High Power Platform for the Stretched Lens Array

The proposed innovative solar array is based on combining two cutting edge technologies, the SquareRigger solar array structure and the Stretched Lens Array (SLA), to produce an extremely lightweight, high efficiency, high power, high voltage and low stowed volume solar array suitable for very high power applications. This solar array uses SquareRigger, which is believed to be the best-demonstrated structural approach for deploying extremely large photovoltaic blankets in terms of low mass, low stowed volume and high stiffness and the SLA Fresnel concentrator, which is believed to be the best demonstrated photovoltaic system, in terms of the desirable combination of low cost, high efficiency (30%), ultra-low mass (>500 W/kg blanket) and high voltage (>1000V). The proposed concentrator elements are highly optimized versions of the extremely successful Deep Space 1 SCARLET solar array components. During the first phase of the SBIR preliminary design and analysis (structure, power and mass) of the solar array system will be performed and reported and a mechanically functional mock-up of the dual-deck SLA photovoltaic blanket will be fabricated. It is envisioned that a full size (5m x 2.5m) SLA SquareRigger array will be built and tested for mass power and structural properties during phase 2.