Drivers for the cracking of multilayer polyamide‐based backsheets in field photovoltaic modules: In‐depth degradation mapping analysis
Abstract
Abstract There is a lack of understanding on the root cause of cracking of photovoltaic (PV) backsheets due to the challenge of multilayer characterization and the complicated failure modes at the submodule level. In this work, the in‐depth degradation mapping of field‐exposed polyamide‐based (PA‐based) PV module backsheets was studied, with the major focus on the identification of underlying drivers for the through cracking (in between the solar cells). PV modules were retrieved from five different locations, comprising a variety of climates, including humid subtropical, hot‐summer Mediterranean, tropical savanna climate, and hot arid. A suite of microscale cross‐sectional characterizations, including chemical changes, fluorescence intensity, and modulus as a function of distance from the air surface of the backsheet, was performed. Results showed more advanced signs of degradation of the inner layer than the outer layer in the cracking region. Increases in the modulus were identified as the major indicator for the cracking. Moreover, a rudimentary test by immersion in acetic acid, which forms during photodegradation of the ethylene‐vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) encapsulant, showed the first‐time direct evidence that acetic acid can largely accelerate the chemical degradation and facilitate the cracking of PA inner layer. This study suggests that the field crackingmore »
- Authors:
-
[1];
[2];
[1]
- Engineering Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Gaithersburg MD 20899 USA
- Fluoropolymers R&,D Arkema King of Prussia PA 19406 USA
- Publication Date:
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1603804
- Grant/Contract Number:
- DE‐EE0007143
- Resource Type:
- Publisher's Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Progress in Photovoltaics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Progress in Photovoltaics Journal Volume: 28 Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 1062-7995
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Lyu, Yadong, Fairbrother, Andrew, Gong, Mengyan, Kim, Jae Hyun, Hauser, Adam, O'Brien, Greg, and Gu, Xiaohong. Drivers for the cracking of multilayer polyamide‐based backsheets in field photovoltaic modules: In‐depth degradation mapping analysis. United Kingdom: N. p., 2020.
Web. doi:10.1002/pip.3260.
Lyu, Yadong, Fairbrother, Andrew, Gong, Mengyan, Kim, Jae Hyun, Hauser, Adam, O'Brien, Greg, & Gu, Xiaohong. Drivers for the cracking of multilayer polyamide‐based backsheets in field photovoltaic modules: In‐depth degradation mapping analysis. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1002/pip.3260
Lyu, Yadong, Fairbrother, Andrew, Gong, Mengyan, Kim, Jae Hyun, Hauser, Adam, O'Brien, Greg, and Gu, Xiaohong. Mon .
"Drivers for the cracking of multilayer polyamide‐based backsheets in field photovoltaic modules: In‐depth degradation mapping analysis". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1002/pip.3260.
@article{osti_1603804,
title = {Drivers for the cracking of multilayer polyamide‐based backsheets in field photovoltaic modules: In‐depth degradation mapping analysis},
author = {Lyu, Yadong and Fairbrother, Andrew and Gong, Mengyan and Kim, Jae Hyun and Hauser, Adam and O'Brien, Greg and Gu, Xiaohong},
abstractNote = {Abstract There is a lack of understanding on the root cause of cracking of photovoltaic (PV) backsheets due to the challenge of multilayer characterization and the complicated failure modes at the submodule level. In this work, the in‐depth degradation mapping of field‐exposed polyamide‐based (PA‐based) PV module backsheets was studied, with the major focus on the identification of underlying drivers for the through cracking (in between the solar cells). PV modules were retrieved from five different locations, comprising a variety of climates, including humid subtropical, hot‐summer Mediterranean, tropical savanna climate, and hot arid. A suite of microscale cross‐sectional characterizations, including chemical changes, fluorescence intensity, and modulus as a function of distance from the air surface of the backsheet, was performed. Results showed more advanced signs of degradation of the inner layer than the outer layer in the cracking region. Increases in the modulus were identified as the major indicator for the cracking. Moreover, a rudimentary test by immersion in acetic acid, which forms during photodegradation of the ethylene‐vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) encapsulant, showed the first‐time direct evidence that acetic acid can largely accelerate the chemical degradation and facilitate the cracking of PA inner layer. This study suggests that the field cracking of PA‐based backsheet can be attributed to the combined effects of chemical degradation and physical reorganization (chemi‐crystallization) under cyclic thermomechanical stresses. Therefore, it is important to consider effects of local microclimates and interlayer infection to understand the heterogeneous nature of backsheet failures.},
doi = {10.1002/pip.3260},
journal = {Progress in Photovoltaics},
number = 7,
volume = 28,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Mon Mar 09 00:00:00 EDT 2020},
month = {Mon Mar 09 00:00:00 EDT 2020}
}
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