Multi-year study of crack-induced degradation in fielded photovoltaic modules

DuraMAT 2.0 Project

PV Field Data Studies

Category: Disruptive Acceleration Science

Recipient PVEL, Member of Kiwa Group (PI: Karin, Todd)

Subs LBL

Status In Progress

Abstract This project studies the effect of cracked cells on the long-term performance of fielded photovoltaic modules. State-of-the-art modules and control samples are damaged by cracking the cells and deployed in the field over several years with the electrical performance monitored by regular IV tracing. The evolution of cracks is monitored quarterly by electroluminescence imaging, ultraviolet fluorescence and infrared thermography. This project also serves to benchmark reliability of n-type modules, including TOPCon and HJT under field exposure. The acquired dataset is a benchmark for quality in outdoor single module monitoring. The field performance data and associated imaging data is available on the DuraMAT DataHub, and will be used as input for the modeling tools developed at LBNL, with the goal of predicting long-term performance degradation.