Analysis of the Long-Term Performance Degradation of Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Modules in Tropical Climates

Journal Article · Fri Nov 02 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2018.2877007· OSTI ID:1485566

Luo, Wei ^[1]; Khoo, Yong Sheng ^[1]; Hacke, Peter L ^[2]; Jordan, Dirk ^[2]; Zhao, Lu ^[1]; Ramakrishna, Seeram ^[1]; Aberle, Armin G. ^[1]; Reindl, Thomas ^[3]

---

1. Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (Singapore)
2. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
3. Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore

For this study, the long-term performance degradation of five different types of commercial crystalline silicon (c-Si) photovoltaic (PV) modules (one sample for each type) in the tropics, or more specifically the tropical rainforest climate 'Af' by the Koppen climate classification (Singapore), is investigated over a period of seven years, based on outdoor I-V measurements at 10-s intervals. The degradation rates of these c-Si PV modules, based on the temperature-corrected performance ratio, range from -0.03 to -0.47%/year, which satisfy the products' performance warranty. Further analysis of the short-circuit current (I _{sc), open-circuit voltage, and fill factor for these modules shows that the performance degradation is mainly} attributed to the l _sc loss. Lastly, the possible causes of the module performance deterioration are also discussed.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1485566
• Report Number(s): NREL/JA-5K00-72448
• Journal Information: IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Journal Name: IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 9; ISSN 2156-3381
• Publisher: IEEE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
crystalline silicon modules
degradation modes
degradation rates
long-term module performance
photovoltaics
tropics