Class A small area solar simulator for dye-sensitized solar cell testing

摘要

The need for high quality solar simulators for photovoltaic device testing is an increasing demand, given the more severe requirements for accuracy and reproducibility of cell efficiency measurements. This paper describes a homemade small area solar simulator using both a xenon lamp and a halogen lamp and the appropriate set of filters to correctly replicate the solar spectrum. We show that all three characteristics required by the ADTM Standard E927-05 for a class AAA solar simulator, namely spectral match, spatial non-uniformity and temporal instability, are met. We demonstrate the possibility to measure the current-voltage curve under 100 mWcm(-2) standard AM 1.5 G spectrum (International Electrotechnical Commission 69094-1) as well as at various levels of irradiation up to 1.2 suns and in a temperature range from 5 - 55 degrees C, using a dye-sensitized solar cell with nanocrystalline TiO2 and a ruthenium-based dye.