Research, Reflections and Innovations in Integrating ICT in Education

An on-line experiment: Solar Cell I-V Characterization

A. Neveu1, A. Legendre1, O. Martínez2, J. Adiego3, M. A. González2, V. Parra4
1
ECOLE D’INGENIEURS, Université de Nantes. Christian Pauc, BP 50609, 44306 Nantes Cedex3, France
2
GdS-OPTRONLAB, Department of Condensed Matter Physics, University of Valladolid, Edificio de I+D, Paseo
de Belén 1, 47011, Valladolid, Spain
3
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATICS, University of Valladolid, Campus Miguel Delibes s/n, 47011, Valladolid,
Spain
4
INSTALACIONES PEVAFERSA S. L. Energías Renovables, Parque Tecnológico de Boecillo

We present in this paper a tool for Physics learning, an experiment remotely controlled by Internet Web based
technologies. Basically, it consists in a solar cell excited by a slide projector with different neutral density and
colour filters. A load variable resistance allows the collection of the I-V characteristics. The user chooses the filter
and stars up the experiment. When the experience finishes the data are sent to the client in text format. The main
objective of the project is focused on increasing the laboratory resources, in the context of the Bologna declaration
process and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), where the student’s timetable is more and more
tailored and flexible, and the time dedicated to lectures and practices is diminishing. The remote laboratory is
based in a LabView environment. The system logs the last user access by a database. Labview integrates data
acquisition, analysis and presentation in one system and allows a fast implementation of remote control
instruments.

Keywords Solar Cell; I-V characterization; Remote Laboratory; Physics in engineering education; Labview

1. Introduction
For science and engineering students, laboratory experiments play a very important role to reinforce learning of
concepts and to improve its education. Although some of the experiments need the presence of the students in
the laboratory, it is also possible to work at distance, using the appropriate devices (sensors, data acquisition
board and webcam). In this way, one have almost completely control of the experiments (preparation,
acquisition, treatments and results presentation), and can obtain “almost” the same results. Remote laboratories
available through Internet can be beneficial for students and teachers. Teachers can easily incorporate
inexpensive laboratory demonstrations in traditional lecture courses, and students find a new exciting
communication channel, allowing them to be independent of location and timetable [1]. Some studies have been
carried out comparing remote, simulated and classical laboratories, and have proved that remote laboratories
provide similar learning outcomes to their class analogues [2-4].
The increased bandwidth allowing remote access to programs, like simulations, sensors, control instruments,
etc., has stimulated the development of Laboratory experiments, some of which have been already adopted in
courses [5-8]. In this context, the Condensed Matter Physics (http://goya.eis.uva.es) and Computer Science
Departments (http://www.infor.uva.es) of the University of Valladolid are developing a real remote laboratory
with different experiments [9, 10].

2. Design of the experiment

2.1 System structure

The remote laboratory is based in LabView (short for Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering
Workbench) environment, with a database. Labview integrates data acquisition, analysis and presentation in one
system and allows a fast implementation of remote control instruments. We have chosen a system based on
client-server architecture where the students (clients), with modest resources requirements, talk with the server
(laboratory), which supports a greater load (system control, data monitorization, management and users
authentication), by means of web browsers (Fig. 1a). When the user connects to the home page of the remote
laboratory, a welcome page appears, as shown in Fig. 1b. A login and a password are required to have access.
The average duration of an experiment is a few minutes; nevertheless, the user has free time to conducts the
experiment. Only in the case that another user wants to perform the same experience the system limits to five
minutes the experiment’s time, notifying it to the first user, in order to allow the access of the next one.

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slide
projector
solar cell Language selection

User access
variable load resistance LED fan

or or

lamp & slide projector filter relay

relays

voltage source

adquisition
card

(a) (b)
server IP
camera
users

Fig. 1 a: System structure and experimental assembly; b: English Internet site Welcome Page.

2.2 Hardware
The objectives of this experiment are to determine the IV characteristics of a typical multicrystalline Silicon
Solar Cell (SC) under different conditions suchs different light fluxes and various wavelenghts. Testing the SC
and acquiring the characteristic curves require an illumination source, a variable load resistance and a data
acquisition system. The device used for lighting is an old slide projector equiped with several density filters to
regulate de luminous flux, modified to facilitate its remote control. To obtain the I-V characteristics it has been
designed a circuit to remotely modify the load resistance, Fig 2. The circuit is composed by logical components
(counter/shift register, 4 de-multiplexers and 16 Analogue Switches) and standards resistors (10 and 100 Ohms).
With this system one can get up to 31 pairs of different values of I-V characteristics of the illuminated solar cell.
The solar cell that we have selected is a module formed by 4 solar cells of 0.5 V wired up in pairs to form 2
fragments of 1 V which can be wired up in series or in parallel (Model: [57863] Solar cell 2 V/0.3 A STE 4 /
100).

(b)
(a)

Fig. 2 a: Circuit schema; b: Image of the circuit

A programmable data acquisition USB module (DT9802 of Data Translation), with analogical and digital
input-output channels, is used for control and data capture. A video IP-camera, Axis 205, is used to visualize the
experience. In this way, the user will feel that he has the real control of the experiment. The server is a Pentium
IV with 1024 Mb (RAM).

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2.3 Software
The developed software can be divided into two parts, first the control program made with Labview, and second
the web site implemented with PHP, MySQL and JAVA. The Internet server, http://labrem3.eis.uva.es, has been
developed in three languages, English, French and Spanish. There are two types of users, the user with restricted
account and the administrator with account privileges. The administrator can create new users and change some
physical parameters. The system log the last users acces and finally put on line the experimental results files.
The control program software, implemented with Labview, allows the management of different hardware
elements: it switch on and off an auxiliary light used to view the experimental assembly, and allows to chose
the primary light filter. The system has six different neutral density filters and three color filters, which allow
verifying the dependence of the generated current with the excitation light. Fig 3 shows the real-time video
image and the control window of the experiment.

Fig. 3. Top: Real time video image; Botton:

Labview control panel.

3. Results
PV cells can be modelled as a current source in parallel with a diode [11]. In an ideal cell, the total current I
depends on the current IS generated and the saturation current of the diode I0, according to equation (1):
 qV 
I = I S − I 0  e kT − 1 (1)
 
where q is the elementary charge, k is the Boltzmann constant , T is the cell temperature and V is the measured
cell voltage.
The I-V characteristics data of the illuminated SC is shown in Figure 4a. Students can obtain from these data
many performance parameters of the solar cell:
•The short circuit current ISC, corresponding to the short circuit condition when the impedance is low.
•The open circuit voltage VOC, occuring when there is no current passing through the cell .
•The voltage VMP and current IMP, corresponding to the maximum power point.
•The Fill Factor FF, calculated by comparing the maximum power to the theoretical power, which is
essentially a measure of the quality of the solar cell.
•The efficiency η, which is the ratio of the electrical power output (Pout) compared to the solar power input
(Pin). Fig. 4b shows the dependence of the efficiency with the illumination flux.

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Intensity (mA)

Eficiency
(a) (b)

Voltage (V) Illumination (lux)

Fig. 4. a: I-V characteristics; b: Efficiency versus illumination

4. Conclusions
The main objective of this paper is to present an educational experiment using a remote laboratory with one
experience developed in a LabView environment. This platform allows a relatively fast implementation of
remote control instruments. The use of new technologies in teaching opens a high number of possibilities and
can contribute to make possible the access to more resources that will improve the quality of education.
Integration of modern technologies and traditional methods is crucial for successful training.
On the other hand, technological developments demand more and more equipments for a science teaching
Laboratory, and the cost is rising steadily. Consequently educational institutions, especially at the less developed
countries, can have many difficulties to design science instructional spaces like laboratories. Therefore these
advances can cause the increase of the digital divide [12]. This type of application can contribute to make
possible the access to resources that contribute to improve the education in less developed countries [13, 14].
The system described in this paper has been successfully developed. The remote experiment is fully functional
from the beginning of the next course.

Acknowledgements Part of this work was supported by a grant “Convocatoria Financiación Grupos de Excelencia
GR202” from the “Junta de Castilla y León”. We also thank Dr. J. Jiménez and Dr. M. Herguedas from the University of
Valladolid for its collaboration and critical comments, respectively.

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