U -20 - 



-40 

 -60 



MAXIMUM POWER (max P) 



OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE (V QC ) 

 SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT (l S( J 



20 30 40 50 



TEMPERATURE, °C 



Figure 9. Effect of ambient temperature on the electrical performance of Solarex silicon 

 solar cells in panel 100177. 



T est Setup. Each solar array consisted of 36, high performance, 2- by 2-in silicon cells 

 connected in series and bonded to a tempered Sunadex® glass panel (figure 10). The backs of 

 the cells, as well as the wiring between the individual cells, were protected against water by 

 encapsulation in silicon rubber. Each array was provided with 200-ft-long, teflon-insulated 

 pigtails for measurement of power output during submersion to a maximum depth of 200 ft 

 (61 m). To facilitate performance of the field tests, the two solar cell arrays were mounted 

 back-to-back on a wooden frame, which was suspended horizontally by a nylon rope from a 

 boat-mounted reel (figure 1 1 ). The upward-facing array responded to downwelling irradiance, 

 while the downward-facing array responded only to upwelling irradiance at a given depth. 



15 



