An Affordable Instrumentation for Light Induced Current Measurements on Solar Cells
Disciplines
Electrical and Electronics | Electronic Devices and Semiconductor Manufacturing
Abstract (300 words maximum)
In an era of escalating climate change and growing energy demands, solar photovoltaics has emerged as a critical technology for renewable energy production. Solar photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. A key challenge in realizing high-efficiency solar power plants is identifying microscopic defects in solar cells, which can limit power output and reduce overall efficiency. This research aims to design and develop an affordable light beam induced current (LBIC) measurement system to perform measurements on photovoltaic cells using a monochromatic laser to identify defective regions in a solar cell. Our LBIC apparatus comprises of a two-axis (X–Y) motion-control platform mounted on an aluminum frame. Stepper motors within the motion-control platforms provide sub-millimeter positioning control. The electronic hardware consists of a current-measurement circuit and an Arduino Nano microcontroller. The microcontroller was programmed to generate digital signals to control the stepper motors. A Python-based user interface (UI) was created to interact with the microcontroller and perform experiments. The UI communicates with the microcontroller through a micro-USB interface and enables data acquisition on a computer. The LBIC apparatus employs a 532nm laser to scan solar cells and map spatial variations in the generated current. The apparatus was designed in SolidWorks and is easy to build using low-cost components.
Use of AI Disclaimer
no
Academic department under which the project should be listed
SPCEET – Electrical and Computer Engineering
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Sandip Das
An Affordable Instrumentation for Light Induced Current Measurements on Solar Cells
In an era of escalating climate change and growing energy demands, solar photovoltaics has emerged as a critical technology for renewable energy production. Solar photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. A key challenge in realizing high-efficiency solar power plants is identifying microscopic defects in solar cells, which can limit power output and reduce overall efficiency. This research aims to design and develop an affordable light beam induced current (LBIC) measurement system to perform measurements on photovoltaic cells using a monochromatic laser to identify defective regions in a solar cell. Our LBIC apparatus comprises of a two-axis (X–Y) motion-control platform mounted on an aluminum frame. Stepper motors within the motion-control platforms provide sub-millimeter positioning control. The electronic hardware consists of a current-measurement circuit and an Arduino Nano microcontroller. The microcontroller was programmed to generate digital signals to control the stepper motors. A Python-based user interface (UI) was created to interact with the microcontroller and perform experiments. The UI communicates with the microcontroller through a micro-USB interface and enables data acquisition on a computer. The LBIC apparatus employs a 532nm laser to scan solar cells and map spatial variations in the generated current. The apparatus was designed in SolidWorks and is easy to build using low-cost components.