?What Is a Solar Simulator
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●System for simulating sun light
●Sun light has a spectrum of wavelengths which includes:
??UV
??Visible
??Infra red
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Sun Light Characteristics
●Spectrum of sunlight at the earth’s surface is different than sun light in space.
●This is due to some wavelengths being absorbed by the atmosphere (air mass).
●The spectrum of sun light also varies depending on the location on earth’s surface.
●The spectrum of sun light also varies depending on the time of the day.
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Sun Light Characteristics
●noon time sun is directly overhead, hence the distance the light has to travel through atmosphere (air mass) to reach the earth’s surface is the shortest.
●At any other time the distance the light has to travel through atmosphere (air mass) to reach the earth’s surface is always longer than at noon.
●In addition, the spectrum of sun light reaching at any given time and point on the earth’s surface varies with the time of the year.
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Standards For Solar Simulators
● As a result of all these variations, it was necessary to define a standard.
● ASTM has defined standards for the USA.
● IEC has defined standards forEurope.
● JIS has defined standards forJapan.
● All of these standards are almost identical.
● Sun light spectrum in space is defined as air mass 0 (AM0).
● Sun light spectrum reaching the earth’s surface with the sun directly overhead is defined as air mass 1 (AM1).
● Sun light spectrum reaching the earth’s surface when the sun’s vector is 48.2 degrees form the vertical, is defined as air mass 1.5 (AM1.5).
●Sun light spectrum reaching the earth’s surface when the sun’s vector is 60.1 degrees form the vertical, is defined as air mass 2.0 (AM2.0).
●In addition to defining air mass standards, standards are defined for the class of Solar Simulator Systems.
● There are three classes of systems defined.
● Class A – best classification.
●Class B – better classification.
●Class C – good classification.
●Each class defines properties of the light beam and how well it matches the sun light.
●Each class defines the following properties of the light beam
●Non-uniformity of Light Beam
●Temporal instability of Light Beam
●Total irradiance within 30 degree field of view *
●Spectral match to sun light
?*No longer included in the ASTM standard as of 2006
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ASTM E927 Standard
Table 1 Classification of Simulator Performance |
Characteristic | Simulator Class |
A | B | C |
Non-uniformity of Light Beam | ≤2% | ≤5% | ≤10% |
Temporal instability of Light Beam | ≤2% | ≤5% | ≤10% |
Spectral match to Table 2 all intervals | 0.75-1.25 | 0.6-1.4 | 0.4-2.0 |
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ASTM E927 Standard
Table 2 Spectral Distribution of Irradiance Performance Requirements |
Percent of Total Irradiance |
Wavelength Interval ( nm) | Percent of AM 1.5 Curve (normalized for 400 to 1,100 nm interval) |
| Direct | Global |
400-500 | 16.9 | 18.4 |
500-600 | 19.7 | 19.9 |
600-700 | 18.5 | 18.4 |
700-800 | 15.2 | 14.9 |
800-900 | 12.9 | 12.5 |
900-1,100 | 16.8 | 15.9 |
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ASTM E927 Standard
Table 3 Spectral Distribution of Irradiance Performance Requirements |
Percent of Total Irradiance |
Wavelength Interval (nm) | Percent of AM 0 Curve (normalized for 300 to 1,400 nm interval) |
300-400 | 8.9 |
400-500 | 18.2 |
500-600 | 18.1 |
600-700 | 15.5 |
700-800 | 12.4 |
800-900 | 9.8 |
900-1,100 | 8.1 |
1,100–1,400 | 9.0 |
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Solar Simulator Definition
●A solar simulator must meet one of the three classifications.
●A solar simulator must meet all the requirements of its designated class.
●A system that does not meetany of the classifications:
●IsNOT a solar simulator.
●Should be called a light source.
●Two types of solar simulators:
●Continuous or steady state.
●Flashing.
●Steady state solar simulators – max. Area of illumination up to400mmx400mm.
●Generally used for cell or small panel testing.
●Flashing solar simulators – max. Area of illumination up to2mx2m.
●Generally used for panel testing, can be used for cell testing.
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Class AAA Cell Tester Models
??CT50 50mmx50mm area of illumination
??CT80 80mmx80mm area of illumination
??CT100 100mmx100mm area of illumination
??CT150 150mmx150mm area of illumination
??CT200 200mmx200mm area of illumination
??CT400 400mmx400mm area of illumination
Class AAA Solar Simulator Models
??SS50 50mmx50mmarea of illumination
??SS80 80mmx80mmarea of illumination
??SS100 100mmx100mm area of illumination
??SS150 150mmx150mm area of illumination
??SS200 200mmx200mm area of illumination
??SS400 400mmx400mm area of illumination
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CELL TESTER MODELS SPECIFICATIONS |
| CT50AAA | CT80AAA | CT100AAA | CT150AAA | CT200AAA | CT300AAA |
| SOLAR SIMULATOR INCLUDING CELL TESTING FIXTURE |
LAMP TYPE | XENON SHORT ARC |
LAMP POWER (W) | 150 | 300 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,500 | 3,000 |
MAX. ILLUMINATED AREA | 5cm X 5cm | 8cm X8cm | 10cm X10cm | 15cm X15cm | 20cm X20cm | 30cm X30cm |
LIGHT SOURCE TYPE | STEADY STATE |
AIR MASS FILTER | AM1.5GSTANDARD, AM1.5D, AM1 & AMO OPTIONAL |
LAMP LIFE (HOURS) | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,500 | 1,500 | 1,500 |
INTENSITY/ADJUSTMENT RANGE | 1,000 W/m2 ±?15% FOR AM1.5G(1,368 W/m2±?15% FOR AM0) |
SPECTRAL MATCH | ±?25% OR BETTER |
TEMPORAL STABILITY | 2% OR BETTER |
NON-UNIFORMITY | 2% OR BETTER |
DIMENSIONS (HxWxD) mm | 896 x 365 x 530 | 974 x 365 x 530 | 1,308 x 365 x 530 | 1,755 x 416 x 618 | 2,060 x 416 x 618 | 3,056 x 616 x 771 |
DIMENSIONS (HxWxD) in | 35.5 x14.5 x 21 | 38.5 x14.5 x 21 | 51.5 x14.5 x 21 | 69.1 x 16.4 x 24.3 | 81.1 x 16.4 x 24.3 | 120.3 x 24.3 x 30.4 |
WEIGHT, Kg (Lbs.) | 45 (99) | 50 (110) | 55 (121) | 85 (187) | 115 (253) | 175 (385) |
PHASE | SINGLE PHASE |
VOLTAGE (V) | 110 - 220VAC | 220VAC |
FREQUENCY (Hz) | 50-60HZ |
MAX. POWER CONSUMTION (W) | 650 | 800 | 1,000 | 1,700 | 2,200 | 4,000 |
| IV SYSTEM |
ELECTRONIC LOAD | KEITHLEY FOR UP TO5ACURRENT: OEM FOR 10-20ACURRENT |
VOLTAGE RANGE (V) | UP TO 40V |
VOLTAGE RESOLUTION | 1 Mv for40VRANGE |
CURRENT RANGES (A) | 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 (PLEASE SPECIFY) |
DURATION OF IV MEASUREMENT | ~700ms (DEPNDS ON # OF DATA POINTS PER IV CURVE |
D/A AND A/D RESOLUTION | 16 BIT |
MAX. # OF POINTS PER CURVE | 1,064 |
MAX. DATA ACQUSITION TIME PER MEASUREMENT | 7 ms |
DIMENSIONS (Console) (HxWxD) mm (in) | 369 x 534 x 445 (14.5" x 21" x 17.5") |
WEIGHT, Kg (Lbs.) | 30 (66) |
PHASE | SINGLE PHASE |
VOLTAGE (V) | 110 - 220VAC | 220VAC |
FREQUENCY (Hz) | 50-60HZ |
MAX. POWER CONSUMTION (with Temperature Control) | 700W | 1,050W |
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SOLAR SIMULATOR CLASS AAA MODELS SPECIFICATIONS |
| SS50AAA | SS80AAA | SS100AAA | SS150AAA | SS200AAA | SS300AAA |
LAMP TYPE | XENON SHORT ARC |
LAMP POWER (W) | 150 | 300 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,500 | 3,000 |
MAX. ILLUMINATED AREA | 5cm X5cm | 8cm X8cm | 10cmX10cm | 15cmX15cm | 20cmX20cm | 30cm X30cm |
LIGHT SOURCE TYPE | STEADY STATE |
AIR MASS FILTER | AM1.5GSTANDARD, AM1.5D, AM1 & AMO OPTIONAL |
LAMP LIFE (HOURS) | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,500 | 1,500 | 1,500 |
INTENSITY/ADJUSTMENT RANGE | 1,000 W/m2 ±?15% FOR AM1.5G(1,368 W/m2±?15% FOR AM0) |
SPECTRAL MATCH | ±?25% OR BETTER |
TEMPORAL STABILITY | ≤2% OR BETTER |
NON-UNIFORMITY | ≤2% OR BETTER |
DIMENSIONS (HxWxD) mm | 896 x 365 x 530 | 974 x 365 x 530 | 1,308 x 365 x 530 | 1,755 x 416 x 618 | 2,060 x 416 x 618 | 3,056 x 616 x 771 |
DIMENSIONS (HxWxD) in | 35.5 x14.5 x 21 | 38.5 x14.5 x 21 | 51.5 x14.5 x 21 | 69.1 x 16.4 x 24.3 | 81.1 x 16.4 x 24.3 | 120.3 x 24.3 x 30.4 |
WEIGHT, Kg (Lbs.) | 35 (77) | <, font="" color="#000000">40 (88) | 45 (99) | 70 (154) | 100 (220) | 150 (330) |
PHASE | SINGLE PHASE |
VOLTAGE (V) | 110 - 220VAC | 220VAC |
FREQUENCY (Hz) | 50-60 HZ |
MAX. POWER CONSUMTION (W) | 400 | 550 | 750 | 1,250 | 1,750 | 3,250 |
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