SMARTI - An Open Source Matlab Ray Tracing Tool for Solar Cell and Module Optics

Abstract

In this paper a powerful photovoltaic ray-tracing tool is presented that is available under the GNU General Public License. The software is written in the MATLAB language and the code is easy to understand and well structured. The software is using two basic approaches: 1) A Monte-Carlo approach based on random numbers is used for the determination of the path of each ray through the module, 2) A unit cell approach is used to simulate infinite areas with the help of only one unit cell element. As many layers as desired can be chosen for the simulation of a solar module and for each of these layers individual material properties, textures, coatings, Lambertian scattering and grid geometries can be set. The tool is particularly interesting for researchers that need a high flexibility concerning the input and output parameters of a ray-tracer and for those that cannot afford to buy one of the costly tools available on the market.The software can be downloaded from a Github repository: https://github.com/Nanunanuk/SMARTI