Evaluation of LED devices as solar energy collectors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/asce.v5i2.792Keywords:
Photovoltaic LED; I–V curve; DIY solar simulator; ESP32; INA226; Full-spectrum lighting.Abstract
In the academic field, accurate photovoltaic characterization faces obstacles stemming from the high costs associated with both specialized instrumentation and commercial simulators. To address this technical gap, the objective of this study was to experimentally evaluate the photovoltaic performance of eight multispectral LED configurations in a low-cost lighting chamber. The methodology involved implementing an automated characterization system in a 1 m² chamber calibrated to ~1000 W/m², where an ESP32 microcontroller and an INA226 sensor recorded I-V curves in 60-second sweeps. Macrometric arrays, RGB modules, LED strips, and white panels were tested. The quantitative results revealed that the white LEDs (2.4 W) and the LED strip performed best, with maximum powers (Pmax) of 1.02 mW and 0.71 mW, and fill factors (FF) of 0.55 and 0.57, respectively. On the other hand, UV LEDs induced the weakest photoresponse, with a DE (Pmax) of 0.05 mW and an FF of 0.45. In conclusion, the technical feasibility of using LED devices as efficient small-scale solar energy collectors has been demonstrated, validating the impact of the DIY solar simulator as a highly reproducible (CV% < 5%) and low-cost tool for optoelectronic research.
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