Spire has shipped its 100th Spi-Sun Simulator 4600 SLP to Saflex Solar Encapsulants, a unit of Solutia. The equipment is designed to create a stable uniform single long-pulse (SLP) of light during which the entire I-V measurement is performed. Manufacturers of both crystalline silicon and thin-film modules use the simulator.
“Although we have been manufacturing solar simulators for many years, the SLP Series is new to the market,” said Roger Little, chairman and CEO of Spire. “We just introduced it in the first quarter of 2008, so I am happy the 100th simulator is already being shipped. It is also pleasing that it is now being used by many UL and CE module qualification laboratories throughout the world. Saflex is developing critical material for PV module encapsulation, so they need to have a state-of-the-art tool for their material evaluations.”
“Saflex recently added a PV research center to help foster innovation of solar encapsulants,” said Francois Koran, Saflex photovoltaic development manager. “Sourcing state-of-the-art equipment, like the Spire Spi-Sun Simulator, is critical to develop break-through product and process solutions.”
