Clyde Space

Solar Panels 

Solar Panels are typcially the most expensive subsystems on a spacecraft.  This expense is due to a number of factors including; the cost of the solar cells, the cost of the materials used in the solar panel maunfacturing process and the cost of the labour involved in the design and production of the panels.   

Clyde Space designed and manufactured TWO 24W solar panels for SunSpace in South Africa.  The cells are single junction Gallium Arsenide and the substrate is a carbon composite.

At Clyde Space we recognise that there needs to be a rethink in the way that solar panels are produced for small satellites and microspacecraft.  Using our experience in small satellites and solar panel manufacturing, we have developed processes based on traditional techniques that will allow us to supply small solar arrays for small satellite manufacturers at a price that meets the budget - not 'blows' the budget.

We have developed plug-n-play solar panel sets for CubeSats from 1U through to 3U (image left) in size. We can also supply custom solar panels of dimensions up to 500mm x 500mm. Substrate materials can be anything from monolithic carbon panels, to aluminium honeycomb panels, or PCB based materials.

In addition, our extensive industry contacts enable us to source affordable cells, quickly and with state-of-the-art performance characteristics. Typically, we use Spectrolab high efficiency cells for our CubeSat solar panels due to the need to make the most of the limited solar panel area. Also, we can typically meet lead-times of 8 weeks from order to delivery on most CubeSat orders (depending on the need for export license).  Used in conjunction with our CubeSat EPS, it is possible to maximise and manage the power from the solar panels using our proprietary maximum power point tracking technology.  Our CubeSat Solar Panels can also have integrated magnetorquer coils.

The image on the left is of a 12W Silicon solar cell panel for the SOHLA-2 Small Satellite based on the PETSAT satellite concept.

Please see our Solar_Panel_Datasheet for more information.

Please contact us with your requirements or for a quotation.