Agilent Helps Get That I-V Curve Just Right…

A new, modular solar array that offers up to 1200W in a 2U high package has debuted from Agilent Technologies. 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, turnkey solar array simulator system. The Agilent E4360 is a dual output programmable DC power source that provides up to two outputs, at up to 600W per output. The array 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. This is the first solar array simulator to provide universal serial bus (USB 2.0), 10/100 Base-T Ethernet (LAN) and general-purpose interface bus (GPIB) interfaces as standard equipment, enabling easy, low-cost connectivity to a PC. The E4360 can also be remotely operated and monitored from any web browser via a built-in web server and graphical user interface—Santa Clara, California