Standard Procedures for Terrestrial Photovoltaic Performance Measurements

This specification lays down standard procedures for determining the electrical performance of photovoltaic solar cells, modules and arrays for use in terrestrial applications. Measuring methods and instrumentation are described for testing in natural sunlight and with a solar simulator. In order to minimize discrepancies caused by variations in the spectral distribution of the incident radiation, this specification requires performance ratings to be related to a “standard sunlight” distribution and irradiances to be measured by specially calibrated reference solar cells.