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S o l a r P o w e r D a i l y N e w s T h u r s d a y, O c t o b e r 2 4 , 2 0 1 3 1 0 OAI INTRODUCES AN ADVANCED SYSTEM FOR TESTING HIGH EFFICIENCY SOLAR CELLS In working with partner companies, OAI found when testing high efficiency solar cells, that flash testers produce inconsis- tent fill-factor (FF) values and lower cell efficiency measurements due to I-V curve hysteresis when sweeping in both forward and reverse directions. OAI's new Single Long Pulse Solar Simulator and I-V Test System overcomes the limi- tations of flash testers and provides exceptionally accurate measurements for various types of High Efficiency Solar Cells. "Obtaining the required pulse width and sweep rate is a significant challenge for a flash test system's ability to accurately determine the true per- formance of advanced High Efficiency Solar Cells," says Dr. Mohan Bhan, Director of OAI's Solar Test Division. He adds "Research shows that High Efficiency Cells require a pulse width in the range of 75-200ms and a working range of less than 15Vsec voltage sweep rates." In contrast, flash testers only pro- vide an extremely short pulse duration in the range of 5–50ms and require fast voltage sweep rates. "OAI's new advanced test system combines a Single Long Pulse Solar Simulator with Advanced Uniform Beam Optics, a built-in auto shutter that controls the single long pulse whose duration can be adjusted from 5ms to ≥200ms, and a high power I-V Test System. The I-V Rider Software sup- plied with the system adjusts and opti- mizes the voltage sweep rate from <0.25V/sec to >150V/sec in order to compensate for the high capacitance of the solar cell and to match the device's dielectric response speed. The OAI solar simulator, with internal optical feedback and control, provides short and long-term stability by correcting each point on the I-V curve to a 1Sun reference intensity. Additionally, the system adjusts the power to maintain a constant intensity of 1 Sun without operator intervention and automatically adjusts and maintains the reference ratio to ~1.0. These fea- tures help to achieve the most accurate binning of production wafers, resulting in increased profitability. The I-V soft- ware displays the reference ratio as a quality check. The system also displays the lamp power and reference ratio and sounds an alarm when the lamp life is about to reach its end. A graphical and tabular data comparison of exposure and intensity over time provides an outstanding tool for QC control. An excellent choice for both R&D and production measurements, OAI's new long pulse test system solves the unique measurement challenges of both High Efficiency and High Capacitance Solar Cells. The Single Long Pulse Test System offers exception- al performance, outstanding reliability, and versatility backed by OAI's 40 years of optical design experience. All OAI systems are supported by its world-wide service and support organization. For more information, contact OAI at 408-232-0600, online at www.oainet.com or by email at sales@oainet.com. 4 S.T.E.L. ENGINEERING EXPANDS ITS ABILITIES TO MEET CLIENTS' ALTERNATIVE ENERGY NEEDS An interview with Dustin Rosepink, President & CEO, 4 S.T.E.L. Engineering, Inc. SPDN: Tell our readers about your company. What's your main line of business? DR: 4 S.T.E.L. Engineering, Inc., is a structural engineering firm located in the beautiful seaside town of San Clemente, California. Our company's history extends back nearly six decades, most of that time being based in this great south coast town. 4 S.T.E.L. has completed structural engi- neering projects in nearly every market segment―residential, commercial, industrial, educational―and, in the last eight years, a significant part of our business has been in the renewable energy market. During this time, 4 S.T.E.L. has designed and structurally engineered PV ground mounts, roof mounts, and canopies along with solar thermal and wind turbines for some of California's top alternative-energy- solution firms. SPDN: What would you say makes your company unique? DR: Our ability to assist our clients with navigating the California Division of the State Architect (DSA) submittal and approval process makes us unique. Due to our experience in designing and engineering PV ground mounts, roof mounts, and canopies, 4 S.T.E.L. has been involved in multiple projects located at California public schools. This involvement has led 4 S.T.E.L. to invest hun- dreds of man hours in the creation and imple- mentation of a docu- ment that is pre- approved with the DSA for photovoltaic canopies. This pre-approved document allows 4 S.T.E.L.'s clients the ability to obtain over-the-counter approval for solar canopy projects located at California public schools or communi- ty colleges. This is very significant to our clients and to the school districts because not only does it save time―which always equals money―but it also allows for construc- tion to begin sooner. This allows school districts to realize the savings in energy expense as quickly as possible. SPDN: What was the most significant series of events affecting your compa- ny in the past year? DR: I would say 4 S.T.E.L. has dealt with two significant events this past year that have had an effect on our firm. First, due to the demand of our clients, 4 S.T.E.L. has undergone substantial growth in the past year. We have expanded our engineering and administrative departments by nearly 40 percent, thereby increasing our ability to successfully complete current and upcoming projects. Second, we have expanded our ability to offer solutions that meet our clients' needs by incorporating electrical design and engineering into our servic- es. This gives our clients the ability to easily coordinate their project with a single contact at 4 S.T.E.L. instead of dealing with multiple contacts and multiple firms. For more information, call 949-388- 9333, visit www.4steleng.com or email info@4steleng.com.