Accepted Manuscript

Evaluating the reliability of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules in harsh

environment

Nabil Kahoul, Rachid Chenni, Hocine Cheghib, Saad Mekhilef

PII: S0960-1481(17)30164-7
DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.02.078
Reference: RENE 8585

To appear in: Renewable Energy

Received Date: 6 December 2016

Revised Date: 25 January 2017
Accepted Date: 26 February 2017

Please cite this article as: Kahoul N, Chenni R, Cheghib H, Mekhilef S, Evaluating the reliability of
crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules in harsh environment, Renewable Energy (2017), doi: 10.1016/
j.renene.2017.02.078.

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 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Evaluating the reliability of crystalline silicon

photovoltaic modules in harsh environment

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Nabil Kahoula , Rachid Chennia , Cheghib hocineb , Saad Mekhilefc
a
University Constantine 1, Faculty of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering,

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MoDERNa Laboratory, Constantine 25000, Algeria.
b
Laboratoire des systèmes électromécaniques, Université Badji mokhtar. Annaba.
c
Power Electronics And Renewable Energy Research Laboratory (PEARL), Department

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of Electrical Engineering, University of Malaya, Malaysia.

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Abstract

1
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Electricity generated using photovoltaic system can only be commercial
2 if the photovoltaic modules operate reliably for 20-25 years under field condi-
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3 tions. Understanding the performance degradation of photovoltaic modules
4 is critical for optimizing its financial viability. Performance degradation of
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5 photovoltaic modules is due to multiple factors such as installation site and

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6 module technologies. In order to gain insight on performance degradation

7 of crystalline silicon PV technology in harsh environment, a degradation ef-
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8 fects study of c-Si photovoltaic modules in desert environment was carried.

9 The main contribution of this paper is focused on the evaluation of c-Si PV
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10 modules performance that operated in extreme environmental conditions.

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11 This evaluation usually consists of I-V curve field measurements and visual
12 inspections.
Keywords:
c-Si PV modules, Degradation, Failure, Desert, Performance evaluation.

Emailsubmitted
Preprint address: to Renewable Energy (Nabil Kahoul)
nabil_ka@yahoo.fr February 27, 2017
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1. INTRODUCTION

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13 Crystalline silicon PV cells are manufactured from thin silicon wafers.
14 for the production of mono-c-Si cells, silicon is shaped in a cylindrical ingot

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15 form. Thin slices with thickness of (0,2-0,3)mm are cut from these ingots and
16 then formed into usually hexagonal shapes in order to cover as much of the

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17 modules aperture area as possible. Mass produced monocrystalline cells have
18 an efficiency of 13% to 19% and are the most efficient cells yet to enter the

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19 PV market [1, 2] . Polycrystalline silicon is also produced from high purity
20

21
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molten silicon, only in this case it is formed through a casting process. A
comparison between poly-c-Si and mono-c-Si cells in terms of efficiency shows
that monocrystalline are (1,5-2,0)% more efficient than polycrystalline, but
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23 the latter are cheaper to produce [2, 3]. This is one of the main reasons that
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24 their market share is currently growing. Photovoltaic modules performance

in outdoor conditions depends on several factors like type of PV technology
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25

26 and the environmental conditions of the site where the modules are installed
27 [4, 5]. In the photovoltaic technology, it is clear that c-Si PV modules do
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28 not necessarily maintain their initial performances throughout the periods

29 of exposition. Most panels have a warranty to produce 80% of its capac-
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30 ity after 20 years [7, 8]. This is not quite as impressive as it seems. It’s
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31 likely the panels output decrease within a few years, as, some modules are
32 prone to degrading much more quickly or even fail when operating outdoors
33 [4, 7]. Degradation mechanisms may involve either a gradual reduction in
34 the output power of a PV module over time or an overall reduction in power

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35 due to failure of an individual solar cell in the module. Degradation of c-Si

36 PV modules performance is manifested by a change in electrical parame-

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37 ters and/or by defects that was created by physical material defects and/or
38 structural defects [4, 9]. These defects can also appear when module has

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39 been exposed to extreme hail or heat stress for extended period [10], as the
case of PV modules deployed outdoors under extreme weather conditions of

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40

41 desert environment . In this paper degradation effects of crystalline silicon

PV technology in extreme environmental conditions have been studied. The

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43 main contribution of this paper is focused on the evaluation of c-Si PV mod-

44
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ules performance that operated in desert area for identifying research gaps
45 for long term reliability of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules and im-
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46 proving the photovoltaic qualification standards for various geographical and
47 climatic conditions. The studied PV modules have been subjected to long-
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48 term outdoor exposure for over 11 years in harsh climates (Saharan Algeria).
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49 Thereafter they have been tested for assessing their long-term reliability. Ob-
50 tained results show a great disparity compared to the results obtained in the
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51 literature and that due to extreme weather conditions of this particular ge-
52 ographic region, where the panels have been installed, as shown in figure 2
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53 and 3, the sun at maximum power that the modules are often exposed to the
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54 extraordinary constraints; extreme temperatures (with peaks around 63◦ C

55 in July, in outdoor), high illumination (exceeds 1000 w/m2 ) and sandstorm.
56 The following study was carried out at research unit of renewable energy in
57 Saharan middle (urerms.cder.dz), Adrar in the southern part of Algeria.

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58 2. Experimental platform presentation

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59 Figure 1 presents the photovoltaic platform that has been used in this
60 study. It is installed at Adrar in Algeria, Adrar is located on the extreme

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61 southern Algeria (27 52 00 Nord, 0 17 00 West). It presents a dry climate.

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Figure 1: Some tested Multi-c-Si photovoltaic modules

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62 The site is often exposed to high level of temperature. Figure 2 gives a

63 summary of ambient temperature. All data values were measured every 2 s
64 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. It is clear that the site is always characterized by
65 high temperature values, typically average ambient temperature above 40◦ C,

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66 with peaks around 60◦ C

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70
Tmin
Tmax

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50
Temperature (°C)

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40

30

20

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10

0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Month

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Figure 2: The monthly average of the maximum and minimum temperatures.

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67 The site climate data reported from research unit of renewable energy in
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68 Saharan middle, Adrar www.urerms.dz. Measurements were carried out at
69 Adrar.
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Cloudy day Sunny day

1200 1200
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1000 1000
Irradiation solaire (w/m²)

Irradiation solaire (w/m²)

800 800

600 600
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400 400

200 200
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0 0
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Heur (h) Heur (h)
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Figure 3: Daily solar insolation on the PV modules.

70 Adrar has a significant solar potential with annual average irradiation

71 measured on inclined plane exceeds 7 kWh/m2 .

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72 Platform consists of five monocrystalline photovoltaic modules (UDTS-

73 50) and six polycrystalline modules (PHOTOWATT PWX 500). These mod-

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74 ules have been used for different application such as water pumping system
75 and public lighting at research unit. The technical characteristics of PV

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76 modules provided by the manufacturers are given in Table 1.

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Table 1: Technical characteristics of PV modules

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Parameters Mono-crystalline UDTS-50 Poly-crystalline PWX500
Open-circuit voltage Voc V 21.6 21.6
Short-circuit current Isc
Voltage at MPP Vmp
A
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3.18
17.5
3.2
17.2
Current at MPP Imp A 2.9 2.9
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Maximum power Pm W 50 50
Ns 36 36
Fill factor FF % 72 72.34
Efficiency ȵ
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% 12.83 10.40
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77 The photovoltaic module UDTS-50 consists of 36 monocrystalline silicon

78 cells “0,385 m2 the panel area”connected in series and two bypass diodes
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79 connected in parallel (overlapped bypass diodes), with a maximum power

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80 of 50 W. This module is protected by a tempered glass plate, EVA resin,

81 impermeable PV back sheet and aluminum frame.
82 The PWX500 is designed with the double glass technology and uses Pho-
83 towatts multicrystalline technology. The PWX500 consist of 36 cells con-

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84 nected in series and two bypass diodes connected in series, with a maximum
85 power of 50 Wc. Module dimensions: 1042 x 462 x 39 mm.

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86 Measurements (I-V and P-V curves, FF and Pmax ) are made with ’MP-
87 160 I-V tracer’. The MP-160 tracer carries out the field measurement of the

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88 I-V characteristic and of the main characteristic both of a single module and
of module strings, also the values of its temperature and incident irradiation.

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89

90 It offers a high level of flexibility. The calculation accuracy for current and
voltage values of I-V curve is 0.5% against full scale.

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Figure 4: The MP-160 I-V curve tracer.

92 During exposure tests, automatic measurement can be scheduled for con-

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93 tinuous data retrieval and make an automatic STC conversion of the measur-
94 able modules parameters, as shown in figure 3. This operation corresponds

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95 to the translation to standard conditions, it allow comparing the I-V charac-
96 teristics obtained experimentally and those provided by the manufacturer.

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97 3. PV modules performance evaluation

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98 An I-V curve can clearly describe the PV module performance under dif-
ferent climatic conditions such as temperature and solar irradiation [11, 12].

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99

100

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The characteristic equation I-V is given by:
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  V + IR  
s V + IRs
I = Iph − I0 exp −1 − (1)
AVt Rp
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102 The evaluation of PV performance in the field typically includes the

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103 recording of measurements such as: voltage and current at the maximum
104 power point (MPP) of the panel, Vmp , Imp , Maximum power Pm , open-circuit
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105 voltage, Voc , short-circuit current, Isc , fill factor, F F , series resistance, Rs ,
106 shunt resistance, Rsh , from I-V curves of modules and the meteorological
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107 measurements such as solar irradiance intensity, G and module temperature,

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108 T . This evaluation will give a diagnosis of electrical parameters that con-
109 tribute to the degradation effect [4, 13, 14]. Therefore, a degradation factor
110 was defined for various PV module performance parameters to estimate the-
111 oretically, the change rate of its value according to the initial value. The

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112 degradation factor is calculated by the following expression [15, 16]:

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 V Pdeg 
F D(%) = 1 − .100 (2)
V Pini

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113 Where
∗ FD : Degradation factor (Degradation rate) for the considered parameter.

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114 ∗ V Pini : Initial value of the considered parameter (Pm , Rs ,...).
∗ V Pdeg : Parameter value after degradation.
115

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116 The degradation factor is used to evaluate the long term changes in the
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118 losses.
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performance. It provides important information about the overall effect of
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119 4. Results and discussion
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120 The following section presents the electrical degradation of different pa-
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121 rameters measurements at standard test conditions (STC) of studied pho-

122 tovoltaic modules. The results of electrical parameters; maximum power
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123 (Pm), maximum voltage (Vmp), maximum current (Imp), fill factor (FF),
124 are summarized in table 2.
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125 4.1. Visual Inspection and I-V, P-V Measurements

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126 The I-V curve of a PV module describes its energy conversion capability
127 at the existing conditions of solar irradiation and temperature [13, 17]. The
128 modification of such characteristic can be expected when there is a change
129 in the PV module state [4, 18].

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50 4

45 3.5
MV04
40 MV01

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Reference 3
35
2.5

Current I(A)
30
Power (W)

MV01
25 2 MV04
Reference
20 1.5

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15
1
10
0.5
5

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0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
Voltage (V) Voltage (V)

Figure 5: Modules Mono-c-Si UDTS-50.

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3.5
50

45

40

35
PV02
PV03
PV04
PV05
PV06
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2.5

PV07
30
Current (A)
Power (W)

Reference 2
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25 PV02
PV03
1.5
20 PV04
PV05
15 1 PV06
PV07
10 Reference
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0.5
5

0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
Voltage (V) Voltage (V)
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Figure 6: Modules Poly-c-Si PWX500.pdf

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130 Figure 5 shows a comparison of I-V and PV curves of the three monocrystalline-
131 silicon PV modules studied between the initial state (Reference) and after 11
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132 years of operation in field. Is noted that the maximum power (Pm) is reduced
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133 for all PV modules. The maximum power point have moved further from the
134 inflection point of the initial characteristic. We can already note this change,
135 that due to these modules have been longer exposed for 11 years. Other per-

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136 formance parameters such as open circuit voltage (Voc),short circuit current
137 (Isc) and Fill factor(FF), degradation rates are different and show no corre-

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138 lation one technology to another. Indeed, the degradation is higher in open
139 circuit voltage Voc for the module (Poly-c-Si) while short circuit current Isc

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140 is more degraded with module (mono-Si). No major visual defects have been
reported. Visual inspection on polycristalline silicon modules PWX-500 re-

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141

142 vealed that the power loss may caused by defects as yellowing and browning,
as shown in figure 1, This phenomenon usually consists of a degradation of

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144 the EVA or the adhesive material between the cells and the glass [19, 20].
145
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The modules PV05, PV06 and PV07 have the highest degradation rates for
146 all parameters; they have a longer operating time (11 years).
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147 4.2. Degradation of electrical parameters
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148 The following section presents the degradation rate (FD) for the different
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149 electrical parameters of PV modules. The results of electrical parameters

150 (Pm,Vmp, Imp,FF) are summarized in table 2.
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151 The degradation rate differs from one module to another. A negative
152 value implies increased performance over time. The PV modules with larger
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153 Pmax degradation are characterized by large contributions due to FF degra-

dation. The modules MV01 and MV04 have lowest degradation rates for all
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154

155 parameters. From table 2, the average power loss is equal to 1,05%/year.
156 These modules have high reliability, this reliability may due to the stability
157 of crystalline silicon solar cells, indeed, the PV modules UDTS-50 have a

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Table 2: Summary results for the different performance parameters

Location Technology Years Module Parameters Initial value After Degradation
type fielded (Reference) degradation rate (%)
𝑃𝑚 (W)

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MV01 45.25 8.59
𝑉𝑚𝑝 (V) 14.53 16.97
𝐼𝑚𝑝 (A) 3.12 -7.59
𝐹𝐹 (%) 61.47 14.62

MV04 𝑃𝑚 (W) 42.09 14.97

𝑉𝑚𝑝 (V) 14.44 17.49
2.92 -0.69
𝐼𝑚𝑝 (A)

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61.45 14.65
𝐹𝐹 (%)
MV06
𝑃𝑚 (W)
50 6.38 87.11
Mono-c-Si 11 𝑉𝑚𝑝 (V) 17.5 3.35 80.86
UDTS-50 years 𝐼𝑚𝑝 (A) 2.9 1.91 34.14
𝐹𝐹 (%) 72 32.56 54.78
MV07

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𝑃𝑚 (W) 9.86 80.08
𝑉𝑚𝑝 (V) 4.83 72.40
𝐼𝑚𝑝 (A) 2.04 29.65
𝐹𝐹 (%) 33.62 53.31

MV03 𝑃𝑚 (W)
𝑉𝑚𝑝 (V) 23.21 51.22
𝐼𝑚𝑝 (A) 4.10 74.92
Adrar, 5.66 -94.51

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𝐹𝐹 (%)
Algeria 22.64 67.87
PV03 𝑃𝑚 (W) 31.56 36.88
𝑉𝑚𝑝 (V) 12.45 27.62
𝐼𝑚𝑝 (A) 2.53 12.76

11
years
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PV04
𝐹𝐹 (%)

𝑃𝑚 (W)
𝑉𝑚𝑝 (V)
𝐼𝑚𝑝 (A)
𝐹𝐹 (%)
62.64

32.28
12.5
2.57
62.35
13.41

35.44
27.33
11.38
13.81

PV02
𝑃𝑚 (W)
50 33.32 33.36
𝑉𝑚𝑝 (V)
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17.2 12.94 24.77
Poly-c-Si 𝐼𝑚𝑝 (A) 2.9 2.57 11.38
PWX500 𝐹𝐹 (%) 72.34 65.40 9.59
PV06 𝑃𝑚 (W) 36.08 27.84
𝑉𝑚𝑝 (V) 15.33 10.87
𝐼𝑚𝑝 (A) 2.35 18.97
𝐹𝐹 (%) 68.24 5.67
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PV05 𝑃𝑚 (W) 37.78 24.44

6 years 𝑉𝑚𝑝 (V) 14.75 14.24
2.56 11.72
𝐼𝑚𝑝 (A)
66.39 8.23
𝐹𝐹 (%)
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PV07
𝑃𝑚 (W)
39.16 21.68
𝑉𝑚𝑝 (V) 15.58 9.42
𝐼𝑚𝑝 (A) 2.51 13.45
𝐹𝐹 (%) 68.71 5.02
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158 good electrical insulation against extreme weather conditions of desert envi-
ronment. For MV06, MV07 and MV03, The results show a large disparity
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160 compared to values usually obtained in degradation measurements, which

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161 represent almost a full failure. for MV06 and MV07, the visual inspection
162 revealed some defects as cracks in cells and anti-reflection coating deteriora-
163 tion, that appear in the cells after it has been exposed to heat stress for 11

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164 years in field or due to physical material defects formed during processing
165 and assembly. Crack in the cell removes a part of the cell from its electrical

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166 circuit resulting in a relatively decrease in voltage produced [7, 18]. Cracked
167 cell could reduce more than 10% of the cell’s area from electrical circuit of

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168 the module [7, 18, 20]. For MV03, the visual inspection revealed a corrosion
of cell-interconnect busbar that appears in module and led to separate the

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169

170 affected cell from others, hence it have the effect of large mismatch in current
produced by the module , as shown in figure 7.

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Figure 7: Corrosion of cell-interconnect busbar

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172 The cell-interconnect busbar is damaged, therefore affected cell separated

173 from the others (switch off). The interconnects between cells have changed
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174 the operating point of the module, as a result, PV module configuration has
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175 been changed from series connection to parallel due to internal configuration
176 of bypass diode, as shown in figure 8.
177 From table 2, evaluation of performance parameters of polycrystalline sil-
178 icon modules PWX-500 showed the high effect of heat stress on the efficiency

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Reference module MV06 et MV07 MV03


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



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1

1
1


V12Cell

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
12

1


13

13
13

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25

12
Equivalent Equivalent

25
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24
24

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25

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36


V
Panel = 12.V Cell

36

36
36

I =2I
Total
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




Figure 8: Configuration of bypass diode before defect and thereafter.

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179 and performance of this technology with time. power losses analysis shows
180 that these modules do not have a reliability in desert environment and do
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181 not respect guaranty conditions. After six operation years in field, modules
182 PV05, PV06 and PV07 present the average degradation rate of 4,11%/year,
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183 that shows the early degradation of polycrystalline silicon cells after few op-
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184 eration years under Saharan environment that may due to the instability of
185 polycrystalline solar cells. For PV02, PV03 and PV04 the average degrada-
186 tion rate is equal to 3,20%/year, after 11 yaers in the same field. Indeed, the
187 degradation is higher in maximum voltage Vmp for modules have more op-

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188 eration years, while maximum current is more degraded with modules have a
189 few operation years under desert environment. No major visual defects have

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190 been reported for this technology.

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191 5. Summary and conclusion

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192 Performance measurements of outdoor testing of crystalline silicon pho-
193 tovoltaic modules in desert environment have been performed. Eleven PV
modules (5 monocrystalline silicon and 6 polycrystalline silicon) were exposed

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195 during a years on the site of research unit of renewable energy in Saharan
196
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Middle (URER/MS), Adrar, Algeria. The degradation impact on the IV
197 and PV characteristics of PV modules after exposition years under desert
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198 environment was highlighted. Performance analysis of modules provides an
insight in the operational behavior of this technology. This study shows that,
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199

200 under extreme environment conditions of Saharan algeria, polycrystalline sil-

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201 icon PV modules present mean degradation rates ranging from 3.33 %/year
202 to 4.64%/year and therefore this technology do not has any reliability in
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203 desert environment, some monocrystalline silicon modules have failed due to
204 physical material defects and/or structural defects. Degradation rates mea-
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205 surements are essential in assessing the reliability and the effective life span
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206 of a PV module. Origin identification of performance degradation and fail-

207 ure modes of photovoltaic modules is necessary to improve the reliability of
208 photovoltaic installations in various geographical and climatic conditions.

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209 Acknowledgments

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210 The authors would like to thank research unit of renewable energy in
211 Saharan middle, (http://urerms.cder.dz/), Adrar, for their kind availability

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212 and for the possibility to access data and equipment utilization.

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268 [20] Radziemska E, The effect of temperature on the power drop in crystalline
269 silicon solar cells, Renewable Energy 28 (2003) 1-12.

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 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
Highlights

- Paper evaluates performance of eleven c-Si PV modules in desert environment

- Outdoor performance evaluation of c-Si PV modules has been carried

- Modules performance degradation was evaluated using I-V, P-V Measurements

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- Obtained results show a great disparity compared to the literature

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