Desert label development for improved reliability and durability of photovoltaic modules in harsh desert conditions

Lelievre, Jerome; Couderc, Romain; Pinochet, N.; Sicot, L.; Muñoz, Delfina; Kopecek, Radovan; Ferrada, Pablo; Marzo, Aitor; Olivares, Douglas; Valencia, Felipe; Urrejola, Elías

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111508

Cited by 17 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…On the other hand, modules with UV‐cut encapsulants (EVA‐UV, TPOA‐UV and TPOB‐UV) show a continuous decline of their I sc that reaches up to 7.5% in the case of EVA‐UV. The initial I SC decrease could be attributed to the opacification of the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer of the cell under high UV irradiance 21 . The long‐term loss could be linked to the yellowing of the modules with UV‐cut encapsulants, as such discolouration implies a reduced transmission of blue light, which impairs the current generation of the cell.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The initial I SC decrease could be attributed to the opacification of the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer of the cell under high UV irradiance. 21 The longterm loss could be linked to the yellowing of the modules with UV-cut encapsulants, as such discolouration implies a reduced transmission of blue light, which impairs the current generation of the cell. By comparing the I sc values of modules with EVA-UV to those of modules with EVA, the net loss due to discolouration after 4200 h is at least 4.2%.…”

Section: Ageing Consequences On Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Solar cell UV‐induced degradation or module discolouration: Between the devil and the deep yellow sea

Pinochet

Couderc

Thérias

2023

Progress in Photovoltaics

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For decades, photovoltaic (PV) module yellowing caused by UV exposure has been observed on solar arrays in operation. More than an aesthetic inconvenience, this phenomenon can severely impair module performance and promote other degradation mechanisms by undermining the photoprotection provided by encapsulation. To understand how this reaction may affect current encapsulation materials, silicon heterojunction (SHJ) monocell modules with either UV‐cut or UV‐transparent commercial encapsulants were aged under UV irradiation and examined by visual inspection, fluorescence imaging and flash tests. Despite the photoprotection they provide, only the encapsulants that were stabilised by UV absorbers underwent discolouration. On the one hand, UV absorber photodegradation is responsible for the formation of yellow chromophores that affect light transmission to the cell, which could cause net decrease in the photogenerated current high as 4% after 4200 h of accelerated UV ageing. On the other hand, UV‐induced degradation of SHJ solar cells only accounts for a lower photogenerated current loss (3%), in contrast with previous observations in the literature. According to the behaviour of the current encapsulation formulation, the stability of UV absorbing additives has to be improved to ensure the durability of the device over 30 years.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ageing Consequences On Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Solar cell UV‐induced degradation or module discolouration: Between the devil and the deep yellow sea

Pinochet

Couderc

Thérias

2023

Progress in Photovoltaics

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“…TPO and EVA underwent similar chemical changes determined by Raman spectroscopy , but EVA showed a slightly lower reduction in light transmittance [ 164 ]. One study suggests that the more UV-transparent the encapsulant is, the higher the short circuit ( I sc ) losses in heterojunction (HJT) PV cells will be, which is not the case with other architectures [ 165 ]. Although silicon HJT cells are presently a small fraction of the commercial PV market, they are currently being considered as the next step in technology because of their ability to respond to a broader spectrum compared to current PERC technology [ 147 ].…”

Section: Photovoltaic Module Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of UV radiation on natural and synthetic materials

Andrady

Heikkilä

Pandey³

et al. 2023

Photochem Photobiol Sci

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The deleterious effects of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation on construction materials, especially wood and plastics, and the consequent impacts on their useful lifetimes, are well documented in scientific literature. Any future increase in solar UV radiation and ambient temperature due to climate change will therefore shorten service lifetimes of materials, which will require higher levels of stabilisation or other interventions to maintain their lifetimes at the present levels. The implementation of the Montreal Protocol and its amendments on substances that deplete the ozone layer, controls the solar UV-B radiation received on Earth. This current quadrennial assessment provides a comprehensive update on the deleterious effects of solar UV radiation on the durability of natural and synthetic materials, as well as recent innovations in better stabilising of materials against solar UV radiation-induced damage. Pertinent emerging technologies for wood and plastics used in construction, composite materials used in construction, textile fibres, comfort fabric, and photovoltaic materials, are addressed in detail. Also addressed are the trends in technology designed to increase sustainability via replacing toxic, unsustainable, legacy additives with ‘greener’ benign substitutes that may indirectly affect the UV stability of the redesigned materials. An emerging class of efficient photostabilisers are the nanoscale particles that include oxide fillers and nanocarbons used in high-performance composites, which provide good UV stability to materials. They also allow the design of UV-shielding fabric materials with impressive UV protection factors. An emerging environmental issue related to the photodegradation of plastics is the generation of ubiquitous micro-scale particles from plastic litter exposed to solar UV radiation. Graphical abstract

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“…Although the raw EVA materials are generally enhanced with chemical additives in the manufacturing process, they suffer from thermo-photo-oxidative degradation with prolonged exposure to harsh working environments. [22][23][24][25] The typical degradation of polymer chains composing the encapsulant EVA layer involves the loss of small molecules, such as acetic acid and protons, and consequent failure at the macromolecular level. As a result, the macromolecular changes lead to the deterioration of optical properties of the EVA layers, such as browning-yellowing and snail trails.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ethylene‐ co ‐vinyl acetate (EVA) is frequently used as the encapsulant material of PV modules due to its excellent physical characteristics and relatively low cost. Although the raw EVA materials are generally enhanced with chemical additives in the manufacturing process, they suffer from thermo‐photo‐oxidative degradation with prolonged exposure to harsh working environments 22–25 . The typical degradation of polymer chains composing the encapsulant EVA layer involves the loss of small molecules, such as acetic acid and protons, and consequent failure at the macromolecular level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multifield coupled thermo‐chemo‐mechanical theory for the reaction‐diffusion modeling in photovoltaics

Liu

Lenarda

Reinoso

et al. 2023

Numerical Meth Engineering

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A comprehensive coupled thermo-chemo-mechanical modeling framework is proposed in this work to study the reaction-diffusion phenomena taking place inside photovoltaics (PV). When exposed to hygrothermal conditions, the encapsulant ethylene-co-vinyl acetate (EVA) layers undergo chemical degradation that significantly influences the overall PV performance. Aiming at efficient thermo-mechanical modeling, the coupled displacement-temperature governing equations for the EVA layers are formulated, and its 3D finite element (FE) implementation is derived in detail. Subsequently, the chemical reaction-diffusion processes occurring in the EVA layers are described, and the corresponding numerical implementation is formulated with the consideration of spatial and temporal variation of diffusivity and chemical kinetic rates. Specifically, the thermo-mechanical solution accounting for the heat generation from chemical reactions is projected to the FE model of the reaction-diffusion system in order to determine the kinetic rates and diffusion coefficients for its subsequent analysis. The proposed modeling method is applied to simulate the evolution of reaction-diffusion species at different damp heat tests, and predictions show a very satisfactory agreement with the analytical solution and experimental electroluminescence images taken from the literature. Its capabilities to predict the spatio-temporal variation are demonstrated through the simulation of the humidity freeze test, where the cyclic temperature boundary condition is imposed. With this modeling framework, it is possible to evaluate the degradation of PV modules under varying environmental boundary conditions, thus providing a guideline to design new products tailored for specific climatic zones.

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Desert label development for improved reliability and durability of photovoltaic modules in harsh desert conditions

Cited by 17 publications

References 14 publications

Solar cell UV‐induced degradation or module discolouration: Between the devil and the deep yellow sea

Solar cell UV‐induced degradation or module discolouration: Between the devil and the deep yellow sea

Effects of UV radiation on natural and synthetic materials

A multifield coupled thermo‐chemo‐mechanical theory for the reaction‐diffusion modeling in photovoltaics

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