Low cost alternative for PV cell research requiring small area of illumination
Standards compliant to current ASTM and IEC for AM1.5G operation at 1.0 sun output
Compact design - integrated power supply, ignitor, homogenizer and lamp housing
Variable attenuator allows partial sun irradiance
Simple, drop-in lamp assembly requires no lamp alignment
Integrated 2 inch filter holder
The NEW LCS-100 Series Solar Simulators are intended for researchers requiring the performance of a certified system over a small area of illumination. These 1.5 x 1.5 inch (38 x 38 mm) Simulators meet Class ABB as defined by the ASTM and IEC standards. They include an AM1.5G filter; other air mass filters are available as options.
Simplicity and economy were the design criteria for these Solar Simulators. The electronics are built into the lamp housing and are factory pre-set to run the lamp at the proper current and voltage – just power the system and ignite the lamp! There are no high voltage cables to connect, no power supply settings to optimize, and no optical alignments required. They operate a 100 W Xe lamp with integrated reflector. Replacement lamp assemblies simply drop in place with no lamp adjustment required.
Many of our customers are familiar with the Oriel 96000 Solar Simulator. The LCS-100 Series is the next generation of the 96000 - designed to meet the current demands of PV Researchers. It offers better performance and a simpler design in a smaller footprint.
The LCS-100 Series generate over 1 Sun irradiance with an AM1.5G filter; a variable attenuator lets the user dial down the irradiance to achieve 1 Sun. As the lamp ages, the attenuator is opened to allow continued 1 Sun operation over the 1000 hours of the lamp’s life – a very economical cost of ownership. And, for those Researchers requiring partial sun irradiance, simply dial down the attenuator to the desired irradiance level.
Another way to increase or decrease the output is to vary the distance between your sample and the simulator. Table 1 shows the output intensities at various distances. Note, class ABB is certified only at the working distance of 8.0 inches (203 mm).
|
Distance From the Illuminator inches (mm) |
Readings with Optional AM0 Filter mW/cm-2 |
Readings with Standard AM 1.5G Filter mW/cm-2 |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (152) | 247 | 161 |
| 7 (178) | 184 | 119 |
| 8 (203) | 151 | 100 |
| 9 (229) | 126 | 82 |
| 10 (254) | 105 | 69 |
An AM1.5G is the standard filter for the LCS-100. An optional AM0 filter is available. For other Air Mass filters, contact a Sales Engineer at oriel.tech@newport.com.
Fig. 1 Spectral output of LCS-100 Solar Simulator with standard AM1.5G filter.
Fig. 2 Spectral output of LCS-100 Solar Simulator with AM0 filter in place of the AM1.5G filter.
Fig. 3 Certification data from 94011A Solar Simulator showing the Class A spectral match.
We offer two models of LCS-100 Systems; both include a simple manual slide shutter to close off the beam for safety reasons. We also offer a model with an electronic shutter for external trigger applications. The shutter drive has an open/close switch and a TTL input. The rise/fall time of the shutter blade is ~0.l second, but there is a delay before the blade starts to close the shutter.
A calibrated reference cell is an integral part of solar simulator calibration and solar cell I-V characterization. The Oriel model 91150V consists of a readout device and a 2 x 2 cm calibrated solar cell made of monocrystaline silicon. The cell is also equipped with a thermocouple assembled in accordance with IEC 60904-2. The certification is accredited by NIST to the ISO-17025 standard and is traceable both to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and to the International System of Units (SI). It reads solar simulator irradiance in sun units; one sun is equal to 1000 W/m2 at 25 °C and AM 1.5G. The Readout Meter includes two BNC connectors for analog outputs for the sun irradiance and the temperature.
We also offer the Cells with KG windows in place of the quartz window; the available window material choices are: KG1, KG2, KG3 and KG5.
Both models of the LCS-100 include an optical rod assembly for vertical translation of the instrument, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. These rod assemblies can be hard mounted to either an inch or metric optical table, breadboard or baseplate. Four mounting feet are included for customers who wish to remove the rod assembly and “sit” the Simulator on a surface. For those customers who do not have the option of hard mounting the Simulator to an optical surface, we recommend ordering the SA2-12 (Inch) or M-SA2-12 (metric) Baseplate; these baseplates are 12 x 24 inch (304 x 610 mm). The SA2-12 has 1/4 - 20 holes on 1 inch centers; the M-SA2-12 has M6 holes on 25 mm centers.