Title :
A novel, light weight solar array: comparison with conventional systems
Author :
Vendura, George J., Jr. ; Malone, Patrick ; Crawford, Larry
Author_Institution :
SUMM Associates, Los Alamitos, CA, USA
Abstract :
A novel, lightweight solar panel design is described incorporating the best features from three separate areas of development: (1) advanced solar cells, (2) light weight, flexible blanket technology, and (3) deployment by inflation. Inflation deployed panels of various powers incorporating four different types of low mass solar cells are studied with respect to conventional systems. Depending on panel size and cell type, five-fold and three-fold improvements in specific powers (U/kg) can be realized compared to present state of the art rigid and flexible systems respectively
Keywords :
photovoltaic power systems; solar cell arrays; solar cells; space vehicle power plants; advanced solar cells; flexible blanket technology; inflation deployed panels; light weight solar array; space solar array; Computational Intelligence Society; Crystallization; Gallium arsenide; Hardware; Laboratories; Optical arrays; Payloads; Photovoltaic cells; Power system reliability; Space technology;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1993., Conference Record of the Twenty Third IEEE
Conference_Location :
Louisville, KY
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-1220-1
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1993.346915
