Defining Threshold Values of Encapsulant and Backsheet Adhesion for PV Module Reliability: Preprint

The width-tapered cantilever beam method is used to quantify the debond energy (adhesion) of encapsulant and backsheet structures of 27 modules collected from the field. The collected population of modules contains both those that have remained in-tact and those with instances of either or both encapsulant and backsheet delamination. From this survey, initial threshold values (an adhesion value above which a module should remain intact throughout its lifetime) for encapsulant and backsheet interfaces are proposed. For encapsulants this value is about 60 J/m2 and for backsheets about 20 J/m2. It is expected that these values will continue to be refined and evolve as the width-tapered cantilever beam method becomes adopted by the PV industry, and that they may aid in the future improvement of accelerated lifetime tests and the development of new, low-cost materials.