Photovoltaic Solar Degradation Lab Equipment
We are Team Power Haus. Our team consists of five members: two electrical engineers, Jacob Jeffries and Jake Perez, as well as three electrical and computer engineers, Keifer Bowen, Connor Troy, and Chris Bishop. Our project is team-initiated (with guidance from Professor Sean Shaheen).
Solar degradation systems test the longevity of photovoltaic (PV) cells by subjecting cells to conditions that replicate the outside light and environment. In order to better model the PV cells’ performance after several years, these tests can be accelerated by applying more intense test environments. The result of these tests provide information pertaining to flaws in the design, materials, and performance of PV cells. Currently, solar degradation systems are made in-house by research labs, such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Researchers who work with these laboratories have to wait on long lists for their opportunity to use the limited number of costly degradation systems. Most systems take up a lot of space and are not designed to be easily serviceable. Additionally, they are typically made with expensive and unreliable light sources, such as metal halide bulbs, to replicate the intensity of the sun.
The Solar Soaker provides a solution to the lack of photovoltaic cell degradation devices through a user-friendly platform that is capable of running accelerated lifespan tests for quantifying failure conditions. This product will be designed to accept existing photovoltaic cell technology as well as emerging technologies.
The current market is saturated with high-cost, specific-use solar testing equipment which is designed to simulate solar power in a closed lab environment. Current forms of lifetime testing rely on long-term degradation observations, which is not ideal for the constantly evolving world of photovoltaics. Every type of solar cell needs different ways to analyze their degradation and life cycle patterns. This product will target the researchers in both labs and industry who are struggling to properly quantify these characteristics.
The Solar Soaker will be easy to repair and maintain. The Solar Soaker’s LEDs will have long lifespans. The light produced will be uniform and have high intensity. It will consist of a heating system for thermal cycling tests. It will perform high accuracy measurements on multiple cells. Collected data will be exported to a connected lab computer for analysis. PVs will be simple and quick to connect to our system. Power outage detection and computer disconnect contingencies will be in place.