Issued patent
Solar Cell Health Monitoring
An issued NASA patent from the Technology Transfer catalog.
About this technology
Overview
NASA's Glenn Research Center has developed a method and apparatus for in situ health monitoring of solar cells. The innovation is a novel approach to solar cell monitoring, as it is radiation-hard, consumes few system resources, and uses commercially available components. The system operates at temperatures from -55°C to 225°C, allowing it to reside close to the array in direct sunlight. The circuitry measures solar cell current versus voltage (I-V) curves using relatively inexpensive electronics, a single switchable +28 volt power bus, and two analog-to-digital (A/D) converter channels. A single transistor is used as a variable resistive load across the cell, rather than the large resistor arrays or active current sources normally used to characterize cells. Originally developed for space, the technology can be adapted for use in terrestrial solar power generation systems and other applications.