Assessment of PV module durability using accelerated and outdoor performance analysis and comparisons

Gambogi, William J.; Heta, Yushi; Kopchick, James G.; Felder, Thomas; MacMaster, Steven; Bradley, Alexander Z.; Hamzavytehrany, Babak; Yu, Bao-Ling; Stika, Katherine M.; Trout, T. John; Garreau-Iles, Lucie; Fu, Oakland; Hu, Hongjie

doi:10.1109/pvsc.2014.6925356

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Inner and core layer cracking is not easily detected in modules, but it is a phenomenon which could directly impact the power performance of field modules because of water ingress and subsequent ground faults. 3,56 Here the modulus is being used as a proxy to correlate to the enabling physics. It is fracture toughness, however, not mechanical modulus that directly characterizes the material fracture.…”

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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“…Several cases of PV module degradation caused by single UV exposure have been reported, for example, the delamination at the glass=encapsulant or cell=encapsulant interface, 5,6,9,12) the discoloration of the encapsulant [1][2][3][4]6,[9][10][11]13) and backsheet, [14][15][16] and recently the production of acetic acid in the encapsulant. [17][18][19] However, current standard PV module qualification tests such as IEC 61215 are considered insufficient for the evaluation of UV impact as well as the combined effect of multiple factors on PV modules.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of UV on power degradation of photovoltaic modules in combined acceleration tests

Williams

Heta

Doi

et al. 2016

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.

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UV exposure and other factors such as high/low temperature, humidity and mechanical stress have been reported to degrade photovoltaic (PV) module materials. By focusing on the combined effects of UV stress and moisture on PV modules, two new acceleration tests of light irradiation and damp heat (DH) were designed and conducted. The effects of UV exposure were validated through a change in irradiation time (UV dosage) and a change of the light irradiation side (glass side vs backsheet side) in the UV-preconditioned DH and cyclic sequential tests, respectively. The chemical corrosion of finger electrodes in the presence of acetic acid generated from ethylene vinyl acetate used as an encapsulant was considered to be the main origin of degradation. The module performance characterized by electroluminescence images was confirmed to correlate with the measured acetic acid concentration and Ag finger electrode resistance.

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Backsheet with dramatically enhanced durability for photovoltaic modules

Shi

Ito

2020

Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments

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Assessment of PV module durability using accelerated and outdoor performance analysis and comparisons

Cited by 6 publications

References 4 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

Effects of UV on power degradation of photovoltaic modules in combined acceleration tests

Backsheet with dramatically enhanced durability for photovoltaic modules

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