Photovoltaic failure and degradation modes

Jordan, Dirk C.; Silverman, Timothy J.; Wohlgemuth, John H.; Kurtz, Sarah R.; VanSant, Kaitlyn T.

doi:10.1002/pip.2866

Photovoltaic failure and degradation modes

Journal Article · Mon Jan 30 00:00:00 EST 2017 · Progress in Photovoltaics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/pip.2866· OSTI ID:1349023

^[1]; Silverman, Timothy J. ^[1]; Wohlgemuth, John H. ^[1]; Kurtz, Sarah R. ^[1]; VanSant, Kaitlyn T. ^[2]

National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)

The extensive photovoltaic field reliability literature was analyzed and reviewed. Future work is prioritized based upon information assembled from recent installations, and inconsistencies in degradation mode identification are discussed to help guide future publication on this subject. Reported failure rates of photovoltaic modules fall mostly in the range of other consumer products; however, the long expected useful life of modules may not allow for direct comparison. In general, degradation percentages are reported to decrease appreciably in newer installations that are deployed after the year 2000. However, these trends may be convoluted with varying manufacturing and installation quality world-wide. Modules in hot and humid climates show considerably higher degradation modes than those in desert and moderate climates, which warrants further investigation. Delamination and diode/j-box issues are also more frequent in hot and humid climates than in other climates. The highest concerns of systems installed in the last 10 years appear to be hot spots followed by internal circuitry discoloration. Encapsulant discoloration was the most common degradation mode, particularly in older systems. In newer systems, encapsulant discoloration appears in hotter climates, but to a lesser degree. Lastly, thin-film degradation modes are dominated by glass breakage and absorber corrosion, although the breadth of information for thin-film modules is much smaller than for x-Si.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States))

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 1349023

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1401511

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA--5J00-67238

Journal Information:: Progress in Photovoltaics, Journal Name: Progress in Photovoltaics Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 25; ISSN 1062-7995

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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