Simulation of photovoltaic (PV) power system performance of spacecraft in geostationary orbit using a prototype model

Abstract

The most important system on-board any spacecraft is its electrical power system, as every other subsystem requires power to operate. Photovoltaic (PV) array meets the total power requirements of the spacecraft in the geostationary orbit during its entire mission life. PV array consists of number of solar panel substrates on which solar cells are laid down in series and parallel for its power requirement generation. This paper presents the effects of varying temperature and irradiance on the solar energy generation based on the fundamental circuit equations of a solar PV cell model. Thus, an increase in irradiance at constant temperature, the voltage and current output also increase. Whereas, at constant irradiance, an increase in temperature decreases the power output from PV array. The model produces various curves for I-V and P-V characteristics of the PV array.