Title | Long Term Statistics on Micro Cracks and Their Impact on Performance |
Author(s) | Bengt Jaeckel, Thomas Franke, Jürgen Arp |
Keywords | Electroluminescence, Power Loss, Micro Crack, Probability |
Topic | Performance, Reliability and Sustainability of Photovoltaic Modules and Balance of System Components |
Subtopic | PV Module Performance and Reliability |
Event | EU PVSEC 2017 |
Session | 5CO.5.6 |
Pages manuscript | 1396 - 1401 |
ISBN | 3-936338-47-7 |
DOI | 10.4229/EUPVSEC20172017-5CO.5.6 |
Over six years the change in isolated cell areas due to micro cracks and the change in STC power are analyzed and brought in context with type of crack and its potential PV module power loss. Intermediate results about four years of operation were presented in 2015 [6]. This work this is an update to include collected data after 6 years of operation which are split in two sub periods of three years each. Other than in the first presentation we now have three data points and can identify a first trend. The data is analyzed on cell and on module level. On cell level every cell is characterized by the type of micro crack, the percentage of potentially isolated area and of isolated area. The analysis compares the development of the micro crack status of the different types of cracks with respect to isolated areas and potential power loss. 143 cells in three categories have been specifically selected for detailed monitoring and analysis. Changes in the percentage of the isolated areas were investigated. In the three-year period between 2011 and 2014 10,9% of the areas which have been endangered to become isolated have really been electrically separated from the live circuit. This results in 3,6% per year. In the following three-year period between 2014 and 2017 the amount of newly isolated areas adds up to 8,25%, which equals 2,75% per year. For the whole time-span of six years the amount of isolated areas adds up to 19,1% or 3,2% per year in average. The STC power measurement in 2015 shows a power loss which exceeds the expected natural degradation with an average annual power loss of 1,5%, but was within the uncertainty of measurement. The measurement in summer 2017 did not confirm this trend of development of the STC power degradation. The average annual power loss has been reduced to 1,0% per year.