Title :
Performance variation of commercially available modules after six months of outdoor system voltage stress testing
Author :
Schneller, Eric ; Shiradkar, Narendra S. ; Dhere, Neelkanth G.
Author_Institution :
Florida Solar Energy Center, Cocoa, FL, USA
Abstract :
System voltage stress has been shown to cause performance degradation in PV modules. This effect has been most prevalent in hot and humid climates such as Florida. Several modules from leading manufacturers have been deployed at the Florida Solar Energy Center for outdoor high voltage bias testing. Following a period of six months of continuous application of negative 600 V, performance analysis has been carried out. A large variation in the performance of different module types was observed. Characterizations included illuminated current-voltage, dark current-voltage, and electroluminescence imaging. A statistical analysis was performed on the performance data to determine the extent and variation of system voltage induced degradation in commercially available modules of similar cost and construction.
Keywords :
solar cells; statistical analysis; stress analysis; PV modules; dark current-voltage; electroluminescence imaging; hot climates; humid climates; illuminated current-voltage; outdoor high voltage bias testing; outdoor system voltage stress testing; performance degradation; performance variation; statistical analysis; system voltage induced degradation; voltage 600 V; Degradation; Electroluminescence; Photovoltaic systems; Stress; Temperature measurement; Testing; high voltage bias; photovoltaic cells; potential induced degradation; silicon; system voltage stress;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialist Conference (PVSC), 2014 IEEE 40th
Conference_Location :
Denver, CO
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.2014.6925620