Can the Staebler-Wronski effect account for the long-term performance of a-Si PV arrays?
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, Colorado 80401-3393 (United States)
We suggest a model for the Staebler-Wronski degradation of a-Si based solar cells that can account for long-term performance observations of deployed a-Si photovoltaic modules. The model suggests that the stabilization of the Staebler-Wronski degradation does not occur because an equilibrium between light-induced degradation and thermal or light-induced recovery is reached. Rather, stabilization occurs because the degradation phenomenon itself is self-limiting, i.e., once enough degradation has been introduced, the degradation process diminishes. This model shows that the module performance and the long-term power output of an a-Si PV array depend not only on the operating conditions, but also, on the temperature history of light exposure. This makes it difficult to accurately predict the exact amount of degradation in the field. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-83CH10093
- OSTI ID:
- 552836
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-961178--
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 394; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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