Advances in Coring Procedures of Silicon Photovoltaic Modules: Preprint

We describe advances on procedures used for the coring of silicon photovoltaic modules. These procedures involve the coring of specific locations, starting from the back of the modules, and the removal of selected parts of the cell structure, while preserving the front tempered glass. The standard coring procedures had to be modified from case to case due to the different cell structures and measurement requirements. We provide examples of the characterization of the cored samples by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Finally, we describe a simple process to create small openings at specific locations on the back of PV modules to allow for efficiency-related measurement of individual and group of cells.