Abstract
For PV to be cost competitive with traditional energy sources reliability is of critical importance. Historically, PV reliability has focused on the module packaging because degradation and failure modes were directly linked to the packaging. Today, in addition to module packaging cell related reliability issues can be observed. We show that silicon heterojunction (SHJ) degradation is directly linked to the re-distribution of hydrogen (H) near the interface between the amorphous-silicon (a-Si) and silicon bulk. PERC modules show a similar decline in carrier lifetime indicating that not the packaging but the cells are also changing during field exposure. Examination of a stressed PERC cell showed a similar H redistribution in the cell. Understanding the degradation mechanism at the atomic level is important in facilitating possible mitigating mechanisms and more accurately projecting performance.
Original language | American English |
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Number of pages | 9 |
State | Published - 2020 |
Event | 37th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC 2020) - Duration: 7 Sep 2020 → 11 Sep 2020 |
Conference
Conference | 37th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC 2020) |
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Period | 7/09/20 → 11/09/20 |
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/CP-5K00-77483
Keywords
- degradation
- high-efficiency
- PV reliability
- silicon