Evaluating Performance and Degradation of Bifacial Fields: Approach and Case Study
This presentation cover results of four years of bifacial technology performance and degradation study, presented at the bifiPV 2024.
bifacial↗
Engineering topics
Johnston, Steven (ORCID:0000000333088267)
Publications and source records attributed to Johnston, Steven (ORCID:0000000333088267).
Investigating Electric Field and Light Induced Degradation in Perovskite Solar Cells through Nanometer-Scale Potential Imaging
Electric field and light induced degradations in perovskite solar cells were evaluated through nanometer-scale potential imaging across the device by using in-situ Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). We derived the electric field profile from potential profiles at different bias voltages to evaluate the locations and quality of junctions across the device. We found relative changes in electric field peak intensity at the HTL/perovskite and perovskite/ETL interfaces upon stressing devices separately under voltage or light. KPFM results during 12-hour stress/rest cycling under electrical bias show both reversible and irreversible changes in the device's interfacial fields. We also observed change in the electric field profile between control and degraded devices after 100 hours of stress/rest cycling under light. Our results demonstrate how nanometer-scale potential imaging can be used to understand the impacts of external electric fields and light soaking on both irreversible degradation and reversible metastability in perovskite solar cells.
Kelvin probe force microscopy↗
Local nm-Scale Imaging of Electrical Contact for Series Resistance Degradation of Silicon Solar Cells
We report on an electrical conduction mechanism for series resistance (Rs) degradation observed in a utility scale solar farm by nm-scale imaging of the local resistance at the Ag/Si interface of c-Si front metallization. Scanning spreading resistance microscopy imaging revealed that the number of point or small area electrical contacts decreased in a degraded cell compared to an unaffected cell, demonstrating the direct root cause of the Rs degradation. The degraded cell shows both a morphological and chemical difference in the screen-printed finger contact compared to the unaffected cell, which likely caused the degradation during the long-term field service. The reduction in electrical contact is likely caused by a structural change: The Ag particles in contact with the Si cell aggregate into bulk Ag, and a highly resistive ceramic oxide is formed in a "belt" shape at the Ag/Si interface. This resistive belt with a thickness of ~1 um blocks the current conduction from cell emitter to the Ag grid. Our results demonstrate an example of the multi-scale characterization approach for understanding degradation mechanisms in photovoltaics.
c-Si solar cell↗
Local nm-Scale Imaging of Electrical Contact for Series Resistance Degradation of Silicon Solar Cells
We report on an electrical conduction mechanism for series resistance (Rs) degradation observed in a utility scale solar farm by nm-scale imaging of the local resistance at the Ag/Si interface of c-Si cell front metallization. Our previous work showed that the I-V measurement of individual cells demonstrated exclusively the cell Rs degradation, and the "beads pattern" of electroluminescence indicated the degradation at the Ag grid of front metallization. Scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM) imaging, which is based on the contact mode of atomic force microscopy and taken on the cross-sections of Ag/Si contact, revealed the electrical conduction pathway of Ag particles in point or small area contact with Si cell emitter. The SSRM results illustrated that the number of electrical contacts in the degraded cell decreased largely compared with the unaffected cell, demonstrating the direct cause of the Rs degradation. This reduction in electrical contact in the degraded cell could be caused by a structural change in the Ag grid during long-term field service: The Ag particles in contact with Si aggregate into the Ag bulk and a highly resistive ceramic oxide is formed in a "belt" shape at the Ag/Si interface. This resistive belt with a thickness of ~1 m blocks the current conduction from cell emitter to the Ag grid. The degraded cell shows both a morphological and chemical difference in the screen-printed finger contact compared to the unaffected cell, which likely caused the different degradation susceptibility during the long-term field service. Our results demonstrate an example of the multi-scale characterization approach for understanding photovoltaic degradation mechanisms.
ENGINEERING,SOLAR ENERGY↗
Electrochemical Degradation Modes in Bifacial Silicon Photovoltaic Modules
Motivated by the rapidly rising deployment of bifacial monocrystalline-silicon photovoltaics (PV), we investigate the durability of various PV module packaging configurations with transparent coverings on both the front and rear sides of the module. We use a series of bifacial passivated emitter and rear cell (p-PERC) mini-modules with systematically varying outer cover materials (glass/glass, G/G, or glass/transparent backsheet, G/TB) and encapsulant chemistries (poly [ethylene-co-vinyl acetate], EVA; or polyolefin, POE). We study degradation modes over 1,000 hours of combined damp heat (DH) exposure and high system voltages that can cause potential-induced degradation (PID) under positive, zero, or negative 1,000 V cell-to-frame bias. We analyze the degradation modes using a combination of current-voltage measurements, impedance spectroscopy, external quantum efficiency, and spatially resolved luminescence and thermal imaging. Our results highlight various types of degradation including shunting, enhanced recombination, and series resistance increases, and we use spatially resolved characterization to separately identify the localized effects. We show that multiple PID and moisture-ingress degradation modes severely affect EVA-containing modules, with previously reported PID processes under negative-bias DH and a unique observation of rear-side surface recombination in G/EVA/G modules under positive-bias DH. We observe significantly less degradation in POE-containing modules, where the G/POE/G configuration exhibits minimal degradation under all stress conditions that we employ.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗