Nomenclature and description of Electro-Luminescence (EL) observations: cell cracks and other observations

Crystalline silicon solar cells were, are and will continue to dominate the Photovoltaic PV module market. In the past decade, significant efforts have been made to better understand and characterize observations using Electro-Luminescence (EL) to investigate the appearance of c-Si solar cells. Whil...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jaeckel Bengt, Pander Matthias, Schenk Paul, Linsenmeyer Aswin, Kirch Jochen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: EDP Sciences 2024-01-01
Series:EPJ Photovoltaics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.epj-pv.org/articles/epjpv/full_html/2024/01/pv20240039/pv20240039.html
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841557359909928960
author Jaeckel Bengt
Pander Matthias
Schenk Paul
Linsenmeyer Aswin
Kirch Jochen
author_facet Jaeckel Bengt
Pander Matthias
Schenk Paul
Linsenmeyer Aswin
Kirch Jochen
author_sort Jaeckel Bengt
collection DOAJ
description Crystalline silicon solar cells were, are and will continue to dominate the Photovoltaic PV module market. In the past decade, significant efforts have been made to better understand and characterize observations using Electro-Luminescence (EL) to investigate the appearance of c-Si solar cells. While standards have been developed, a clear definition of the nomenclature for observations in EL images is still missing. Within the project PV-Riss, a group comprising manufacturers, advisory experts and research facilities worked on an overview of various observations found in the literature (typically of Al-BSF and PERC cells). The individual observations were categorized into four main categories, namely: 1) single cracks, 2) multi-cracks, 3) anomalies in the electrical circuit and all others into 4) miscellaneous. Each category includes several subcategories to include most relevant observations within EL images. These categories can be applied to all existing and new cell types and are independent on the size (ranging from “old” 4” to new M/G12), shape (full, half, third, x-cut), material (mono, multi), or cell technology (AlBSF, PERC, TOPCON, HJT, IBC, Perovskite on Si), as well as of the PV module design (size, glass/backsheet, glass/glass, internal wiring of the electric circuit). Along with a detailed description of observations in EL images, several important definitions are provided that are essential for general understanding, nomenclature, and the mapping of observations to ensure clear and comprehensive communication and reporting. Following the definition of most relevant observations, key observations will be discussed within a classification proposal. This classification proposal aims to facilitate future discussions and to assess EL observations, combining the risk of power loss that exceeds warranty with the probability of potential electrical safety risk.
format Article
id doaj-art-7bcf621f666a430582bf73ac81af6f92
institution Kabale University
issn 2105-0716
language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher EDP Sciences
record_format Article
series EPJ Photovoltaics
spelling doaj-art-7bcf621f666a430582bf73ac81af6f922025-01-06T11:34:30ZengEDP SciencesEPJ Photovoltaics2105-07162024-01-01154410.1051/epjpv/2024039pv20240039Nomenclature and description of Electro-Luminescence (EL) observations: cell cracks and other observationsJaeckel Bengt0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8624-3163Pander Matthias1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2977-5785Schenk Paul2Linsenmeyer Aswin3Kirch Jochen4Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP, Otto-Eissfeldt-Str. 12Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP, Otto-Eissfeldt-Str. 12Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP, Otto-Eissfeldt-Str. 12Sunset Energietechnik GmbH, Industriestr. 8-22Ing.-Büro Jochen Kirch, Lindenweg 18Crystalline silicon solar cells were, are and will continue to dominate the Photovoltaic PV module market. In the past decade, significant efforts have been made to better understand and characterize observations using Electro-Luminescence (EL) to investigate the appearance of c-Si solar cells. While standards have been developed, a clear definition of the nomenclature for observations in EL images is still missing. Within the project PV-Riss, a group comprising manufacturers, advisory experts and research facilities worked on an overview of various observations found in the literature (typically of Al-BSF and PERC cells). The individual observations were categorized into four main categories, namely: 1) single cracks, 2) multi-cracks, 3) anomalies in the electrical circuit and all others into 4) miscellaneous. Each category includes several subcategories to include most relevant observations within EL images. These categories can be applied to all existing and new cell types and are independent on the size (ranging from “old” 4” to new M/G12), shape (full, half, third, x-cut), material (mono, multi), or cell technology (AlBSF, PERC, TOPCON, HJT, IBC, Perovskite on Si), as well as of the PV module design (size, glass/backsheet, glass/glass, internal wiring of the electric circuit). Along with a detailed description of observations in EL images, several important definitions are provided that are essential for general understanding, nomenclature, and the mapping of observations to ensure clear and comprehensive communication and reporting. Following the definition of most relevant observations, key observations will be discussed within a classification proposal. This classification proposal aims to facilitate future discussions and to assess EL observations, combining the risk of power loss that exceeds warranty with the probability of potential electrical safety risk.https://www.epj-pv.org/articles/epjpv/full_html/2024/01/pv20240039/pv20240039.htmlelectro-luminescencesilicon solar cellscracksdegradationclassification
spellingShingle Jaeckel Bengt
Pander Matthias
Schenk Paul
Linsenmeyer Aswin
Kirch Jochen
Nomenclature and description of Electro-Luminescence (EL) observations: cell cracks and other observations
EPJ Photovoltaics
electro-luminescence
silicon solar cells
cracks
degradation
classification
title Nomenclature and description of Electro-Luminescence (EL) observations: cell cracks and other observations
title_full Nomenclature and description of Electro-Luminescence (EL) observations: cell cracks and other observations
title_fullStr Nomenclature and description of Electro-Luminescence (EL) observations: cell cracks and other observations
title_full_unstemmed Nomenclature and description of Electro-Luminescence (EL) observations: cell cracks and other observations
title_short Nomenclature and description of Electro-Luminescence (EL) observations: cell cracks and other observations
title_sort nomenclature and description of electro luminescence el observations cell cracks and other observations
topic electro-luminescence
silicon solar cells
cracks
degradation
classification
url https://www.epj-pv.org/articles/epjpv/full_html/2024/01/pv20240039/pv20240039.html
work_keys_str_mv AT jaeckelbengt nomenclatureanddescriptionofelectroluminescenceelobservationscellcracksandotherobservations
AT pandermatthias nomenclatureanddescriptionofelectroluminescenceelobservationscellcracksandotherobservations
AT schenkpaul nomenclatureanddescriptionofelectroluminescenceelobservationscellcracksandotherobservations
AT linsenmeyeraswin nomenclatureanddescriptionofelectroluminescenceelobservationscellcracksandotherobservations
AT kirchjochen nomenclatureanddescriptionofelectroluminescenceelobservationscellcracksandotherobservations