Compact multifunctional source-meter system for characterisation of laboratory- scale solar cell devices

Michael Corazza, Rafael Garcia-Valverde, Henrik F. Dam, Morten V. Madsen, Markus Hösel, Gisele A. dos Reis Benatto, Michail J. Beliatis, Francesco Pastorelli, Sjoerd Veenstra, Guus Knelissen, Yulia Galagan, Roland Roesch, Tobias Faber, Harald Hoppe, Solenn Berson, Matthieu Manceau, Melodie Chaperon, Fernando Castro, James Blakesley, Suren A. Gevorgyan*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

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Abstract

This article presents an innovative and low-cost solution for optimizing the acquisition of performance data of small-laboratory-scale photovoltaic devices. A novel measuring setup is proposed, designed based on an Arduino microcontroller and low-cost components, coupled with open source hardware and software. The manuscript describes in detail the instrument design, components and assembly enabling the reproduction and customization of the instrument for any reader. The setup is combined with an optional web-platform, which enables fast analysis and comparison of the collected data. For the demonstration of the instrument in operation, comparison of measurements of solar cell with the developed setup and commercial products has been conducted. It is shown that the presented prototype provides values of accuracy and precision during I-V curve recording, comparable with the values measured using a commercial source-meter (Keithley 2400). The study also discusses the unique advantages of easy transport and data collection by the setup and the drawbacks in the hardware, which have been observed during a round robin study.
Original languageEnglish
Article number035901
JournalMeasurement Science and Technology
Volume30
Issue number3
Number of pages8
ISSN0957-0233
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Keywords

  • Characterisation
  • Advanced sensors
  • Arduino
  • Source meters
  • Photovoltaics
  • Electrical circuitry
  • Environmental measurements

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