Sun Simulator for Laboratory Testing

Sun simulator is widely used for solar cell testing after its manufacturing. This artificial light source offers intensity and spectrum close to the natural light. This study describes a development of a sun simulator which fits into a class C sun simulator according to American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM) E972 standard. The sun simulator was examined based on spectral match, a spectral conformity, uniformity of irradiance (unevenness of light intensity) and spectral difference for the given wavelength range. On the other hand, surface temperature of solar cell was also tested. The sun simulator is able to illuminate 10 cm × 10 cm solar cell in a laboratory environment. On the other hand, it consists of a Geweiss light emitting diode (LED) and four halogen lamps. The designed and built sun simulator is validated using the abovementioned standard which is described in the current paper as well. The research was supported by the Ministry for Innovation and Technology: National Research, Development and Innovation Office.