| Title: |
Line scan photoluminescence and electroluminescence imaging of silicon solar cells and modules |
| Authors: |
Zafirovska, Iskra |
| Publisher Information: |
UNSW, Sydney |
| Publication Year: |
2020 |
| Collection: |
UNSW Sydney (The University of New South Wales): UNSWorks |
| Subject Terms: |
Silicon solar cells; Photoluminescence; Electroluminescence; Photovoltaics; Characterisation; Optical inspection |
| Description: |
The characterisation of photovoltaic modules is crucial for the assurance of their durability, and thus for the adoption of solar energy as an economically viable and reliable source of electricity. In this thesis the use of line scan photoluminescence and electroluminescence imaging is demonstrated for this purpose. A novel laboratory line scan luminescence imaging tool was designed and built to enable the acquisition of line scan photoluminescence and electroluminescence images on industrial modules. Custom software was developed to facilitate the simulation of line scan luminescence images, based on output from the solar cell modelling program Griddler 2.5 Pro. Experimental and simulated data was used to demonstrate that series resistance faults appear with an inverted contrast in line scan photoluminescence images, enabling the unambiguous differentiation of these faults from other fault types. The detection and classification of multiple different fault types is demonstrated using experimental data obtained on over 50 different module samples, with a combination of line scan photoluminescence and electroluminescence imaging data providing the most effective method of fault identification. It is shown from simulations that the luminescence intensity contrast observed around a series resistance fault is correlated with the power output during nominal operation. Using a fundamental theoretical analysis and experimental results on different silicon solar cell types, it is shown that implied voltages determined from luminescence are significantly less sensitive to variations in sample temperature than terminal voltage measurements. This low temperature sensitivity is highly beneficial for the quantitative monitoring of module degradation, which is demonstrated in a specific case study on light and elevated temperature induced degradation on multicrystalline silicon modules. |
| Document Type: |
doctoral or postdoctoral thesis |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/65513; https://doi.org/10.26190/unsworks/21702 |
| DOI: |
10.26190/unsworks/21702 |
| Availability: |
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/65513; https://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/bitstreams/92ac213c-970f-445f-8c11-5013901acfe8/download; https://doi.org/10.26190/unsworks/21702 |
| Rights: |
open access ; https://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 ; CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 ; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/au/ ; free_to_read |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.37F99C72 |
| Database: |
BASE |