Smallsats Get Ground-Test Boost from Solar Array Simulator
Small satellites (smallsats) provide a cost-effective means of getting into space. In this blog, learn how solar array simulator enables ground testing for smallsats.
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Small satellites (smallsats) provide a cost-effective means of getting into space. In this blog, learn how solar array simulator enables ground testing for smallsats.
Photovoltaically powered satellites serve a wide variety of applications in Earth orbit and beyond. Use cases extend from direct-to-phone communications with satellites in low Earth orbits to astronomical observation with satellites in solar orbits. But before a satellite can leave Earth, it must undergo extensive ground tests.
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Actuators that operate aircraft flight-control surfaces undergo extensive ground tests before they take to the sky. The electrohydrostatic actuators (EHAs) used on the F-35 joint strike fighter serve as examples that illustrate the test challenges involved.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is in the news as it fends off micrometeoroids and begins transmitting full-color images and spectroscopic data. But JWST is just one of many spacecraft that launch annually using AMETEK Programmable Power Elgar Solar array simulators. Fortune Business Insights sees a bright future for the industry, with the market for medium and large satellites expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.20% to reach $14.98 billion in 2028.
According to U.S. Department of Energy, wind power is rapidly proliferating with wind installations outpacing solar installations in the United States. The DoE projects that U.S.-based onshore and offshore installations will more than triple and reach 404.25 GW across 48 states in 2050. Each wind turbine that rolls out in the coming years to help meet this projection will require extensive testing.
Automated test systems for aerospace/defense programs require instruments, programmable power supplies and loads, and high-density switching systems designed for reliability, performance, and flexibility. AMETEK Programmable Power and AMETEK VTI Instruments stand ready to assist the aerospace/defense community in implementing its core testing strategy. Previously, the industry had deployed a dedicated test station for each device under test (DUT). In contrast, the core testing strategy deploys one universal test station that can test various types of DUTs. The universal test station includes large switching systems that interconnect a superset of the instruments that can test all the target DUTs.
In the race for renewable energy, solar is gaining ground on wind generation, which currently holds a lead over solar. In its July “Short-term energy outlook,” the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that next year, additional solar capacity coming online will exceed additional wind capacity for the first time, the EIA reports.
The AMETEK Programmable Power AMECare® Reliability Assurance™ service level agreement (SLA) program is designed to provide “white glove” support for mission-critical power and test devices. It includes regular preventative maintenance, break-fix support, and legacy upgrades beginning with a product’s purchase and extending throughout its entire lifecycle.
Energy and power generation has evolved into one of the key growth industries of the 21st century. Customers depend on AMETEK VTI Instruments data acquisition and monitoring instruments and AMETEK Programmable Power power sources to deliver the accuracy and precision required to develop highly efficient and reliable products and gain a competitive edge in the global energy market.
When one of our standard products cannot completely satisfy your requirements, AMETEK Programmable Power can design a custom power supply system for you. The solutions range from OEM integration for medical and semiconductor industries to modular avionics ATE power subsystems to turnkey solar array simulators for satellites.
We also can modify our standard power supplies to meet your application requirements.
Solar Array Simulation Enables Better PV Inverter Testing for Manufacturers
In order to perform an accurate test of solar array inverters, the output of a solar array simulator must faithfully follow the I-V curve of a solar array or solar panel. That is to say that it must respond just as a solar array would to the changing load conditions imposed by the inverter under test. In order to evaluate how well a simulator can do this, you need to consider three parameters: output noise current, phase error between output voltage and current, and the maximum power point (MPP) tracking accuracy.
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