .............................................. (3)

Where

 Ki is the short circuit temperature coefficient (A/°C)

 S is the operating solar radiation level (W/m2 )
 1000 is the rated solar radiation level (W/m2 )

The diode reverse saturation current ID varies as a cubic function of the temperature and it can
be expressed as:
𝑞×𝐸 𝑔 1 1
𝑇 ×( − )
ID= Irs × (Tr) 3×𝑒 𝑛𝐾 𝑇 𝑇𝑟 ........................................................ (4)

Isc
Irs= 𝑞(𝑉𝑜𝑐) .................................................................................. (5)
−1
𝑒 nNsKT

Where

 Isc is the short circuit current of the cell at rated temperature (A)
 Eg is the band gap voltage (V)
 Voc is the open circuit voltage of the cell at rated temperature (V)
 T is the operating temperature of the cell (K)

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3.3 Mathematical Modelling of PV Array:
Since a typical PV cell produces less than 2W at 0.5V approximately, the cells must be
connected in series-parallel configuration on a module to produce enough high power. A PV
array is a group of several PV modules, which are electrically connected in series and parallel
circuits to generate the required current and voltage. The equivalent circuit for the solar module
arranged in NP parallel and NS series is shown in Fig. 11 [10]

Fig 11: Equivalent electrical circuit of PV array

Therefore, for the PV array, as shown in Fig 11, we can write output current equation as
given below:

𝑞(𝑉+𝐼𝑅𝑠)
I= NpIL- NpID×𝑒 𝑛𝑁𝑠𝐾𝑇 − 1 ............................... (6)

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3.4 Maximum Power Point Tracker

The photovoltaic module yields the current-voltage characteristic with a unique point which
is known as the Maximum Power Point (MPP).

Fig 12: Flow chart of P&O MPPT algorithm [12]

The MPP changes as a consequence of the variation of the irradiance level and temperature.
Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the PV system always operates at the MPP in order to
maximize the power harvesting in that prevailing environmental conditions. This compares the
power measured in the previous cycle with the power of the current cycle to determine the next
perturbation direction. If the power increases due to the perturbation then the perturbation will
remain in the same direction. If the operating point exceeds the peak power and deviate to the
right side of the P-V characteristic curve, the power at the next instant will decrease. Thus, the
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direction of the perturbation reverses. When the steady-state is reached, the operating point
oscillates around the peak power as the MPP will perturb continuously.

3.5 DC-DC Boost Converter

The basic principle of a Boost converter consists of 2 distinct states:

 In the On-state, the switch Q is closed, resulting in an increase in the inductor current
 In the Off-state, the switch is open and the only path offered to inductor current is
through the fly back diode D, the capacitor C and the load R. This result in transferring
the energy accumulated during the On-state into the capacitor

Fig 13: DC-DC boost converter

Fig 14: Timing diagram of control signal[13]

The modes of operation of this converter are describes as follows. To simplify the calculation,
it is assumed that the inductance value of inductor are L1, where L1=L, and the duty cycle
denoted as D.

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Mode I: During the On-state, the switch S is closed, which makes the input voltage (Vi) appear
across the inductor which causes a change in current (IL) flowing through the inductor during
a time period (t) by the formula:

Δ𝐼 𝑉𝑖
=
Δ𝑡 𝐿

Mode II: During the Off-state, the switch S is open, so the inductor current flows through the
load. If we consider zero voltage drop in the diode, and a capacitor large enough for its voltage
to remain constant, the evolution of IL is:

𝑑𝐼
Vi-Vo = L𝑑𝑡

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3.6 Matlab Simulink

MATLAB stands for MATrix LABoratory. It is a multi-paradigm numerical computing

environment and fourth-generation programming language. MATLAB was developed by
MathWorks(an American privately held corporation) in 1984.MATLAB lets one to do
mathematics and computation, analysis data, develop algorithm, do simulation and modelling
and produce graphical displays and user interfaces.

Simulink, developed by MathWorks, is a graphical programming environment for modeling,

simulating and analyzing multi domain dynamic systems. Its primary interface is a graphical
block diagramming tool and a customizable set of block libraries. It offers tight integration
with the rest of the MATLAB environment and can either drive MATLAB or be scripted from
it. Simulink is widely used in automatic control and digital signal processing for multi domain
simulation and Model-Based Design. In this project report Simulink 8.4 is used.

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 CHAPTER 4: Experiment & Analytical Study

4.1 Simulation Model of PV array

MATLAB/Simulink is used for the modelling task. The model is flexible for any number of
modules connected in series and/ or parallel branches in an array.

A Solarex MSX PV type is chosen for PV array modelling. This type is well suited for virtually
all applications where PV System are feasible energy source, including pumping and irrigation,
aids to navigation. The MSX60 module has 60W of rated power and 36 series connected
polycrystalline silicon cells. The performance of typical MSX60 module is described by the
electrical characteristics parameters given in table 1.

The MATLAB/Simulink model is developed for a general PV array based on manufacturer

data and from the mathematical equations, the output presents the PV array operating current.

Table: Key specification of the Solarex MSX-60 Module[11]

DESCRIPTION VALUE
Peak power (W) 60
Open circuit voltage Voc (V) 21.10
Short circuit current Isc (A) 3.8
Reference irradiance (W/m2) 1000
Number of cells in series Ns 36
Number of cells in parallel Np 1
Series resistance (Ω) .17
Ideality factor-n 1.35
Short circuit temperature coefficient-Ki .003
Bandgap energy-Eg(eV) 1.1
Reference temperature-Tr (K) 298

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Fig 15: Simulink model of PV array

Fig 16: Subsystem for reverse saturation current

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Fig 17: Subsystem for photo generated current

Fig 18: Subsystem for diode saturation current

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Fig 19: Subsystem for load current

Fig 20: IV and PV curves

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4.2 Simulink Model of MPPT Algorithm

Fig 21: Subsystem of MPPT algorithm

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4.3 Simulink Model of Boost Converter

Fig22: Simulink model of boost converter

Fig23: Output of scope from boost converter

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 SELECTION OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

The selection of semiconductor should be done in such a way so that it can withstand the worst
case voltage and current the maximum voltage of solar PV will be the maximum voltage stress
for the switch

V max, stress = V pv, max

Maximum current stress will take place only when system power is predominately provided by
PV system

Ipeak=Ioutput+Iripple
Selection of inductor

It should be ensured that coil should have low dc resistance. Selection of inductor should be
done on the basis so that it allows the maximum ripple current at minimum duty cycle D. Boost
inductor value can determined by the following equation

Selection of capacitor

The value of capacitor should be chosen in such a way so that its ESR should be minimum.
Lower ESR will also minimize the ripple in output voltage.

An approximate equation for determining the value of capacitance is given below.

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4.4 Simulink Model of PV Array with Boost Converter

Fig 24: PV array with boost converter

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 CHAPTER 5: RESULT & DISCUSSION

5.1 Result & Discussion

By using MATLAB and SIMULINK, the simulation was done properly. The IV & PV curves
are shown at the Fig 20. In these graphs there are similar to the theoretical plots. In both curves
the output voltage was 21.26volt, current was 3.8 Amp and power was 60 watt.

Later a boost converter is used which increases this 21.26 volt into 36.99 volt.

5.2 Future Plan

The design can be extended to drive dc motor which can be used in irrigation system. It can
also be extended to deliver power to AC system using a typical inverter to run television and
other home applinces.

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 REFERENCES

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy

3. Clean Energy initiatives in Bangladesh by Mohammad Alauddin. www.enerzineiedu.com .

September 2016.page 48

4. http://solarcellcentral.com/history_page.html

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaics

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_of_photovoltaic

7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_by_country

8. Wind and Solar power system(2nd edition) by Mukund R. Patel, page 161

9. http://www.seia.org/policy/solar-technology/photovoltaic-solar-electric

10. “Modelling and Simulation of Photovoltaic Array Using Matlab/Simulink” by kamal

keshavani, Jigar Joshi, Vishrut Trivedi

11. https://www.solarelectricsupply.com/media/custom/upload/Solarex-MSX64.pdf

12. “A Study on Maximum Power Point Tracking Algorithms for Photovoltaic Systems” by
Ting-Chung Yu, Yu-Cheng Lin

13. “Single Phase PWM Inverter With Close Loop Dc-Dc Boost Converter For
Solar Application” by Vimal M. Vaniya, Jaydeep G. Gajipara

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