The Impact Of Solar Panel Cutouts On The Electromagnetic Interference From Solar Panels For Space Vehicles

Abstract

Conventional solar panels for industrial applications are comprised of a given number of rows and columns of solar cells such that the overall array of solar cells forms a balanced rectangular pattern. In space applications of solar panels, it is sometimes necessary to modify this rectangular pattern such that one or more corners of the panel are bevelled or chamfered in order to prevent the obstruction of the field of view from an on-board antenna, for example. In space applications, the bevel can be rather large and can cause a significant imbalance of the distribution of the solar cells. This paper attempts to characterize the DC magnetic field, as well as the RF electric and magnetic fields, for a conventional space vehicle solar panel that is about 2.7 meters by 2.2 meters in its dimensions, and in which one corner of the panel is bevelled or chamfered. The solar panel is characterized with 17 strings of solar cells, in which each string is comprised of 38 solar cells. Each cell generates 1.0A of current, and the string voltage is about 40V. Each cell is comprised of 100 “fingers” that collect the current from the cell. It is determined in this paper that bevelled corners notably affect the electromagnetic interference from the panel. It is also shown in this paper how a circularly rotating payload, such as a radiometer, can be notably affected by the DC magnetic field from a bevelled panel, since the rotating payload effectively “sees” a very low frequency AC magnetic field due to its rotation within the DC magnetic field.