Temperature-Dependent Light-Stabilized States in Thin-Film PV Modules

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

3 Scopus Citations

Abstract

Thin-film photovoltaic modules are known to exhibit light-induced transient behavior which interferes with accurate and repeatable measurements of power. Typically power measurements are made after a light exposure in order to target a light state of the module that is representative of outdoor performance. Here we show that the concept of a unique light state is poorly defined for both CIGS and CdTe modules. Instead we find that their metastable state after a light exposure can depend on the temperature of the module during the exposure. We observe changes in power as large as 5.8% for a 20°C difference in light exposure temperature. These results lead us to conclude that for applications in which reproducibility and repeatability are critical, module temperature should be tightly controlled during light exposure.

Original languageAmerican English
Number of pages3
DOIs
StatePublished - 14 Dec 2015
Event42nd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2015 - New Orleans, United States
Duration: 14 Jun 201519 Jun 2015

Conference

Conference42nd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2015
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityNew Orleans
Period14/06/1519/06/15

Bibliographical note

See NREL/CP-5J00-64417 for preprint

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/CP-5J00-66356

Keywords

  • characterization
  • light soak
  • measurement
  • Metastability
  • photovoltaic
  • solar
  • thin film
  • transient

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