PV degradation curves: non‐linearities and failure modes

Jordan, Dirk C.; Silverman, Timothy J.; Sekulic, Bill; Kurtz, Sarah R.

doi:10.1002/pip.2835

PV degradation curves: non‐linearities and failure modes

Journal Article · Fri Sep 30 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Progress in Photovoltaics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/pip.2835· OSTI ID:1401878

Jordan, Dirk C. ^[1]; Silverman, Timothy J. ^[1]; Sekulic, Bill ^[1]; Kurtz, Sarah R. ^[1]

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 15013 Denver West Parkway Golden CO 80401 USA

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) reliability and durability have seen increased interest in recent years. Historically, and as a preliminarily reasonable approximation, linear degradation rates have been used to quantify long‐term module and system performance. The underlying assumption of linearity can be violated at the beginning of the life, as has been well documented, especially for thin‐film technology. Additionally, non‐linearities in the wear‐out phase can have significant economic impact and appear to be linked to different failure modes. In addition, associating specific degradation and failure modes with specific time series behavior will aid in duplicating these degradation modes in accelerated tests and, eventually, in service life prediction. In this paper, we discuss different degradation modes and how some of these may cause approximately linear degradation within the measurement uncertainty (e.g., modules that were mainly affected by encapsulant discoloration) while other degradation modes lead to distinctly non‐linear degradation (e.g., hot spots caused by cracked cells or solder bond failures and corrosion). The various behaviors are summarized with the goal of aiding in predictions of what may be seen in other systems. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

View Accepted Manuscript (Publisher)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 1401878

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1369127

Journal Information:: Progress in Photovoltaics, Journal Name: Progress in Photovoltaics Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 25; ISSN 1062-7995

Publisher:: Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

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