Brief description

The Large Solar Simulator enables the testing of both solar thermal and photovoltaic systems to evaluate performance and efficiency.

Detailed Description

The angle of the assembly can be varied from horizontal to vertical in order to investigate the effect of natural convection within thermal collectors. – Working area of 3.2m2 (1.4 m x 2.3 m) – Variable irradiance from 600 to 1200 W/m2 – Spectrum of Air Mass 1.5 (Class A for 500 – 1100 nm) The facilities also include data acquisition and control equipment plus highly instrumented outdoor and laboratory test facilities for complete solar energy systems analysis including commercial systems for domestic use. The laboratory also offers facilities for testing individual components of solar collectors or assessing the performance of new designs under controlled conditions.

Uses/applications

Our large area (3.2 m2) continuous solar simulator allows evaluation of the performance and detailed characterisation of solar thermal and photovoltaic systems. Use requires academic oversight.