Experimental feasibility study of concentrating photovoltaic power system for cubesat applications

Abstract

The ability to produce sufficient power is an important factor in assuring the success of the challenging and complex cube satellite (CubeSat) missions within an extremely small size. A CubeSat has only a limited surface area on which solar panels can be installed to generate power. The incidence angle of sunlight on the solar panels also varies according to the revolution and rotation of the satellite. These are important parameters for determining the amount of power that a CubeSat can generate. In this study, we propose a concentrating photovoltaic system for CubeSats that enhances the efficiency of power generation by effectively concentrating the solar energy on the solar panels by using a multi-array lens system under the worst condition for sun incidence angle. The feasibility of using the concentrating photovoltaic system for CubeSat applications is demonstrated by power measurement tests using a solar simulator and a commercial multi-array lens under various light source angles.

Experimental Investigation on the Feasibility of Using a Fresnel Lens as a Solar-Energy Collection System for Enhancing On-Orbit Power Generation Performance

“…In addition, we predicted the enhancement of the power generation efficiency of the proposed solar-energy collection system according to the various attitude control profiles of the satellite by an on-orbit power generation simulation using the commercial software STK (Systems Tool Kit) [26]. In the simulations, we confirmed that the proposed solar-energy collection system with the Fresnel lens system installed on the edge of the solar panel at an optimized installation angle is effective for providing a much higher power generation performance for the cube satellite as compared to the conventional configuration using a multiarray lens system [25].…”

“…By applying the Fresnel lens in a way that was proposed in this study, the solar energy collected to the Fresnel lens is spread over the area of solar panel without forming a focal point on it. In addition, the power measurement test using a xenon lamp has been performed by Oh and Park [25] to investigate additional spectral features of light source related to an air mass zero (AM0) solar irradiation because this more effectively simulates the solar energy in a wide solar wavelength spectrum compared to the halogen lamp. In the test, they used a multiarray lens, which has the same dimensions and material as the one used in this study.…”

“…In the power-measurement test, a commercial convex Fresnel lens was used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed solar-energy collection system. For a comparison of the power generation performance, a commercial convex multiarray lens used in a previous study by Oh and Park [25] was applied. Figures 4(a) and 4(b) show the configurations of the commercial convex Fresnel and multiarray lenses, respectively.…”

“…To overcome the limitations of conventional groundbased CPV technologies, Oh and Park [25] proposed a CPV system for cube satellite applications. This system has the potential to increase the power generation efficiency using a commercial multiarray lens system installed on the edge of the solar panels even under the worst incidence angle conditions between the sun and the solar panels.…”

“…International Journal of Aerospace Engineering 3 In this study, we propose a solar-energy collection system for cube satellite applications using a commercial PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) Fresnel lens system, which provides an enhanced power generation efficiency compared to the multiarray lens system proposed by Oh and Park [25]. The effectiveness of the proposed solar-energy collection system was demonstrated by a power-measurement test using a solar simulator and Fresnel lens system under various incidenceangle conditions with a light source.…”