Structural and Electrical Performance of a Large Concentrating Solar Cell Panel

A large area concentrating solar cell panel, nominally 36 inches wide and 75 inches long, was designed and constructed to meet the requirements of a typical spacecraft environmental specification. The structural integrity was verified by laboratory structural tests, and the electrical-optical performance was determined by solar tests. The concentrating panel weighed 0.78 lbs/sq ft, developed 8.17 watts per sq ft under terrestrial test conditions, and exhibited a concentration ratio of 1.89.