Successive neutron and gamma irradiation and their impact on the characteristics of solar cells

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of successive neutron and gamma radiation on the parameters of commercial solar cells. Several solar panels have been exposed to neutron radiation and then, after 30 days of recovery, to gamma radiation. A series of measurements of solar cell parameters have been undertaken to determine the reliability of solar cells in the condition of successive irradiation of different types of rays. Solar cell parameters have been measured before and after every step of irradiation. The process of annealing has also been observed. This paper aims to present the effects of both neutron and gamma radiation on the same solar cell sample.

Keywords

• solar panel
• gamma irradiation
• neutron irradiation
• i-v characteristic
• series resistance
• parallel resistance
• open-circuit voltage
• short-circuit current