© Journal of Hydrocarbons Mines and Environmental Research Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2011, xx-xx

http://jhmer.univ-rennes1.fr

Measurement and simulation of a standalone photovoltaic system for

residential lighting in Malaysia

Dimas Firmanda Al Riza*, Syed Ihtsham-ul Haq Gilani and Mohd. Shiraz Aris
Mechanical Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Bandar Sri Iskandar, Perak, 31750, Malaysia

Received: 06 July 2011 Accepted after revision: 10 August 2011 Published online: 13 August 2011

Abstract: Modeling and simulation is necessary to investigate the dynamic behavior of a solar photovoltaic system.
There are some software that can be used to model, simulate and estimate photovoltaic system performance such as
TRNSYS. This paper presents results of a simulation work carried out on a standalone photovoltaic system for
residential house lighting using TRNSYS 16. An experimental setup of standalone photovoltaic system was
established and then a comparison of the simulation results was made against measurement results to validate the
model. It was found that the TRNSYS simulation model gave comparable results to the actual measurements. An
accuracy improvement of previous research results was obtained by changing the component model and setting
parameters.
Keywords: standalone photovoltaic system, simulation, experimental, validation, TRNSYS.

Mesure et simulation d'un système photovoltaïque autonome pour l'éclairage résidentiel en Malaisie

Résumé : La modélisation et la simulation sont nécessaires pour faire une investigation du comportement
dynamique d'un système photovoltaïque. Il y a quelques logiciels qui peuvent être utilisés pour modéliser, simuler et
estimer les performances du système photovoltaïque comme TRNSYS. Cette note présente les résultats d'un travail
de simulation effectuée sur un système autonome photovoltaïque pour l'éclairage d’une maison à l'aide de TRNSYS
16. Un dispositif expérimental d'un système photovoltaïque a été créé et une comparaison des résultats de simulation
a été faite pour valider le modèle. On a donc constaté que le modèle de simulation de TRNSYS a donné des résultats
comparables aux mesures actuelles. Une amélioration de la précision des résultats des recherches précédentes a été
obtenue en changeant les composantes du modèle et le paramétrage.
Mots clés: système photovoltaïque autonome, simulation, expérimental, validation, TRNSYS.

PSH Peak Sun Hour

Nomenclature RMSE Root Mean Square Error
MBE Mean bias Error
G Total global horizontal irradiance
n Measurement number
Gb Direct beam irradiance
Yc Comparator value (measured results)
Gbn Direct normal beam irradiance
Yo Observed Value (simulated results)
Gd Diffuse irradiance
Tamb Ambient temperature 1. Introduction
RH Relative humidity
I Current The Solar PV system technology grows rapidly and
IL Module photo current become more popular all over the world. Engineers and
ID Diode current scientists have carried out many researches, taken
IO Diode reverse saturated current measurements and modeled PV systems for various
Rs Module series resistance applications (Sen, 2008). There are two types of
Rsh Module shunt resistance photovoltaic systems, an On-grid and Off-grid
V Voltage (standalone) system. Standalone PV systems are
Pp Peak power commonly used in rural areas, where there is no
Ir Rated current connection to the national electricity grid (Markvart and
Vr Rated voltage Castener, 2003). Standalone PV systems are independent
Isc Short circuit current to grid electricity because they have their own energy
Voc Open circuit voltage storage system. They can also be used as a hybrid
system with other energy conversion systems such as
* Corresponding author: dimasfirmanda@yahoo.com (D.F. wind turbines and micro-hydro or even with a
Al Riza)
ISSN: 2107-6502
xx Al Riza et al.

connection to grid electricity. Since PV technology presents TRNSYS simulation results of a standalone PV
continuous growing, and one day will be competitive to system with DC load.
conventional systems, standalone PV systems become
more interesting to be investigated. TRNSYS components selection
To ensure the improved reliability and economic
viability of a PV system, the design and simulation of a
Solar radiation model
PV system has to be developed by engineers. Modeling For the solar radiation model, type 109 (Combined data
and the simulation of PV systems are necessary to reader and solar radiation processor) was selected. This
understand the dynamic behavior of the system. There component serves to read weather data at regular time
are some software that have been used to model and intervals from a data file, converting them into a desired
simulate PV systems. TRNSYS is one of the software system of units that generates direct and diffuse radiation
that has the capability for this purpose. The modular outputs, for an arbitrary number of surfaces, with
structures of TRNSYS give the software tremendous arbitrary orientation and inclination (TRNSYS
flexibility and facilitate addition of new models into the Contributors, 2007).
program (Shao, 2007). There are some literature that The solar radiation model needs at least two components
discussed standalone PV systems modeling using of solar radiation in-order to calculate the radiation on a
TRNSYS 16 such as presented by Shao (2007) and tilted surface. It can use different combinations of:
Nkhonjera (2009), but both of them did not presents the • Gb and Gd;
validation briefly and there are relatively huge error in • G and Gd;
the results.
• G and Gbn;
This paper presents work carried out on the modeling
• G, Tamb and RH. The diffuse radiation is
and simulation of a standalone PV system for residential
estimated using Reindl's full correlation;
house lighting using TRNSYS 16 software. The
residential lighting load is interesting to take as a study • G, The diffuse radiation is estimated using
case, since this kind of load have a unique Reindl's reduced correlation.
characteristics, that this load only exist during the night Commonly, most of weather stations provide G, Tamb
when solar radiation is unavailable. The actual and RH data, while only few weather stations can
measurement from a 400 Wp PV systems was used to provide Gb and Gd data.
compare and validate simulation results. System PV Panel
monitoring and data logging of the actual system was
established in Bandar Sri Iskandar, Malaysia. Several different PV generator types are available in
TRNSYS 16: type 94 series, type 180 series and type
2. Modeling in TRNSYS 16 194 series. All of them are based on the one diode-
A TRNSYS software library contains many components equivalent circuit model described in Fig.2 and the
to be used for the simulation of various energy systems. equation below:
To simulate a standalone PV system for residential I = I L − I D − I sh = I L − I 0 ⎧⎨exp V + IRs − 1⎫⎬ − V + IRs (1)
house lighting, the following components are needed: ⎩ a ⎭ Rsh
a. Solar radiation model In this research, Type 94a (four parameters model) is
b. PV Panel model used as PV panel model. The four parameters model is
c. Controller model the simplified version of five parameters model. The
d. Battery model four parameter model assumes that the slope of the IV
e. Load model curve is zero at the short-circuit condition. This is a
reasonable approximation for crystalline modules. The
“four parameters” in the model are IL,ref, Io,ref, γ and Rs.
Type 94 calculates these values from the manufactures
data.

Fig. 1. Standalone PV system components.

Composants autonomes du système PV.

Fig. 1 shows a typical diagram of the components Fig. 2. One diode 4-parameter model.
involved in a standalone PV system. An inverter needs Diode du modèle à 4 paramètres.
to be added if an AC load is used. This paper however

J. hydrocarb. mines environ. res., ISSN: 2107-6502, Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2011, xx-xx
 Al Riza et al. xx

Type 94a is appropriate for multi-crystalline PV panel. Battery

This type employs four-parameter model and it is more
adequate for crystalline cells which have the slope of I-V
curve at the short-circuit condition equal to zero. For
detailed mathematical description, please refer to
TRNSYS 16 Users manual.
Controller
In photovoltaic power systems, two power-conditioning
devices are needed. The first of these is a regulator,
which distributes DC power from the solar cell array to
and from a battery (in systems with energy storage) and
to the second component, the inverter. Since this
research only use DC loads, so the inverter is not
simulated in this study.
Type 48b is used as the controller in this research. In
type 48 models, both the regulator and inverter can
operate in one of four modes. Modes 0 and 3 are based
upon the "no battery/feedback system" and "direct
charge system," respectively. Modes 1 and 2 are
modifications of the "parallel maximum power tracker
system" in the same reference. Since the investigated PV
system does not contain an AC load, inverter is not
needed.
The battery models in the TRNSYS 16 only support
Lead-Acid battery type. The models consist of chemical
kinetics model and Shepherd equation based model.
Since chemical kinetics model depend heavily on
datasheet and experimental data, Shepherd equation
based model is used. Shepherd battery model is the first
battery model that estimates the State of Charge (SOC)
based on the voltage. The Shepherd model is modified
by Hyman by adding an expression to the Shepherd
formula, which providing a more realistic model at very
low currents. Type 47c (Shepherd modified Hyman
battery model) is used as battery model. This model of a
lead-acid storage battery operates in conjunction with
solar cell array and power conditioning components. For
the details of the formula, please refer to the TRNSYS
16 Manual.
Load
There are no specific models for the electric load.
TRNSYS component Type 9 (Generic data files) is used
to input the hourly load profile data. The charge and
discharge efficiency is configured in the charge

Fig. 3. Solar Power System modeling in TRNSYS 16.

Modélisation solaire Power System dans TRNSYS 16.

J. hydrocarb. mines environ. res., ISSN: 2107-6502, Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2011, xx-xx
xx Al Riza et al.

controller component. For DC load, the inverter Table 1 presents the specification of the solar panel used
efficiency is configured to be one, means that there are in the experimental setup (Photon Energy Systems,
no conversion from DC to AC electricity. The 2008).
calculation for PV size, battery size and typical load
profile for a typical terraced house in Malaysia was Description Characteristic Value
presented in a previous paper (Al Riza et al., 2011). Type Multi-Crystalline
Silicon
Components connection and parameters setting Nominal Peak Power (Pp) 100 Watt
Standalone PV systems component models have been Rated Voltage (Vr) 17.2 Volt
selected and connected in TRNSYS 16 simulation Rated Current (Ir) 5.81 Ampere
studio. Fig. 3 shows the component and connections Open Circuit Voltage (Voc) 21.6 Volt
between the components models in TRNSYS 16 Short Circuit Current (Isc) 6.46 Ampere
simulation studio. Temperature Coefficient -0.074 V/oC
The TRNSYS model was tested using the Ipoh city +2.80 mA/oC
weather data from which input file was created. Most Company/Country of origin Photon Solar - India
weather stations provide hourly data as the smallest time
Table 1. PV Panel Specification (Photon Energy Systems,
series. So in the TRNSYS simulation, the simulation 2008).
time step is set to hourly simulation. In this research,
Spécifications de panneau PV (Photon Energy
sub-hourly experimental data were converted to hourly
Systems, 2008).
average data to reduce data quantity.
Monitoring and measurement results of total global Since a PV system is established in a small-scale system
horizontal solar radiation on an experimental set up site (less than 1 kilowatt peak), a PWM type controller was
was used as input data for the type 109 solar radiation used as the charge controller. In a small system PWM
models. Parameter from the solar panel, controller and type controller (without MPPT), is expected to give
battery data sheet was also embedded into the TRNSYS better results than the MPPT controller, which is suitable
model. The Load profile data was entered into a .txt file for large-scale systems. Table 2 shows the charge
and implemented as an input for a type 9 data reader controller specifications (MorningStar, 2009).
component.

3. Experimental Setup Description Characteristic Value

Brand, Series Morning-Star, ProStar-30
PV System configuration Type PWM type
Maximum current 30 A
Fig. 4 shows the PV system configuration. The system Nominal System Voltage 12/24 Volt
consists of four PV Panel with a total power of 400Wp, a Indicator LED
combiner/junction box for parallel connection of the
Table 2. Controller Specification (Morning Star, 2009).
panels, battery charge controller, battery and DC load.
Spécification du contrôleur (Morning Star, 2009).

Lead acid type solar deep-cycle batteries were used as

the storage system. There are four 100Ah batteries, each
with 12V rated voltage and all battery connected in
parallel connection. For the DC load, DC lamps were
used and power resistors added to establish equivalent
load.

Measurement system
The measurement system consisted of a data logger and
sensors as described in Table 3.
There are seven sensors connected to a 16-channel
Picolog 1216 data logger. The data logger can record
sensor output based on voltage, and stored data is sent to
the connected PC. Fig. 5 shows schematic diagram of
measurement connections.

Fig. 4. Standalone solar power system with a DC load

scheme.
Schéma du système d'alimentation autonome solaire
avec une charge CC.

J. hydrocarb. mines environ. res., ISSN: 2107-6502, Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2011, xx-xx
 Al Riza et al. xx

No. Equipment General Specification

1 PicoLog 1216 Data logger Single ended input, 12 Channel, 0-2.5V
2 PC Desktop PC, Pentium 4, Windows XP
3 Pyranometer Kipp & Zonen Pyranometer, SPLite
4 Current Sensor HTFS 200-P/SP-2 LEM (Hall Effect)
5 Temperature Sensor LM35
6 Humidity sensor HIH-5030 Honeywell
7 Radiation shield Handmade multi-plates radiation shield

Table 3. Measurement System Component List.

Liste des composants du système de mesure.

For Irradiance measurement, a Kipp&Zonen measurement. Without a radiation shield, the

pyranometer SPLite series was used. The pyranometer temperature sensor will give relatively high
was used to measure global horizontal solar irradiance in measurement error during the day due to huge amount of
Watt/m2. For the RH measurement sensor, a HIH 5030 irradiance presence. Due to costly commercial radiation

Fig. 5. Measurement system connections.

Connexions du système de mesure

shields, a low-cost radiation shield was fabricated and

used in the experiment.

Fig. 6. Weather data used as the input for simulation.

Données météorologiques utilisées comme entrée
pour la simulation.
series was used. The HIH-5030 Series Low Voltage
Humidity Sensors operate from 2.7 to 5.5V. LM35 IC
sensors were used to measure air and the panels rear side
surface temperature. The RH, HIH 5030 and LM35
sensors was supplied with external power source.
A radiation shield is required to minimize the radiation
effect on air temperature and relative humidity
Fig. 7. Measured Power in and out to/from battery to
validate the simulation.
Puissance mesurée dans et hors de / vers la batterie
afin de valider la simulation.
4. Results and Discussion
Input data for simulation
Five minutes time step experimental data were collected
and converted to hourly averaged data as input for the

J. hydrocarb. mines environ. res., ISSN: 2107-6502, Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2011, xx-xx
xx
simulation (weather data) and to validate the simulation
model (system data). The data are ten days experimental
data from 1-10 July 2010. Fig. 6 shows hourly weather
data input for the simulation consist of solar radiation,
ambient temperature and RH data. System data were
presented in Fig. 7 and 8. Fig. 7 shows hourly data of the
power input and output to and from the battery. Power
input and output is separated into two hourly data, called
Power Input (PV panel output) and Power Output (Load)
in positive value. In the simulation, this load value will
automatically be converted to negative since it is the
energy output. Fig. 8 shows the hourly battery voltage
during charging and discharging process from 1-10 July
2010. After the input is configured and entered in the
TRNSYS component, then the component parameters
are configured according to each component datasheet.
Fig. 8. Measured battery voltage to validate the simulation.
Tension de la batterie mesurée afin de valider la
simulation.
Fig. 9. Comparison between measured and simulated panel
output.
Comparaison entre la sortie du panneau mesurée et
simulée.
Simulation Validation
The simulation was performed in TRNSYS simulation
studio. The simulation results data can be exported into
.txt file and processed in Excel spreadsheet. Fig. 9 shows
the solar panel energy output comparison between the
measured and simulated results. It is observed that the
data trend shows good compromise between measured
and simulated data. Scatter plot of simulated and
experiment results of PV panel output are presented in
Fig. 10. The coefficient of determination (R2) is very
J. hydrocarb. mines environ. res., ISSN: 2107-6502, Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2011, xx-xx
Al Riza et al.
good about 0.96. Root mean square error (RMSE) is
27.8 Watt and Normalized root mean square error
(NRMSE) is 11%. Hence, the simulation results of
power input are can be used with confidence.
Fig. 10. Scatter plot of measured and simulated panel
output.
Diagramme de dispersion de sortie du panneau
mesurée et simulée.
Graphical comparison between simulation and
experiment battery voltage are presented in Fig. 11. The
trend of the data shows good compromise between
measured and simulated battery voltage value. Fig. 12
shows the scatter plot of Simulation and Experiment
Battery Voltage. The simulation results of battery
voltage is good with R2=0.904, RMSE=0.24 Volts and
NRMSE=15.6%. This result is better from previous
researches that were done by Shao (2007) and Nkhonjera
(2009), it is because they used different battery
component type. With this result, the battery component
can be used with confidence.
Fig. 11. Comparison between measured and simulated battery
voltage.
Comparaison entre la tension de la batterie mesurée
et simulée.
5. Conclusions
Simulation and experimental work have been carried out
for a standalone PV system. As the lighting loads occur
during the night, the experiment equivalent lighting load
was implemented for about ten hours during the night.
Measurement result shows that the system works well
with the designed load of about 1200Wh during the
 Al Riza et al. xx

night. Simulation validation has been carried out, and the
results show good compromise in every component
model of the simulation. Especially in battery voltage,
the simulation result shows improvement from previous
research work. The RMSE value of battery voltage’s
simulation results has decreased by 50% compared to
previous work (Nkhonjera, 2009). The trend between the
measured and simulated results is similar but there are
some differences in value, this difference might have
come from the measurement error or because of
inaccuracy of the component model. With these results,
the simulation model has been validated and can be used
to simulate other configuration of standalone PV-battery
system with confidence. To simulate other configuration
of the PV and battery capacities, PV panel and battery
component setting need to be changed according to the
desired configuration.
Nkhonjera, L.K., 2009. Simulation and performance
evaluation of battery based stand-alone photovoltaic
systems of Malawi. MSc. Thesis, in Environmental
Sustainable Development, National Central
University, Taiwan, 55p.
Sen, Z., 2008. Solar Energy Fundamentals and Modeling
Techniques. Springer, 276p.
Shao, F., 2007. Measurement and simulation of
standalone photovoltaic systems. MSc. Thesis,
European Solar Engineering School, Högskolan
Dalarna, Sweden, 65p.
Photon Energy Systems, 2008. Photovoltaic module
family Model: PM090 and PM0100 datasheet.
Photon Energy Systems Limited, India, 1p.
MorningStar, 2009. ProStar Solar Controllers:
Operator’s Manual PS-30. Morning Star, USA, 23p.
TRNSYS Contributors, 2007. TRNSYS 16 User manual,
Solar Energy Laboratory. University of Wisconsin-
Madison, 5, 480p.

Fig. 12. Scatter plot of measured and simulated battery

voltage.
Diagramme de dispersion de tension de la batterie
mesurée et simulée.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Universiti Teknologi
PETRONAS for providing facilities and grant under
Short Term Internal Research Funding (STIRF) Code
No: 63/08.09 for the research.

References
Al Riza, D.F., Gilani, S.I., Aris, M.S., 2011. Preliminary
investigation into the use of solar PV systems for
residential application in Bandar Seri Iskandar,
Malaysia. Journal of Applied Sciences, 11 (11),
2012-2017.
Markvart, T., Castener, L., 2003. Practical Handbook of
Photovoltaics Fundamentals and Applications.
Elsevier, 984p.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
© Risa et al. , Licensee J. hydrocarb. mines environ. res., All rights reserved.
This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)
which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.

Pièce 128/1, Géosciences-Rennes, CNRS UMR6118, Université de Rennes 1, Bat.15, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes cedex, France
Tél/Fax: +33 (0)2 23236785/6097, E-mail: jhmer@univ-rennes1.fr, Web: http://jhmer.univ-rennes1.fr 

J. hydrocarb. mines environ. res., ISSN: 2107-6502, Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2011, xx-xx