Solar Simulator

A solar simulator allows us to test solar systems independent from current weather conditions and time of day. This means that solar research can happen at an accelerated rate because of the amount of time able to study a system with constant testing conditions. The simulator creates artificial sunlight using xenon-arc lamps. These lamps produce similar quality light to that of the sun. With the help of parabolic reflectors, this light is made into direct beam radiation with intensity close to 1 sun. By making direct beams of light we are able to test systems that concentrate sunlight as well as those that do not. The lights are arranged in an array to produce a large area for testing. This area is adjustable by adding or subtracting lights in the array but is ultimately limited by the size of the room.