The performance of Gallium Arsenide/germanium solar cells at the Martian surface

• Published in: Acta astronautica Vol. 54; no. 2; pp. 83 - 101
• Main Authors: Crisp, D, Pathare, A, Ewell, R C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2004
• ISSN: 0094-5765
• DOI: 10.1016/80094-5765(02)00287-4

A theoretical model was used to predict the electrical power output by Gallium Arsenide/ Germanium solar cells at the surface of Mars. This model was validated using measurements from the Mars Pathfinder Lander. It was then used to estimate the solar power output as a function of latitude, local time, and season for airborne dust optical depths between 0.1 and 5. For this range of dust opacities, the power output varies by about a factor of three at low and mid-latitudes. This model was also used to estimate the solar cell performance degradation due to dust accumulation. Dust accumulation reduced the power output by 0.4 to 0.5 percent Martian day during the first 20 days of the mission, but the power loss rate fell to ~0.1 percent/day after that. If these power loss rates are typical, solar power provides a viable option for long-lived stations on the Martian surface.