Germany’s Wavelabs has announced that its LED solar simulator Sinus-3000 Advanced, which was introduced last year, has now demonstrated the ability to deliver a low uncertainty of 0.9% when measuring module power.
The result was achieved with a solar panel calibration system installed by the customer Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), the German national metrology institute. It is an achievement that the group says is “currently the lowest known uncertainty for a power measurement of silicon solar panels under standard test conditions worldwide.”
Wavelabs said the simulator was installed in an upgrade of the solar module calibration setup at the PTB, an organization for which maintaining low measurement uncertainty is a top priority. It regularly performs reference module measurements to verify the accuracy of the measuring instruments. Using the Wavelabs equipment, it was found that over “a controlled period of five months, the standard deviation of the short-circuit current was only 0.1%.”
Several features of the Wavelabs tool enable low power measurement uncertainty, such as LED-based light distribution and uniform illumination of the entire module for standard AM1.5G spectrum testing and spectral sensitivity. The tool can also support larger solar panels with a test area of 2,500 mm x 1,500 mm without causing damage. A climate chamber for stable temperature control is also available as an option.
The system at the PTB is set up to provide accurate measurements of perovskite and tandem modules, as well as silicon PV panels. The newer technologies often require extended IV measurements of up to several hours, which is made possible by Wavelabs equipment features such as flexible spectral adjustments and independent lighting control for upper and lower cells in tandem devices.
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