scope:

Scope and object

This part of IEC 60904 describes the procedure for correcting the bias error introduced in the testing of a photovoltaic device, caused by the mismatch between the test spectrum and the reference spectrum and by the mismatch between the spectral responses (SR) of the reference cell and of the test specimen. The procedure applies only to photovoltaic devices linear in SR as defined in IEC 60904-10. This procedure is valid for single junction devices but the principle may be extended to cover multijunction devices.

The purpose of this standard is to give guidelines for the correction of measurement bias, should there be a mismatch between both the test spectrum and the reference spectrum and between the reference device SR and the test specimen SR.

Since a PV device 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. If the irradiance is measured 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 to make the necessary corrections to obtain the performance of the PV device under the reference solar spectral distribution defined in IEC 60904-3.

If a reference PV device or a thermopile type detector is used to measure the irradiance then, following the procedure given in this standard, it is possible to calculate the spectral mismatch correction necessary to obtain the short-circuit current of the test PV device under the reference solar spectral irradiance distribution included in Table 1 of IEC 60904-3 or any other reference spectrum. If the reference PV device has the same relative spectral response as the test PV device then the reference device automatically takes into account deviations of the real light spectral distribution from the standard spectral distribution, and no further correction of spectral bias errors is necessary. In this case, location and weather conditions are not critical when the reference device method is used for outdoor performance measurements provided both reference cell and test PV device have the same relative spectral response. Also, for identical relative SR's, the spectral classification of the simulator is not critical for indoor measurements.

If the performance of a PV device is measured using a known spectral irradiance distribution, its short-circuit current at any other spectral irradiance distribution can be computed using the spectral response of the PV test device.