The Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) has joined the Fraunhofer Institute to become the next world-renowned research institution to acquire the WAVELABS SINUS-220 LED solar simulator. WAVELABS’ entry into the Asian market signifies the global recognition of its SINUS technology as an indispensable tool for photovoltaic research and testing, and offers a glimpse of things to come.
SERIS develops and tests PV products in Singapore as part of its research focused on high- performance PV modules and systems for the tropics. As a leading international research center, it sees new PV technologies both before and after they reach the market. The technology behind photovoltaic solar cells changes rapidly. Conventional short-pulse, xenon- based solar simulators struggle to provide accurate measurements for the latest generation of high-efficiency PV cells. For a leading global solar R&D institute such as SERIS, metrology is a critical aspect of its mission.
With its SINUS-220 solar simulator from WAVELABS, SERIS now has access to the best simulation of the sun available. In contrast to conventional flash solar simulators that can only emit very short pulses of light, the SINUS-220 offers researchers at SERIS variable exposure times ranging from 10 ms all the way up to 3 seconds. “Solar simulators that can only give us a short pulse can’t provide accurate measurements of high-efficiency cells that exhibit a strong capacitive effect. For accurate efficiency measurements of the latest PV cells, we need a light source that can provide stable exposure times compatible with 150ms/V voltage ramp speeds,” explained Dr. Johnson Wong, head of the PV Characterisation Team at SERIS.
