本研究為太陽能板電力系統效能測試設備設計太陽光模擬光源之電子安定器。太陽光之模擬光源選用與其光譜最接近的高強度氣體放電燈。本研究以微控制器做為安定器的控制核心，配合週邊硬體電路，對光源的驅動電源執行電壓回饋、電流回饋，以穩定電功率及亮度之輸出。以微控制器為核心可降低硬體複雜度、增加抵抗雜訊能力、增加系統彈性。以USB作為通訊介面，可由主電腦端控制光源亮度，亦能將實驗數據回傳做為記錄與分析的依據。 所研製的安定器效能的實測試結果涵蓋: 從冷、熱啟動點燈達到溫度穩定的需時，照明中功率設定值改變造成電壓電流變化所需的穩定時間，直流電壓轉換的能量效率，定電壓、定電流、定電功率的回授控制模式的線性度。 This research is to develop an electronic ballast for a solar illumination simulation light source as a key element towards the development of a solar electric power system test equipment. High Intensity Discharge HID lamp is chosen as the simulating light source because of the similarity between its photonic spectrum and that of the sun. An electronic ballast is necessary to ignite the lamp and to maintain and control its illumination afterwards. We applied a microcontroller together with switching power circuits to achieve the desired functionalities with much flexibility of tuning, monitoring, and future developments. The electronic ballast may operate in constant voltage mode, constant current mode, and constant power mode. The USB port of its microcontroller allows remote control, adjustment, and status monitoring from a host computer. The following performance figures were tested and reported: the time it requires to get the lamp ignited to reach its thermal steady state, the dynamic response of the lamp to a set point change in constant power operation as it is necessary to simulate solar illumination on a satellite in orbit, the power efficiency of the voltage converter in the ballast, and the linearity deviation of ballast feedback controls in constant voltage, constant current, and constant power mode, respectively.
