BS EN 60904-3:2008 pdf free.Photovoltaic devices – Part3:Measurement principles for terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) solar devices with reference spectral irradiance data.
BS EN 60904-3 describes basic measurement principles for determining the electrical output of PV devices. The principles given in this document are designed to relate the performance rating of PV devices to a common reference terrestrial solar spectral irradiance distribution.
3 Measurement principles
In current practice the photovoltaic performance of a solar cell or module is determined by exposing it at a known temperature to stable sunlight, natural or simulated, and measuring its current-voltage (l-V) characteristic curve while measuring the magnitude of both the incident irradiance and the PV device temperature. Detailed I-V curve measurement procedures are Included in IEC 60904-1. The measured performances can then be corrected to Standard Test Conditions (STC) or other desired conditions of irradiance and temperature according to IEC 60891. The corrected power output at the rated voltage and STC is commonly referred to as the rated power.
Incident irradiance can be measured by means of a PV reference device (whose spectral response must be known) or, if measuring under natural sunlight, by means of a thermopiletype irradiance detector (pyranometer). If a PV reference device is used. it shall satisfy the requirements specified in IEC 60904-2. Temperature determination of the PV device under test shall be made according to lEC 60904-1.
Since a solar cell has a wavelength-dependent response, its performance is significantly affected by the spectral distribution of the incident radiation, which in natural sunlight varies with several factors such as location, weather, time of year, time of day, orientation of the receiving surface, etc., and with a simulator varies with its type and conditions of use. If the irradiance is measured either with a thermopile-type radiometer (that is not spectrally selective) or with a reference solar cell, the spectral irradiance distribution of the incoming light must be known in order to make the necessary corrections to obtain the performance of the PV device under the reference solar spectral distribution defined in this standard as specified in IEC 60904-7. It is also possible for a user or array designer, using the spectral response of the cells, to compute within a reasonable tolerance the performance of a PV device when exposed to light of any other known spectral irradiance distribution. The methodology for this calculation can be found in IEC 60904-7.