Agilent Technologies Introduces Industry's Smallest, Highest-Power Solar Array Simulator

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today introduced a modular solar array simulator that offers the most power (up to 1200W) in the smallest package (2U high). Designed for customers testing a satellite's power system, the Agilent E4360 solar array simulator allows R&D engineers, manufacturing engineers and system integrators to accurately simulate the I-V curve of a solar panel's array under various environmental conditions. In addition to the new standalone instrument, Agilent now provides an affordable, full turn-key solar array simulator system.

"Solar array simulator DC power supplies are core components of a satellite test system," said Gary Whitman, vice president of Agilent's System Products Division. "As satellites get bigger and demand more power from their solar panels, there is a need for higher-power devices to simulate those higher-power solar panels. The E4360 satisfies this need by providing an affordable, high power, compact test solution."

The Agilent E4360 is a dual output programmable DC power source that provides up to two outputs at up to 600W per output. It can accurately simulate the I-V curve of all types of solar arrays under varying environmental conditions such as eclipse, spin, rotation, age and temperature. It has the flexibility to operate in two ways. Users can:

input the four key operational parameters (Voc, Isc, Vmp, Imp) needed for the solar array simulator to internally create an I-V curve of a solar array; or
download a user-defined table for the I-V curve of the solar array.