Commonly observed degradation in field-aged photovoltaic modules

An investigation into hot‐spots in two large grid‐connected PV plants

“…15,16 Nevertheless, in our case, the modules are new and the failure occurred within few years, which seems to indicate a specific and faulty manufacturing process. This series resistance is responsible for the irreversible degradation of the affected PV modules, as the following section shows, as well as a part of the measured power losses.…”

Performance of Photovoltaics Under Actual Operating Conditions

“…Other degradation mechanisms include metal mitigation through the p-n junction and antireflection coating deterioration. All the abovementioned degradation mechanisms have been obtained from previous experience on c-Si technologies (Dunlop, 2005;Quintana et al, 2002;Som & Al-Alawi, 1992). …”

Reliability and Degradation of Solar PV Modules—Case Study of 19-Year-Old Polycrystalline Modules in Ghana

“…A number of researchers have undertaken, over the years, to study the long-term outdoor performance, degradation and failure of solar PV modules around the world. Notable authors in this area include Lorenzo et al [36], Bandou et al [37], Ndiaye et al [38], Jordan and Kurtz [18], Quintana et al [39], Skoczek [40], Skoczek et al [41], Kahoul et al [42] and Ferrara and Daniel [43]. The literature identifies major causes and modes of module degradation and failure to include [18,39]: degradation of packaging materials, loss of adhesion, degradation of cell/module interconnects as a result of thermomechanical fatigue, degradation due to moisture intrusion and degradation of semiconductor device [39].…”