Solar Simulator – The Getaway of Future Energy
The solar simulator market was valued at US$6.597 billion in 2020 and will increase to US$10.887 billion by 2027. Over the forecast period, this market is estimated to increase at a compound yearly growth rate of 7.42%.
Solar simulators are devices that simulate natural sunshine to characterize photonic properties and solve the problem of providing a controllable indoor test facility for solar cell testing under laboratory settings. The solar simulator is made up of light sources, power supplies, and filters that adjust the beam's output to satisfy classification standards. Due to a growing need for green energy, solar simulators are increasingly being used in applications such as home hot water, production space, heating, and cooling, among others.
The numerous advantages of the Solar simulator in both household and industrial applications will be the driving force behind the market's robust growth over the forecasted timeframe.
During the anticipated period, the market would experience strong growth due to the evolving solar industry and demand for green energy in various applications. The growing need for renewable energy sources is one of the primary factors for the worldwide solar simulator industry. Solar simulators are used in the research and development of PV, cosmetics, paints and coatings, UV protection fabrics and textiles, and other products. While solar simulators have been used in testing and measurement environments for many years, OEMs are looking for next-generation solar simulators with advanced light sources and control systems that will provide versatility, high performance, and cost savings to improve product yields and lower operating costs. Solar simulators are used widely in high-volume applications like PV for research and innovation, testing, and manufacturing. Furthermore, rising government activities such as providing subsidies for using green energy, growing solar industry, falling costs of solar systems and energy storage devices, and the development of smart cities powered by green energy in various regions would exacerbate market value.
Solar Simulator's market expansion could be hindered by the high initial cost associated with the solar selector and the conditions required for its testing.
The high cost of raw materials required for Solar Simulator is preventing developing countries from adopting solar simulators, which is projected to slow expansion and pose a challenge to the market. Furthermore, Solar simulators are useful in the development, testing, and grading of solar collectors, but outdoor testing in natural conditions is required. However, the intensity of incident solar radiation, angle of incidence, albedo, direct-to-diffuse ratio, spectral distributions, ambient temperatures, and wind speeds and directions vary so widely and so quickly about the collectors' time constants that the scientific requirement of repeatability is rarely met. As a result, conducting outdoor tests to satisfy precisely defined test circumstances is impossible. Even in specially chosen areas, such as open desert locations, these challenges are significant. In many places where there is intermittent cloud, low solar intensities in the winter, changeable albedo due to uneven snow cover, or nighttime, they become almost prohibitive.
During the projected period, the Xenon Arc Lamps segment is expected to grow rapidly in the Solar Simulator market.
By Light Source, the Solar Simulator market can be segmented into Quartz Tungsten Halogen Lamps (QHT), Metal Halide Arc Lamps (HMI), Light Emitting Diodes (LED), Xenon Arc Lamps, and Others. Among the various light sources, the Xenon Arc Lamps segment is likely to occupy a substantial share. This segment's strong growth can be due to the proven technology, consistent output, and improved spectrum required for illuminating the material under test. In the solar business, xenon arc lights are mostly used to test PV cells and modules. During the forecast period, the market for xenon arc lights is likely to be driven by the rising PV market. Furthermore, it has the closest spectrum match of any artificial source and a wide range of applications in the solar sector, all of which contribute to its market growth.
The emission curve of Xenon arc lamps is reasonably smooth in the UV to visible spectrums, with typical wavelengths emitted between 750 and 1000 nm. They're a popular choice for solar simulation, absorption and fluorescence, and source spectral scanning because of their sun-like emission spectrum and 5800 K color temperature. Because of the arc's tiny size, the light from the lamp may be focused with moderate precision. Smaller xenon arc lights, down to 10 watts, are utilized in optics and precise illumination for microscopes and other devices as a result.
During the predicted period, the Pulse Simulator segment is anticipated to expand rapidly in the Solar Simulator market.
Unlike steady-state solar simulators, pulsed and flashed solar simulators do not have a constant light source across time. The pulsed simulator uses flash tubes and is qualitatively similar to flash photography. Very high intensities of up to several thousand suns are attainable with average durations of a few milliseconds. Pulse simulators have a significant market share as a result of these factors. This equipment is frequently used to prevent excessive heat build-up in the item being tested. The intensity and light spectrum are intrinsically transient due to the lamp's fast heating and cooling, making repeating reliable testing more technically demanding. In flash solar simulators, solid-state light technology such as LEDs alleviates some of these heating and cooling difficulties.
During the forecast period, the research segment is expected to grow fast in the Solar Simulator market. In addition, the testing segment will dominate the market.
Solar simulators are used extensively in high-volume applications like PV for Research and innovation, testing, and manufacturing. Rising PV demand from the utility, residential, and non-residential sectors is expected to propel the solar simulator industry forward. Furthermore, Solar thermal power generation frequently necessitates concentrating solar energy for use as a heat source. Testing the optical design and overall performance is vital to increase the efficiency of these solar thermal systems as one of the primary up-and-coming providers. To imitate natural sunlight in indoor laboratories, solar simulators are frequently utilized. solar simulators for testing the performance of various components of solar thermal power production equipment. Depending on the sort of testing done on solar thermal power systems, the requirements for a solar simulator will alter.
During the forecast period, the Solar Simulator market in the Asia Pacific is predicted to have a dominating share, followed by Europe, North America, and Latin America.
The Solar Simulator market is classified into five regions based on geography: North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The Asia Pacific is expected to lead the market in most significant terms of demand for solar simulators, owing to rising demand for solar power in nations like India, China, and Indonesia, as well as government laws on green energy across the region. Just after Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America had also enacted stringent legislation to control emissions and are concentrating mostly on renewable energy projects and energy-efficient industries; the advancement of commercial and industrial development has resulted in an increase in power demand and government supporting the development and commercialization of solar applications across the major countries, positively impacting the solar simulator market landscape. Due to favorable conditions for energy production using solar applications,
Due to favorable conditions for energy production using solar applications, Latin America has also emerged as a solar powerhouse. The solar simulator and solar power business in the area are reaching new heights owing to the increasing demand, technological developments, and government legislation. Solar projects and investments in renewable energy infrastructure, as well as the replacement of power infrastructure, are expected to drive the solar simulator market in the region.
Covid-19 Insights
The impact of COVID-19 on the solar simulator business has been unfavorable due to industry shutdowns caused by temporary lockdowns imposed by numerous governments to break the virus's cycle. Furthermore, there have been supply chain disruptions and delays in business operations. The stock has been restricted by trade obstacles. However, the solar simulator market is likely to grow in the forecast term due to increased demand from various industry sectors.
