Electrical Response of Photovoltaic Power Cells to Cosmic Radiation in the Stratosphere

This article describes the CURiE (Composites and photovoltaics Undergoing Radiation Exposure) stratospheric experiment, which was designed and built in 2024 for the BEXUS 35 stratospheric flight campaign in Sweden. One of the main objectives of the experiment was to investigate the electric currents generated in polycrystalline photovoltaic panels, shielded from visible light, and exposed in stratospheric conditions to cosmic radiation. The experiment’s registered data correlate with the X-ray fluxes registered by the GOES satellites, which are presented with the inclusion of the atmosphere’s attenuation. A single voltage-generating event may have been linked to the impact of a high-energy proton. The article forms a basis for the next research with the exposed photovoltaics and the next generation of experiments involving novel radiation-proof panels.