DESIGN ANDDEVELOPMENTOF COST-EFFECTIVE LED BASED SOLAR SIMULATOR

Abstract

The critical need for national energy security combined with the growing energy demands of the modern world require a transition from fossil fuels to clean and indigenous fuel alternatives. This makes solar energy and photovoltaic technology a primary focus for the scientific community. To enhance solar cell efficiency, photo voltaic devices must be tested and characterized under standard atmospheric conditions using a device known as a solar simulator. However traditional solar simulators rely on bulky and expensive light sources with short lifespans. This makes them out of reach for many small scale research facilities. This dissertation report outlines the design and assembly of a low-cost, five channel Light Emitting Diode (LED) based solar simulator and its feasibility to reach the Class AAA standard. The optical unit consists of five colour LEDs which are soldered in ageneral purpose Printed Circuit Board(PCB),pairedwithamirrorfrustum assembly to collimate and mix thebeam. TheuseofanArduinomicrocontrollerdriving a low-side N-channel MOSFET switching circuit and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) provides precise linear control on the intensity of light without any mechanical filter. The prototype is then validated using a solar power meter. Its intensity heatmap is generated and it achieves a Class B rating in the spatial non-uniformity parameter. The overall build cost is well below commercial solar simulators and it acts as a foundational first step in making an economical solar simulator. The report also lists out various improvements that could be incorporated to the simulator to truly achieve a Class AAA rating.