Investigation into the functionality and operation of the Spi-Sun simulator

Abdulrahman Al-Dajani

For various reasons, both economic and ecological, the production of PV cells has been expanding during the last decade. Inherently the need for better quality control, rating and qualifying methodology has also become equally increasing. As PV modules would differ in both material and quality, building testing equipment that can be used to rate as well as to improve the light-energy conversion qualities have become an essential part of the PV industry. Solar simulators used for indoor testing of PV modules measure the performance characteristics under non-standard conditions to adjust and reproduce the results based on the standard conditions defined by a number of international testing codes. In addition to the calibration required which is characteristic for all measuring apparatus, a closer understanding of the technology behind the simulator, operation and the form of produced result and their significance is essential for progressive improvement of the quality rating as well as for the further development PV technology. A set of IV (Current-Voltage) measurements have been performed on a PV module of certain parameters and results were obtained and analysed to interpret the significance of the effects of testing as well as to explore PV module conditions. The tests were conducted using a Spi-Sun 5600 SLP simulator. The results reflected the effects of light intensity, shading and temperature and concluded with providing a set of recommendations for mitigating their negative effects and identifying favourable conditions for maximizing the PV output. The thesis endeavours at bringing together relevant required technical material for understanding the background of the technicalities involved and provides an introduction in PV testing for future development.

Investigation into the functionality and operation of the Spi-Sun simulator

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