Application of reverse bias recovery technique to address PID issue: Incompleteness of shunt resistance and quantum efficiency recovery

Potential Induced Degradation (PID) has recently been identified as one of the major field durability issues of PV modules. The industry is attempting to address this issue at the module/cell production level by modifying the cell, glass and/or encapsulant properties and at the system level through the application of reverse bias voltage during the nighttime. However, there is a lingering question on the full recovery of the cells through the reverse bias application technique. The results obtained in this work indicate that the near-full recovery of efficiency at high irradiance levels can be achieved but the full recovery of efficiency at low irradiance levels, the shunt resistance and the quantum efficiency at low wavelengths could not be achieved.