posted on 2019-05-20, 13:23authored byNikoleta Kyranaki, Marko Jankovec, Marko Topic, Ralph Gottschalg, Tom BettsTom Betts
The combinations of different and time-varying environmental conditions affect PV modules operating outdoors, both instantaneously and by causing different types of long-term performance degradation and failure modes. Among the most crucial environmental stressors for long-term effects is moisture ingress. Moisture reacts with the back sheet, encapsulant and outer parts of the solar cells. If the encapsulant is the commonly-used ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), moisture that has entered the laminate reacts with the VA content, producing acetic acid. This reacts with the contacts on the cells, causing corrosion and eventual negative impact on the electrical output. This work investigates the rates and patterns of moisture ingress into and egress from c-Si PV laminates as the external humidity changes, through both simulation and experiment.
Funding
This study has received funding from the European Union's H2020 programme SOLAR- TRAIN under grant agreement No 721452.
History
School
Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering
Published in
The 15th Photovoltaic Science, Applications and Technology Conference
Citation
KYRANAKI, N. ... et al., 2019. Investigation of moisture ingress and egress in polymer – Glass laminates for PV encapsulation. IN: Hutchins, M. Crook, R. and Cole, A. (eds.) Proceedings of the 15th Photovoltaic Science, Applications and Technology Conference (PVSAT-15), Scarman Conference Centre, University of Warwick, 10th - 12th April, pp 41-44.
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