Photovoltaic Module Qualification Plus Testing

Wohlgemuth, J.; Kurtz, Sarah

doi:10.1109/pvsc.2014.6924883

Cited by 29 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Light attenuation and oxygen/moisture diffusion limitations can explain the non-uniform degradation through the depth. [42][43][44][45] The extent of chemical oxidation does not directly correlate with crack formation: modules from Tonopah and Changshu have similar or even higher levels of oxidation of the outer and inner layers than the module exposed in Rome, but they have not undergone cracking of the entire backsheet. That indicates that the physical aging and other factors may influence the backsheet cracking behaviors.…”

Section: Cross-sectional Chemical and Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers for the cracking of multilayer polyamide‐based backsheets in field photovoltaic modules: In‐depth degradation mapping analysis

Fairbrother

Gong

et al. 2020

Progress in Photovoltaics

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There's a lack of understanding on the root cause of cracking of photovoltaic (PV) backsheets due to the challenge of multilayer characterization and the complicated failure modes at the sub-module level. In this work, in-depth degradation mapping of field-exposed polyamide-based (PA-based) PV module backsheets was studied, with the major focus on the identification of underlying drivers for the through cracking (in between the solar cells). PV modules were retrieved from five different locations, comprising a variety of climates, including humid subtropical, hot-summer Mediterranean, tropical savanna climate and hot arid. A suite of microscale cross-sectional characterizations, including chemical changes, fluorescence intensity, and modulus as a function of distance from the air surface of the backsheet, were performed. Results showed more advanced signs of degradation of the inner layer than the outer layer in the cracking region. Increases in the modulus was identified as the major indicator for the cracking. Moreover, a rudimentary test by immersion in acetic acid, which forms during photodegradation of the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) encapsulant, showed the first-time direct evidence that acetic acid can largely accelerate the chemical degradation and facilitate the cracking of PA inner layer. This study suggests that the field cracking of PA-based backsheet can be attributed to the combined effects of chemical degradation and physical reorganization (chemi-crystallization) under cyclic thermomechanical stresses. Therefore, it is important to consider effects of local

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Section: Cross-sectional Chemical and Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers for the cracking of multilayer polyamide‐based backsheets in field photovoltaic modules: In‐depth degradation mapping analysis

Fairbrother

Gong

et al. 2020

Progress in Photovoltaics

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“…In this test, modules are placed in a chamber at 85° C and 85% relative humidity for 1000 h. DH exposure has historically resulted in a large number of failed modules (<5% degradation in maximum power) and has presumably driven great improvement in module packaging materials like encapsulants and backsheets 5‐7 . In literature, the duration is frequently extended to 2x, 3x, or more the usual 1000‐h duration 8,9 . This is presumably to demonstrate some greater level of durability, even though degradation seen beyond 1000 h does not particularly resemble the degradation seen in humidity‐stressed modules in outdoor conditions 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degradation of copper‐plated silicon solar cells with damp heat stress

Karas

Michaelson²,

Munoz³

et al. 2020

Progress in Photovoltaics

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Crystalline silicon solar cells with copper-plated contacts are fabricated, encapsulated in ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), and subject to extended damp heat stress (85 C and 85% relative humidity). We source cell precursors from several different cell manufacturers and employ several different patterning methods of the silicon nitride layer and deposit a plated front contact stack of nickel, copper, and tin using light-induced plating. Across different Cu-plated samples, we find similar degradation that impacts

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“…12 21) In many of these programs, 400 to 600 cycles are adopted. [21][22][23][24] Therefore, the number of cycles was set to 600, 3 times the value in IEC 61215, in this study.…”

Section: Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reliability and long term durability of bifacial photovoltaic modules using transparent backsheet

Arihara¹,

Koyoshi²,

Ishii³

et al. 2018

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.

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The reliability and long-term durability of two bifacial photovoltaic modules, a glass-transparent backsheet (GB) module and a glass-glass (GG) module, were compared. The output degradations after UV, damp heat (DH) and thermal cycle tests for GB modules were similar to those for GG modules in the case of using ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) encapsulant. In addition, GB modules using polyolefin encapsulant exhibited much higher reliability in a further extended DH test than GG modules using EVA encapsulant. It was also shown from an outdoor exposure test that the temperature of the GB module was clearly lower than that of the GG module, leading to a higher open-circuit voltage for the GB module. GB modules, even those using EVA encapsulant, had long-term durability similar to that of GG modules in addition to the advantages of a light weight, easy fabrication, and lower module temperature in a hot ambient.

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Photovoltaic Module Qualification Plus Testing

Cited by 29 publications

References 20 publications

Drivers for the cracking of multilayer polyamide‐based backsheets in field photovoltaic modules: In‐depth degradation mapping analysis

Drivers for the cracking of multilayer polyamide‐based backsheets in field photovoltaic modules: In‐depth degradation mapping analysis

Degradation of copper‐plated silicon solar cells with damp heat stress

Reliability and long term durability of bifacial photovoltaic modules using transparent backsheet

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