Feb 23 2010
Spire Solar offers a range of manufacturing and testing equipment for solar cells and modules. The Spi-Cell Tester, available from the company, is used to test the solar cell’s electrical performance, under simulated sunlight. The solar cell tester is equipped with a xenon arc lamp that features an optical filter. The lifetime of the lamp is 900 hours, while the intensity ranges from 70 to 110mW per square centimeter. This tester can measure the I-V (current-voltage) characteristics of the solar cells with maximum dimensions of 156 x 156mm.
Spi-Cell Testers
The Spi-Cell Tester features separate probes for voltage and current. This allows the tester to do four point I-V measurements. The solar cell tester is equipped with a calibrated monitor cell to monitor the intensity of light. The solar cell testing device is also provided with a computer and software package that help to control the process, adjust the lamp intensity, and obtain cell performance data.
The Spi-Cell Tester features a closed loop water chiller that is used to perform temperature controlled vacuum chuck. The various cell parameters measured by the photovoltaic cell tester include complete I-V curve, short circuit current, peak power, open circuit voltage, and cell efficiency. This solar cell tester, provided by Spire Solar, requires single phase, 200 to 240V AC, power supply. The dimensions of the cell tester, excluding water chiller system and computer, are 71 x 102 x 130cm.