Power matrix of OPV mini-module under steady conditions of temperature and irradiance at large-area solar simulator

Abstract The knowledge of electrical current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of photovoltaic (PV) devices under various irradiance, temperature, and spectral conditions is essential for evaluating the output power and energy production of the devices under various climate conditions. The methods to measure the temperature and irradiance dependences of PV devices power are described in the standards IEC 60891 and IEC 61853-1. Newer PV technologies like organic (OPV) and dye-sensitized (DSSC) devices are rapidly evolving and considerable research effort has addressed alternative approaches to increase efficiency with promising values achieved in the last years. Measurements of the irradiance (G) and temperature (T) dependence of these emerging PV technologies are less established –when available– than those of Si-based devices. In this paper we present a first attempt of power-rating measurement for an OPV mini-module. The measurements were performed with a large-area steady-state solar simulator on a reduced (T,G) range compared to what the standard IEC 61853-1 requires. Nevertheless, they were sufficient to calculate the relative temperature coefficients alpha and beta, which have been satisfactorily compared to previous published values. Also, they provided a first data set for the irradiance dependence of OPV device performance. Finally, the power matrix built from these measurements represents at our knowledge the first data set available for energy rating of OPV technology, as the matrix was done for a single device and for both irradiance and temperature dependencies together.