Prototype solar panel development and testing for a Mercury orbiter spacecraft

Ercol, Carl J.; Jenkins, J.; Dakermanji, G.; Santo, A.; Mason, Lee S.

doi:10.1109/iecec.2000.870725

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…High-performance solar cells operating at high temperatures (e.g., >300 °C) are highly desired for high-temperature photovoltaic (PV) applications, such as space missions near the Sun, − terrestrial photovoltaic thermal (PVT) hybrid solar collector systems, and concentrating solar power (CSP)/PV hybrid systems . For example, the perihelion distance of Mercury is 0.307 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…For example, the perihelion distance of Mercury is 0.307 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun. This resulted in an extremely high temperature of ∼400 °C at the Mercury planet surface, presenting a significant challenge for the efficient generation of solar power for spacecraft in NASA missions. Similarly, high operation temperature (>300 °C) is also a critical requirement for the next-generation terrestrial PVT hybrid system due to the concentrated solar power .…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Solar cells based on conventional III–V semiconductors, e.g., GaAs, , GaP/AlGaP, , AlGaInP, and even SiC, have been researched for high-temperature applications with limited success. The intrinsic PV conversion efficiency of these devices typically showed a sharp decrease with increasing temperatures; that is, these cells exhibit a negative temperature coefficient. , For example, GaAs solar cells were reported with an absolute efficiency drop of 0.4% per 10-degree temperature increase at one-sun and failed shortly after exposure to high temperature. , The escalating short-circuit current ( J sc ) and dropping open-circuit voltage ( V oc ) at high temperatures of these cells are also detrimental to the PV module operation. Furthermore, other extrinsic effects such as degradation in metal contacts further exacerbate the device performance at high temperature. − …”

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High-Temperature Polarization-Free III-Nitride Solar Cells with Self-Cooling Effects

Huang

et al. 2019

ACS Photonics

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High-temperature photovoltaics (PV) for terrestrial and extraterrestrial applications have presented demanding challenges for current solar cell materials, such as Si, III−V AlGaInP, and II−VI. Widebandgap III-nitride materials, in contrast, offer several intrinsic advantages that make them extremely appealing for high-temperature applications. In this study, we fabricated and characterized III-nitride solar cells using polarization-free (i.e., nonpolar) InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs). The InGaN solar cells showed a large working temperature range from room temperature (RT) to 450 °C, with positive temperature coefficients up to 350 °C. The peak external quantum efficiencies of the devices showed a 2.5-fold enhancement from RT (∼32%) to 450 °C (∼81%), which is distinct from all other solar cells ever reported. This can be partially attributed to an increase of over 70% in carrier lifetime in nonpolar InGaN MQWs obtained from time-resolved photoluminescence. Furthermore, a thermal radiation analysis revealed a unique self-cooling effect for III-nitride materials, which also helps enhance device performance at high temperature. These results offer new insights and strategies for the design and fabrication of highefficiency high-temperature PV cells.

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High-Temperature Polarization-Free III-Nitride Solar Cells with Self-Cooling Effects

Huang

et al. 2019

ACS Photonics

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“…The solar array is often the source of the spacecraft primary and reliable electrical power to run the sensors, telemetry, propulsion, etc [1][2][3]. It is usually folded during spacecraft launch and unfolded at operational stage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ground and geostationary orbital qualification of a sunlight-stimulated substrate based on shape memory polymer composite

Liu

Lan

et al. 2019

Smart Mater. Struct.

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A sunlight-stimulated substrate, named Mission SMS-I, carried out the orbital deployment experiment and anti-irradiation verification on an experimental geostationary satellite. It is the prototype of a solar array substrate which integrates the conventional substrate, support structure, and deployment function by using the carbon fabric reinforced shape memory polymer composite (SMPC). The substrate could deploy from the 'Ω' packaged configuration to the '-' deployed configuration once its temperature is at or above the glass transition temperature. This paper presents details of the Mission SMS-I in a sequence of material preparation, structure design, manufacture, ground experiments, and orbital experiment. Results show that the Mission SMS-I can withstand the required mechanical and thermal conditions, successfully deploy in orbit and have a good long-term anti-irradiation capability. SMPC is a suitable choice for the substrate of solar arrays or any other deployable structures which need the actuation in materiallevel or directly exposed to the space environment.

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“…It seems that within the space industry, the testing of solar cells is carried out after qualification testing [17], environmental exposure degradation testing [18], or by studying solar array performance under special environmental conditions such as close-to-the-Sun or far-from-the-Sun missions [19,20]. Obviously, missions in which new photovoltaic technologies are used require thorough testing campaigns, carried out by using sunlight simulators [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing solar panels for small-size satellites: the UPMSAT-2 mission

Roibás-Millán¹,

Alonso-Moragón²,

Jiménez-Mateos³

et al. 2017

Meas. Sci. Technol.

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At present, the development of small-size satellites by universities, companies and research institutions has become usual practice, and is spreading rapidly. In this kind of project cost plays a significant role. One of the main áreas are the assembly, integration and test (AIT) plans, which carry an associated cost for simulating environmental conditions. For instance, in the power subsystems test and, in particular, in the testing of solar panels, the irradiance and temperature conditions might be optimum so the performance of the system can be shown next to real operational conditions. To reproduce the environmental conditions in terms of irradiance, solar simulators are usually used, which carries an associated increase in cost for testing the equipment. The aim of this paper is to present an alternative and inexpensive way to perform AIT plans on spacecraft power subsystems, from a testing campaign performed using outdoor clean-sky conditions and an isolation system to protect the panels. A post-process of the measured data is therefore needed, taking into account the conditions in which the test has been accomplished. The I-V characteristics obtained are compared with a theoretical l-diode/2-resistor equivalent electric circuit, achieving enough precisión based solely on the manufacturer's data.

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Prototype solar panel development and testing for a Mercury orbiter spacecraft

Cited by 6 publications

References 2 publications

High-Temperature Polarization-Free III-Nitride Solar Cells with Self-Cooling Effects

High-Temperature Polarization-Free III-Nitride Solar Cells with Self-Cooling Effects

Ground and geostationary orbital qualification of a sunlight-stimulated substrate based on shape memory polymer composite

Testing solar panels for small-size satellites: the UPMSAT-2 mission

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