A Survey of Decommissioned Photovoltaic Modules from Solar Power Plants in Thailand: Performance and Second Life Opportunities

Abstract

Four hundred decommissioned solar photovoltaic (PV) modules from nine utility‐scale solar power plants in Thailand have been surveyed on site by means of visual inspection, insulation testing and outdoor current–voltage (I–V) curve measurement. These included amorphous silicon (a‐Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS or CIS) and multi crystalline silicon (multi c‐Si) PV modules after 6–9 years of operation. The most observed visual defect was the permanent edge soiling for all types of PV modules. The degradation rate (DR) for maximum power output (Pm) of the PV modules has varied widely, from 1.5%/year to 9%/year. 83% of the total amount of modules in this study still has the Pm of above 70% of their initial value, suggesting a potential for second use. Our findings are informative for a further study on PV reliability in the tropics and also can be used to develop mechanisms for handling decommissioned PV modules from solar farms, e.g., screening procedure concerning performance, safety, and reliability aspects before their second life application. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Investigation of Schottky bypass diodes from a faulty PV plant

“…When photovoltaic modules show reduced performance or failures (Figs. 1a and 1b), the question arises whether they can be discarded or used for another purpose -keyword "second life" [1][2][3]. However, to find the reason for the reduced performance, such modules must first be examined, which can be done efficiently with common methods like thermal imaging, electroluminescence, IV-curve analyser, visual inspection or a digital multimeter [4].…”