Thermo-optical design analysis of space satellite solar arrays

Since the photoconversion efficiency of solar cells is temperature and light intensity dependent, a careful thermo-optical design may lead to improved solar array performance. In this paper we analyze the influence of different configurations of solar cell assemblies (SCAs) on the in-orbit energy generated by a solar array. The basic lines of our analysis are illustrated by an application to the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS). We compare simulation results of solar array performance obtained from CBERS SCAs against the results obtained from SCAs using Pilkington CMX and CMZ cover glasses.