Low-Cost Photovoltaic Emulator with a High-Dynamic Response for Small Satellite Applications

MAURICIO TROVIANO; GERMÁN G. OGGIER

International Journal of Energy for a Clean Environment

Begell House Inc.

Año: 2024

2150-363X

In recent years, growing interest in small satellite missions from academic institutions and emerging countries has led to a need for photovoltaic emulators (PVEs) during subsystem testing. Unfortunately, the market lacks suitable PVEs with adequate power and characteristics for these applications. To fill this gap, this proposal introduces a low-cost, flexible, and high-dynamic response PVE for testingsmall satellite subsystems. The proposed PVE includes an analog electronic circuit that amplifies the reference I-V curve from a space reference solar cell. It is characterized by the accurate amplification of solar cell curves under various conditions, achieving a maximum output power of 124 W. This capability enables assessment under diverse space application scenarios with rapidly changing climatic conditions. The emulator’s remarkable flexibility is demonstrated through the use of various solar cell technologies for space applications as references. Experimental results effectively confirm the practical feasibility of the proposed PVE.