PHOTON International The Photovoltaic Magazine

Simplified flasher for module manufacturers from Belval

In a move to widen its customer base, Swiss company Belval S.A. has announced market introduction of a new light generator for measuring IV-curves of solar modules.

	© Belval S.A.
Black box: The new flasher MFG 305 looks like the MFG 502 from the outside, but contains only half the number of flashtubes.

»The new Pasan MFG 305 has the same technical characteristics as the MFG 502, only the illuminated area is smaller – and the price is smaller as well,« says Pierre-René Beljean, managing director of Belval. While the MFG 502 was developed for research labs and testing institutes, the MFG 305 is aimed at module manufacturers.

The MFG 305 is a single flasher for using xenon lamps that – based on IEC 60904-9 standard – provide an excellent non-uniformity of irradiance of only typically 0.5 percent and a temporal stability varying only +/-1 percent for the 10 milliseconds long light pulse. Overall the spectral irradiance distribution complies with simulator class A, the best of the three simulator classes according to IEC 60904-9.

In comparison to the MFG 502, which is equipped with four flashtubes, the new flasher has only two tubes, thus reducing system power and operating costs. That also means that the light of the MFG 305 only can illuminate a maximum area of 2 m in diameter in 5.5 m distance (in class A quality), while modules can have a size of 2 × 2 m and can be positioned up to 8 m away from the flashlight when measured with the MFG 502. The lamps for each of the units are said to last 50,000 to 100,000 flashes in average. With a lamp loading time of 30 seconds, the MFG 305 can measure 120 modules per hour.

Belval recommends combining the MFG 305 with its BV66 electronic load, which is also used with the MFG 502. With a maximum power supply of 500 W, the load can measure modules with an output power under flash up to 1,000 W, whereas the voltage of the unit can range from 0.7 to 300 V and the current from 0.1 to 30 A, displayed in different scales (1, 10, 30) depending on what resolution is needed.

The MFG 305 software allows module classification, management of barcode and label printing, as well as a database.

The MFG 305 can be purchased separately at a price of 70,000 CHF ($58,510) or together with the BV66 load – advertised under the system name SS IIIc – for 120,000 CHF ($100,310), while the MFG 502 with four flashtubes and the BV66 load (system name SS IIIb) costs around €134,500 ($174,330).

Belval S.A.
Sous la Roche 2 / CP 5
CH-2042 Valangin, Switzerland
phone +41/32/857-2393, fax -2295
info@belval.com
www.belval.com