Abstract
An accurate PV module electrical model is presented based on the Shockley diode equation. The
simple model has a photo-current current source, a single diode junction and a series resistance, and
includes temperature dependences. The method of parameter extraction and model evaluation in
Matlab is demonstrated for a typical 60W solar panel.
This model is used to investigate the variation of maximum power point with temperature and insolation
levels. A comparison of buck versus boost maximum power point tracker (MPPT) topologies
is made, and compared with a direct connection to a constant voltage (battery) load. The boost converter
is shown to have a slight advantage over the buck, since it can always track the maximum
power point.