1、Designation: E927 10Standard Specification forSolar Simulation for Photovoltaic Testing1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E927; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number i
2、n parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon () indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 This specification provides means for classifying solarsimulators intended for indoor testing of photovoltaic devices(solar cells or modules),
3、according to their spectral match to areference spectral irradiance, non-uniformity of spatial irradi-ance, and temporal instability of irradiance.1.2 Testing of photovoltaic devices may require the use ofsolar simulators. Test Methods that require specific classifica-tion of simulators as defined i
4、n this specification include TestMethods E948, E1036, and E1362.1.3 This standard is applicable to both pulsed and steadystate simulators and includes recommended test requirementsused for classifying such simulators.1.4 A solar simulator usually consists of three major com-ponents: (1) light source
5、(s) and associated power supply; (2)any optics and filters required to modify the output beam tomeet the classification requirements in Section 4; and (3) thenecessary controls to operate the simulator, adjust irradiance,etc.1.5 A light source that does not meet all of the definedrequirements for cl
6、assification presented in this document maynot be referred to as a solar simulator.1.6 Spectral irradiance classifications are provided for AirMass 1.5 direct and global (as defined in Tables G173), or AirMass 0 (AM0, as defined in Standard E490).1.7 The classification of a solar simulator is based
7、on thesize of the test plane; simulators with smaller test plane areashave tighter specifications for non-uniformity of spatial irradi-ance.1.8 The data acquisition system may affect the ability tosynchronize electrical measurements with variations in irradi-ance and therefore may be included in thi
8、s specification. In allcases, the manufacturer must specify with the temporal insta-bility classification: (1) how the classification was determined;and (2) the conditions under which the classification wasdetermined.1.9 The classification of a solar simulator does not provideany information about e
9、lectrical measurement errors that arerelated to photovoltaic performance measurements obtainedwith a classified solar simulator. Such errors are dependent onthe actual instrumentation and procedures used.1.10 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard. No other units of measurement
10、are included in thisstandard.1.11 The following precautionary caveat pertains only to thehazards portion, Section 6, of this specification. This standarddoes not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any,associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of thisstandard to est
11、ablish appropriate safety and health practicesand determine the applicability of regulatory requirementsprior to use.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E490 Standard Solar Constant and Zero Air Mass SolarSpectral Irradiance TablesE772 Terminology Relating to Solar Energy ConversionE948 Test
12、Method for Electrical Performance of Photovol-taic Cells Using Reference Cells Under Simulated SunlightE1036 Test Methods for Electrical Performance of Noncon-centrator Terrestrial Photovoltaic Modules and ArraysUsing Reference CellsE1328 Terminology Relating to Photovoltaic Solar EnergyConversionE1
13、362 Test Method for Calibration of Non-ConcentratorPhotovoltaic Secondary Reference CellsG138 Test Method for Calibration of a SpectroradiometerUsing a Standard Source of IrradianceG173 Tables for Reference Solar Spectral Irradiances: Di-rect Normal and Hemispherical on 37 Tilted Surface2.2 IEC Stan
14、dard:IEC 60904-9 Photovoltaic DevicesPart 9: Solar Simula-tor Performance Requirements3. Terminology3.1 DefinitionsDefinitions of terms used in this specifica-tion may be found in Terminologies E772 and E1328.3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:1This specification is under the jurisdi
15、ction of ASTM Committee E44 on Solar,Geothermal and Other Alternative Energy Sources and is the direct responsibility ofSubcommittee E44.09 on Photovoltaic Electric Power Conversion.Current edition approved June 1, 2010. Published July 2010. Originally approvedin 1983. Last previous edition approved
16、 in 2005 as E927 05. DOI: 10.1520/E0927-10.2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.1Copyright ASTM In
17、ternational, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.3.2.1 solar simulatorequipment used to simulate solarradiation. Solar simulators shall be labeled by their mode ofoperation during a test cycle (steady state, single pulse ormulti-pulse) and by the size
18、of the test plane area. A solarsimulator must fall into at least the C classification.3.2.2 simulator classificationa solar simulator may be oneof three classes (A, B, or C) for each of three categories:spectral match, spatial non-uniformity, and temporal instabil-ity. The simulator is rated with th
19、ree letters in order of spectralmatch, spatial non-uniformity and temporal instability (forexample: ClassABA). Large area and small area simulators areclassified according to the appropriate table. The simulatorclassification may be abbreviated by a single letter character-ization.Asimulator charact
20、erized by a single letter is indicativeof a simulator with all three classes being the same (forexample: a Class A simulator is the same as a Class AAAsimulator).3.2.3 test plane area, Athe area of the plane intended tocontain the device under test.3.2.4 small area solar simulatora simulator whose t
21、estplane is equal to or less than 30 cm by 30 cm or a diameter ofless than 30 cm if the test area is circular.3.2.5 large area solar simulatora simulator whose testplane is greater than 30 cm by 30 cm or a diameter of greaterthan 30 cm if the test area is circular.3.2.6 steady-state simulatora simul
22、ator whose irradianceoutput at the test plane area does not vary more than 5 % fortime periods of greater than 100 ms.3.2.7 single-pulse simulatora simulator whose irradianceoutput at the test plane area consists of a short duration lightpulse of 100 ms or less.3.2.8 multi-pulse simulatora simulator
23、 whose irradianceoutput at the test plane area consists of a series of shortduration, periodic light pulses. Note that the light pulses do notnecessarily have to go to zero irradiance between pulses; asteady-state simulator that fails the 5 % requirement in 3.2.6can be classified as a multi-pulse si
24、mulator if the irradiancevariations are periodic.3.2.9 time of data acquisitionthe time required to obtainone data point (irradiance, current, and voltage) if there is asimultaneous measurement of irradiance at each current-voltage data point. If no simultaneous measurement of theirradiance is made
25、during the test, the time of data acquisitionis the time to obtain the entire current-voltage (I-V) curve.3.2.10 solar spectrumthe spectral distribution of sunlightat Air Mass 1.5 Direct (as defined in Tables G173), Air Mass1.5 Global (as defined in Tables G173), or Air Mass 0 (asdefined in Standard
26、 E490).3.2.11 spectral matchratio of the actual percentage oftotal irradiance to the required percentage specified in Table 3for each wavelength interval.3.2.12 spatial non-uniformity of irradiance (in percent):SNE5 100 % 3Emax2 EminEmax1 Emin(1)where Emaxand Eminare measured with the detector(s) ov
27、erthe test plane area.3.2.13 temporal instability of irradiance (in percent):TIE5 100 % 3Emax2 EminEmax1 Emin(2)where Emaxand Eminare measured with the detector at anyparticular point on the test plane during the time of dataacquisition.3.2.14 field of viewthe maximum angle between any twoincident i
28、rradiance rays from the simulator at an arbitrary pointin the test plane.4. Significance and Use4.1 In any photovoltaic measurement, the choice of simula-tor Class should be based on the needs of that particularmeasurement. For example, the spectral distribution require-ments need not be stringent i
29、f devices of identical spectralresponse from an assembly line are being sorted according tocurrent at maximum power, which is not a strong function ofspectral distribution.4.2 Classifications of simulators are based on the size of thetest area and the probable size of the device being measured. Itha
30、s been shown that when measuring modules or other largerdevices the spatial non-uniformity is less important, and up to3 % non-uniformity may not introduce unacceptable error forsome calibration procedures.3Accurate measurements ofsmaller area devices, such as cells, may require a tighterspecificati
31、on on non-uniformity or characterization of thenon-uniformity by the user. When measuring product it isrecommended that the irradiance be measured with a referencedevice similar to the devices that will be tested on the simulatorto minimize spatial non-uniformity errors.4.3 It is the intent of this
32、specification to provide guidanceon the required data to be taken, and the required locations forthis data to be taken. It is not the intent to define the possiblemethods to measure the simulator spectrum or the irradiance atevery location on the test plane.4.4 Note that the letter classification sc
33、heme (see 3.2.2) doesnot include a number of important properties, especially thetest plane size, the field of view, nor the steady state or thepulsed classifications (see 3.2.3 through 3.2.8, and 3.2.14).These additional properties are included in the reportingrequirements (see Section 9). It is al
34、so recommended that theybe included in product specification sheets or advertising.4.5 Because of the transient nature of pulsed solar simula-tors, considerations must be given to possible problems such asthe response time of the device under test versus the time ofdata acquisition and the rise time
35、 of the pulsed irradiance. If apulsed solar simulator includes a data acquisition system, the3Herrman, W., and Wiesner, W., “Modelling of PV ModulesThe Effects ofNon-Uniform Irradiance on Performance Measurements with Solar Simulators,”Proc. 16th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conf., European Co
36、mmission,Glasgow, UK, 2000.TABLE 1 Classification of Small Area Simulator PerformanceClassificationCharacteristicsSpectral Matchto all IntervalsSpatial Non-uniformityof IrradianceTemporal Instabilityof IrradianceClass A 0.75 to 1.25 2 % 2 %Class B 0.6 to 1.4 5 % 5 %Class C 0.4 to 2.0 10 % 10 %E927 1
37、02simulator manufacturer should provide guidance concerningsuch possible problems that may affect measurement results oncertain test devices.4.6 The simulator manufacturer should provide I-V datashowing the repeatability of multiple measurements of a singledevice. This data should include a descript
38、ion of how therepeatability was determined.5. Classification5.1 A solar simulator may be either steady state or pulsed,and its performance for each of three determined categories(spectral match, spatial non-uniformity, and temporal instabil-ity) may be one of three Classes (A, B, or C). A simulator
39、maybe classified to multiple Classes, depending on its characteris-tics in each of the performance categories. For example, asimulator may be Class A related to spatial uniformity andClass B related to spectral distribution. Classification for allthree performance characteristics must be defined and
40、 providedby the manufacturer.5.2 The manufacturer shall provide test area information toassist in proper usage of the simulator. Tables 1 and 2 giveperformance requirements for small and large area simulatorsfor the three performance categories: spectral match to thereference spectrum at all interva
41、ls, non-uniformity of irradi-ance, and temporal instability of irradiance. Table 3 gives thespectral match requirements for spectral distribution of irradi-ance for Direct AM1.5, Global AM1.5, and AM0. The simu-lator irradiance is divided into the same wavelength intervalsand compared with the refer
42、ence spectrum. All intervals mustagree within the spectral match ratio in Table 1 to obtain therespective Class.5.3 A reference device should be used for determining thespatial uniformity of the simulator. The reference device musthave a spectral response appropriate for the simulator; a silicondevi
43、ce is typically a good choice. A map of simulator spatialuniformity must be supplied with the simulator to assist theuser in simulator operation and to clearly define different areasin the test plane that may have different classifications.5.4 For the evaluation of temporal instability, the dataacqu
44、isition system may be considered an integral part of thesolar simulator. When the data acquisition system of the solarsimulator measures data simultaneously (irradiance, voltage,and current data measured within 10 nanoseconds of eachother), then the temporal instability may be rated A for thisclassi
45、fication but the range of irradiance variation during anentire I-V measurement, including times between points, mustbe reported and less than 5 %. If a solar simulator does notinclude the data acquisition system, then the simulator manu-facturer must specify the time of data acquisition as related t
46、othe reported temporal instability classification.5.4.1 For a steady-state simulator without an integral dataacquisition system this rating must be given for a period of 1second, and actual instability data must be reported for 100milliseconds, 1 minute, and 1 hour.5.4.2 In the case of a pulsed sola
47、r simulator with a dataacquisition system that measures irradiance, current, and volt-age sequentially, temporal instability must be evaluated.5.4.3 The user of a pulsed simulator should verify that thedevice under test has reached final electrical output levels whendata acquisition has begun and th
48、at the device under test has afast enough response to follow the rapidly-changing irradiance.5.4.4 The ultimate test of the stability of the simulator andsystem is the actual measurement of data on the total system.For simulators that include an integral data acquisition system,a repeatability measu
49、rement should be made on the significantmeasured parameters such as voltage, fill factor, and current toverify the correction being applied on each data pair isrepeatable from measurement to measurement. The manufac-turer should specify how repeatability was measured and reportthe results.6. Hazards6.1 The use of a solar simulator involves several safetyhazards. A partial description of potential hazards follows:6.1.1 Electrical hazards due to the high voltage associatedwith starting, flashing or operating xenon arc lamps.6.1.2 Ultraviolet radiation from xenon arc la
