Optimal design and experimental test of a solar simulator for solar photovoltaic modules

Solar simulators have been widely used to characterize the performance of solar photovoltaics cells, which typically have a size of 156 × 156 mm². In order to amplify the testing area, a flexible optimal design method for solar simulators is presented in this study. In this work, 20 quartz tungsten halogen lamps are used with a light filter composed of a mixture of distilled water and cyan ink. The methodology includes the measurements of the irradiance nonuniformities, spectral profile, and explores the effects of light filters on the primary light source used. During this stage, the power source of the lights should be selected, where direct current is usually assumed. As soon as the primary light source is characterized by its corresponding model, a layout is defined by optimizing the nonuniformity of the irradiance. The constructed solar simulator presents a spectral match of 1.69%, a spatial nonuniformity of irradiance of 1.66%, and a temporal instability of irradiance lower than 0.1%. In addition, the current-voltage curves are compared under indoor and outdoor test showing a root-mean-squared error lower than 3%. A class CAA solar simulator is achieved according to the International Electrotechnical Commission and American Society for Testing and Materials standards over an area of 270 × 270 mm², suitable for testing small size solar photovoltaic modules.